The Jewish Star Independent and original reporting from the Orthodox communities of Long Island VOL. 8, NO. 13 MARCH 27, 2009 | 2 NISSAN 5769 A TIME OF TRANSITION HAGGADAH HIGHLIGHTS WELCOME TO OCEANSIDE David Seidemann The Kosher Bookworm Concierge program attracts new families Page 5 Page 10 Page 11 IN MY VIEW Abuse victims Reporting sexual abuse speak out BY MICHAEL ORBACH Esther Malka's story began when she was nine, when her brother Reuven touched her at the pool. BY DAVID MANDEL Later that night he crept into her bedroom. Over the next nine years the sexual abuse escalated. She put a here is legislation under consider- lock on her door but her brother took down the door. ation specifically to extend the She began sleeping on the couch in the living room in statute of limitations on reporting her clothing. When she told her parents about the abuse, T sexual abuse until the victim sur- her parents, wary about shidduchim for her three broth- vivor is 28 years old. My colleagues and ers and younger sister, sent her to live with a family in I at OHEL agree with and support this Monsey. They refused to blame her brother; her father legislation. went so far as to explain that it was not her brother's This is consistent with a long held fault since, ‘boys have more tyvas, desires, than girls.’ belief that many victims do not disclose At nineteen she began engaging in self-destructive initially, or for many years. Reasons behaviors. Her grandparents, tired of seeing Esther suf- include fear of the offender, shame on a fer, eventually took her to live with them in Baltimore. personal level as Now at thirty, Esther, a pretty girl with black hair and well as how oth- blue eyes, has little to do with her parents. She leads a ers will react to normal life, working as an assistant at a medical clinic. them, stigma HANC wins basketball championship She says that the stigmatization she felt from her family, ”Every child is associated with The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) Assistant Coach Richie Hochhauser. and from her orthodox community, finally prompted her being victimized, to speak publicly this past Sunday at an event dedicated a universe, and won the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School The North Shore Hebrew Academy girls varsity and for many, the to sexual abuse awareness. the protection strong belief that Basketball League (MYHSBL) Varsity Basketball beat Ramaz, 51-46, to capture their own champi- "I want the stigma to be on my brother and my fam- it will affect their Championship, defeating the Yeshivah of Flatbush, onship during last Sunday’s series. In the JV match- ily. I want the stigma to be on the community that of every child chances of find- 54-42, at Lawrence High School on Sunday in front ups the amazing HAFTR Lady Hawks successfully threatened me to be quiet," said Esther, who asked that must always be ing a mate in of 2,000 fans. defended their title and preserved their perfect her last name not be used in print, "They abused me and marriage (shid- The Hurricanes’ winning effort was led by season, undefeated 13 times, with a 36-26 win over they made me feel like I did something wrong." our absolute duchim). This is Benjamin Ritholtz with 21 points, Daniel Kirshblum the Kushner Cobras, who had also been undefeated, The event was organized by the Jewish Board of priority... We not only true in with 9 points and 11 assists, Michael Hurtes with 9 thus far. The boys junior varsity final was won by Advocates for Children, a group that works to promote the Jewish points and Seth Hochhauser with 13 rebounds. The Heschel, narrowly defeating Flatbush, 37-35. legislation safeguarding children in parochial schools, must support (Orthodox) com- HANC team was coached by Elliot Steinmetz and and took place at Congregation Ohab Tzedek on the munity, but it is and strengthen popular belief in See ABUSE, Page 7 our victims, not other cultures as well. stigmatize In fact, we posit that the them.“ statute of limita- Off-season Aliyah tions can extend even further, beyond age 28. Off to Israel, alone, to start a new life This can act as an BY BARUCH SPIER taking in the nightlife. Then he important deterrent and safety net to packed three suitcases and board- report and prosecute, as well as prevent Until last week, 28-year-old ed a flight to Israel. The Rock It Roper jump rope team is the only one in the future occurrence of sexual abuse. Edo Gaash enjoyed the American Gaash flew to Israel with a country for Orthodox Jewish competitors. That most perpetrators are not life. He worked in information Nefesh B’Nefesh group of 37 olim jailed is not a Jewish problem. As I have Photo by Baruch Spier technology, lived in his parents’ last Tuesday, who traveled on a previously written, former Westchester, Edo Gaash, 28, begins a new stage home in Plainview and spent his regular El-Al flight from Newark Jump rope team New York District attorney, Jeanine of life as an Israeli citizen. free time mountain biking and Pirro, was noted for her aggressive pur- See ALIYAH, Page 9 suit of pedophiles. In six years of sting trains for nationals operations, from 1995 to 2005, she suc- ceeded in having 111 men arrested with Recycling rules revisited Qualifying tournament moved a 100 percent conviction rate. The over- from Shabbos to Sunday whelming majority received probation, BY MALKA EISENBERG Sanitary District #1 distributed 18,000 yellow and with only eight perpetrators sentenced green recycling containers in January of this year. “We BY YAFFI SPODEK competitive single rope to jail. The elegant Lawrence Village Country Club ball- were very happy with our system,” said George Pap- speed team, Fineberg is This issue, as can be expected, is room was the backdrop for a forum and discussion on pas, assistant superintendent. “They changed the rules Suri Fineberg of one of 32 jumpers in the highly charged and emotional. Every trash, recycling and fear of vermin on March 12. and we have to follow the law.” Cedarhurst, a speech award-winning group. child is a universe, and the protection of The Village of Lawrence Board of Trustees dis- The material is sorted at the Bay Boulevard facility therapist and mother of The team is comprised of every child must always be our absolute cussed meeting and budget protocols for the first half and processed further in Westbury. Yard waste is com- two, also holds the dis- a few adults, with the priority. hour of the Thursday night gathering, and then ana- posted now in New Jersey, but a new contract will tinction of being a nation- majority made up of girls In the tragic case of abuse, victim lyzed a report given by the Fire Chief. A crowd gathered compost it on Long Island. Construction debris, includ- ally ranked, award-win- from local yeshivas survivors of sexual abuse traverse a in anticipation of Sanitary District #1’s presentation on ing dirt, wood and wire, is also recovered in Westbury. ning jump-roper. including Bnot Shulamith, painful and arduous path often seeking recycling. A power point presentation clarified questions “We want to keep the service consistent,” Last year, she won a HALB, SKA and TAG, and explained Frank Argento, a member of the board of silver medal in the region- ranging in age from six to See VIEW, Page 5 raised by town representatives at an earlier meeting, and members of the Board of Commissioners also spoke. commissioners. al USA Jump Rope 14 years old. The 50,000 residents, or 18,000 households in the Previously, the communities had five collections in (USAJR) competition for “I do it for every- David Mandel is Chief Executive Officer of district, have been recycling since 1995, they noted. two weeks: Monday, Wednesday, Friday one week and jumping the most times thing — for exercise and OHEL Children’s Home & Family Services. The new program was mandated by New York State, Tuesday, Thursday the next week. The schedule has in a span of three min- to decompress,” Fineberg He lives in Lawrence. For Our Children is although separation of recyclables was efficiently changed to a Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday utes, and she is ranked says of her unusual a 10-minute video produced by OHEL on processed until now at the Bay Boulevard facility. The alternating pickup for garbage, with every other 15th on the national level hobby. “Both of my kids prevention and response to sexual abuse district sued the State of New York but was told that Wednesday reserved for recyclable collection. for the sport. have special needs and I that may be used for community educa- the separation must be done at the source and that the “We are using the same trucks,” said Argento. As part of the Wood- still make the time to do tion by schools and rabbonim. For infor- district was not obeying the “letter of the law” since the “We don’t have to hire new people or get new trucks. mere-based Rock It Rop- jump rope — that’s how mation, contact [email protected]. homeowners had to be involved in the process. See RECYCLING, Page 7 ers, Long Island’s only See JUMP ROPE, Page 9 That’s Life............................................................................2 Calendar...............................................................................6 Candlelighting: 6:56 p.m. ■ Shabbat ends: 7:59 p.m. Inside Opinion .................................................................................4 Classified .............................................................................8 Shabbat Torah reading: Parshat Vayikra 11530 PRST STD PERMIT NO 301 GARDEN CITY NY US POSTAGE PAID PAID US POSTAGE CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED CHANGE SERVICE 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530 City, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden 272573 2 The Jewish Star March 27, 2009 Kenny Gluck Presents K SHER “Good morning, young aback when people not bound K MEDY Dear That’s Life, lady,” said one of the men who by the laws of our faith still It was very early on Ta’anit works at the store, greeting me seem to grasp them.