Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Look What They’ve Done to my Speech, Ma’

I told a friend of mine in Jerusalem about the case of Rabbi David Lipman and I could hear over the phone how his jaw dropped. Sometimes we need to hear familiar news as it is reflected through the eyes of someone in a slightly different culture to refresh your sense of horror.

The state of Arizona received a report from a Child Protective Services hotline complaint, the cops went to Lipman’s office to question him about inappropriate touching of his (step) daughter and he responded in a self-incriminating manner. He then proceeded to mess his own case up in a fantastic way, disappearing for several months, neglecting to make his court appearance, in short, being self-destructive.

The state launched some 13 complains of child sexual abuse against Lipman, which he initially was not present to answer. All the complaints stemmed from his daughter’s report to someone in or connected to the CPS system.

Now check this out: The cops impounded Lipman’s office computer and discovered pornographic material on its drive, including, reportedly, child pornography.

For the possession of this material, Lipman got 13.5 years in jail.

For the child sexual abuse conviction he got probation. This was because his daughter, who complained about his misbehavior, pleaded with the judge not to add more time to his sentence.

This is American Democracy, 2006. It is twisted, cruel, hysterical and injurious. But I, like many Americans, have grown callused to this frightening bit of medieval justice. It took the shocked and awed response of my friend to remind me of what has been happening to our free speech over the past couple of decades.

In the 1960’s Phil Ochs sang Mississippi, find yourself another country. I think it’s time for Arizona to go looking, too.

17 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

So what else is new -- Yanover thinks free speech should include the right to have child pornography and sexually molest ones' children.

Who is surprised?

2:39 PM, April 26, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do birds of a feather flock together?

2:39 PM, April 26, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think Yori should first get his facts straight. The police did NOT impound Lipman's computer until AFTER someone found the pornography on it.

2:40 PM, April 26, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

And, naturally, for possessing pornography, one should spend 13.5 years in prison. Mind you, most rape convictions result in fewer years. Does anyone here honestly believe that we should punish people who possess -- not produces, but merely possess -- pornography, even child pornography -- worse than people who actually commit rape?

2:40 PM, April 26, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

My article was prefaced with this comment:

The following was posted on a blog ran by Yori Yanover. A few of his friends include Rabbi David Lipman and Rabbi Hershy Worch. He is also loosely connected to Rabbi Mordecai Tendler.

To which I just responded:

Rabbi Hershy Worch is not just my friend, he's my spiritual teacher. And this website as well as the Awareness Center is yet to produce a single substantial bit of information (provided by an actual human being, one not hiding behind the dubious shield of anonymity) to support the claim that he "uses kabbalah, hypno-eroticism and other manipulation techniques to have sex with women and to take their money."

Is it fair and decent to soil a man's reputaion without any proof, to simply allow the deadly and false accusation sit there, doing damage to him every hour of every day? Read the accusation: uses kabbalah, hypno-eroticism and other manipulation techniques to have sex with women and to take their money and tell me what it means. Provide any detail whatever from a verifiable source -- or take off his page.

If you ran your center honestly, and not as a place where you reek vengeance on your enemies and your childhood demons, you would have long removed the page and apologized.

But, rest assured, I will not permit you to continue destroying a dear and precious man who has never in his life raised his arm in anger. I will continue to take you to task, I will continue to mail out information about you, I will force you to face up to the evil that you have heaped on this man's head.

Let's see if Polin has the guts to publish it. 2 bits you'll only see it here.

4:17 PM, April 26, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

13 years? That's far less than some people get for smoking pot after a $2 hold-up.

4:30 PM, April 26, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yanover,
Your buddy "Lipman" should get life in prison. He's very fortunate he only got 13 1/2 years.

Can you imagine the pain and suffering of the children who appeared in the photographs and video tapes he had in his possession? Do you have any idea what they will have to deal with the rest of their lives? It's more then just a life sentance. This will not only effect them, but their family members, their children, and many generations to come.

You really have no clue to what you are saying. They have programs for sex offenders where they are confronted by victims of rape by others. I think this sort of programming may be helpful to you to open your eyes.

I pray every night that if you have children they will never be sexually abused or assaulted. You should never have to know the pain of what a parent goes through when they learn someone they trusted video taped their children for pornography.

3:53 AM, April 27, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

>>You should never have to know the pain of what a parent goes through when they learn someone they trusted video taped their children for pornography.

Your post makes it seem as if Lipman was convicted for MAKING these images. But he didn't make them, he CONSUMED them. Yors is the most frightenng post I've read in a very long time.

3:56 AM, April 27, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm trying to remember the names of other alleged and convicted sex offenders who are buddies of Yori Yanover.

Can someone help me out! Who else am I forgetting?

1. Rabbi Hershy Worch
http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/JHershyWorch.htm

2. Rabbi David Lipman
http//www.theawarenesscenter.org/lipman_david.html

3. Rabbi Michael Ozair
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Ozair_Michael.html

4. Rabbi Mordecai Tendler
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Tendler_Mordecai.

3:59 AM, April 27, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

Your desire to make me new friends would have been appreciated by my late mother. She always liked it when kids came over to play. Alas, you are assigning me more friends than I can recall. Other than Hershy, who is, indeed, a close, personal friend and teacher, the rest of them are filed, for the record, thusly:

1. Rabbi David Lipman - ran a Torah study for me at JCN in 1996. We met a few times. I thought he was a charming and funny guy. He left JCN in 1997, and moved to a New England state, I think Vermont. That was the extent of our friendship, although I'd still meet him for coffee if he calls.

2. Rabbi Michael Ozair - I have no idea who this person is.

3. Rabbi Mordecai Tendler - I saw him in the mid-80's at his grandfather's mincha minyan in the co-ops on Grand Street. We never spoke.

4. Gafni - I never met the man, nor read anything by him. But now that I hear from Hershy how vast is his knowledge of hasidic writing, I'm sure to seek him out. I understand he's brilliant.

You know, you can't have too many friends, but it's essential that before you couple me with one, I should first meet them.

4:08 AM, April 27, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You forgot Gafni.
Supposedly he teamed up with Worch in Chicago on Sunday, they probably traded techniques.

4:12 AM, April 27, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

>>...Gafni. Supposedly he teamed up with Worch in Chicago on Sunday, they probably traded techniques.

Actually, I published a full interview with Worch about the Sunday meeting. It's quite exciting.

''Magical'' Afternoon of Izbicer Study in Chicago
http://usajewish.blogspot.com/2006/04/magical-afternoon-of-izbicer-study-in.html

4:14 AM, April 27, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you think that Worch and Gafni spoke at "No Exit Cafe"? I wonder if it was a set up arranged by Yanover to "get Vicki"?

4:16 AM, April 27, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

>>I wonder if it was a set up arranged by Yanover to "get Vicki"?

There's one surefire way to check if it was my event -- count how many people showed up. When I arrange an events, they pack the room. This one, sadly, attracted only about 15.

4:18 AM, April 27, 2006  
Blogger Reb Yudel said...

When counting your friends, don't forget the rabbi from Oklahoma whose name was posted on the JCN web site by your successor for those wishing to aid tornado victims...

All this crying for the pain of the children makes me suspect that Vicki and her friends have never had to take a knife to their baby boy. More than ever, I believe there's a lot of wisdom to be learnt from the mitzvah of brit milah.

10:24 AM, April 27, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's one surefire way to check if it was my event -- count how many people showed up. When I arrange an events, they pack the room. This one, sadly, attracted only about 15.

Interesting that on the No Exit Cafe website, Worch and Gafni's appearance is not even mentioned on their calendar.

Makes you wonder if the No Exit Cafe was even aware that an "event" was happening, which probably consisted of Worch and Gafni sitting at a corner table.

11:28 AM, April 27, 2006  
Blogger תיקון ישראל said...

Fine, I don't care, the point was whether or not I was involved in "setting up" the event in order to "get Vicki." Now you're saying I was right, and was not at all involved. Thank you.

11:29 AM, April 27, 2006  

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