Yerachmiel Lopin’s ‘Frum Follies’ Marks 10 YEARS!

The Frum Follies blog (started October 6, 2009) combats sex abuse in the Orthodox Jewish world using investigative journalism and hard-hitting satire.

Over 1,345 articles and 18,000 comments later, he summarizes:

… Most of the leadership of the Haredi world still covers up abuse way more often than they address it. They almost always deter reporting to the police and child protective services even though that is the single most effective way of preventing the same person from abusing again. They also discourage civil suits which would help survivors get some help coping with the damage. The Modern Orthodox world is definitely better officially in their positions. Additionally, it is rare for survivors who pursue criminal cases to be intimidated by expulsions from schools and shuls. Yet they too have a long way to go.

… Ten years ago, Avi Shafran was spouting nonsense about how child sex abuse almost never happens in the frum world. Now, there are many more programs to educate kids and parents about preventing abuse. Schools, shuls, camps, and youth groups are adopting some policies to prevent abuse…

Check out the blog here.

Mazel Tov. And please don’t stop!

The Alter of Slabodka Was a Conspiracy Theorist!

“Rav Avigdor Miller – His Life And His Revolution” by Rabbi Yaakov Y. Hamburger p. 119:

The Alter taught that not only does bias affect our judgment, but entire ideologies may be nothing more than the manifestation of self-interest. He once exclaimed, “In all likelihood, the movement for protection of animals, with the resultant prohibitions of slaughter, came from someone who owns a dairy restaurant!”

To be clear, I posit conspiracy theories are positive.

הגרי”ז: הלוא משנאיך ד’ אשנא ובתקוממיך אתקוטט

אודות המזרחי וכדו’, שמצד אחד הם מדברים על אהבת ישראל, ומאידך גיסא משתלחים בלשונם נגד החרדים לדבר ה’, היה מרגלא בפומיה דמרן הגרי”ז: כאשר נכנס אלי אחד מאנשי הדור הזה, ומדבר אודות אהבת ישראל, יודע אני כי את שלשה אלו: קודשא בריך הוא; החרדים לדברו; ואת תורתו, את שלשתם הוא שונא בוודאי…

(מפי בנו הרב רפאל זצ”ל, “זכור לדוד” עמ’ רטז)

הערה: הובא גם בפניני הגרי”ז, ראה כאן (אנגלית).