AwarenessCenter.org

For my first few years in RIETS, I maintained a white hot rage about the corruption and mediocrity of the institution that I found in this parent institution that reflected, in a milder way, the neglect and aimlessness of American Modern Orthodoxy. One aspect of my rage was the way rabbis were allowed to act wretchedly while protected by their meaningless veil of Torah knowledge. Some simp with a Baba Batra under his arm could get away with cruelty, indifference, and idiocy all because they were considered 'a good ol' boy' of the beit Midrash.

My second year in RIETS had a difficult beginning. The combined malice of three particular rabbis -- one craven, one doltish, one evil -- made my learning situation almost untenable. I did not have a chavruta, nor my standard makom in the Beit Midrash, and I managed to find a seat in the Rosh Yeshiva section of the Beis. I sat next to Rav Ahron Soloveitchik zt'l (it was my great honor that he frequently borrowed the volumes from my mini-Shas) and I sat across from Rav Yosef Blau yavil l'chaim tovim.

So, for 2 hours minimum every day, Rav Blau and I had a shmooze chavruta. One topic that came out was the horrifying state of untracked rabbinic sex offenders. It was in his conversations that I learned about Mordechai Gafni, a.k.a. Marc Winiarz. I had just met Winiarz at the General Assembly in 1997 and my Freak-dar went off the charts. (Some people claim they have a "gay-dar", which allows them to identify homosexuals; whatever; some claim a "jew-dar"; I have the ability to recognize freaks, liars, and evil).

I also learned about Rabbi Ze'ev Kopolevitch. Rosh Yeshiva of Netiv Meir. And I was given hints about the case of Baruch Lanner.

A side point about Lanner; I've been after this sickbag for years, ever since I first met him in 1989. This is why I've been so outspoken about him (see my article "Prisons of Thought" in the Fall 2000 JOFA Journal

At that point, as a result of the conversations, and my YU fueled rage, I wanted to create Intershul. Intershul is to be an Interpol of jewish communities and organizations, a way for all of us to keep track of abusive husbands, criminal rabbis, and other community undesirables.

As I am still a pupa in the community structure, I have not been able to do much with the organization. However, a website I've stumbled over is doing some of the work already. Bravo.

The organization, AwarenessCenter.org, is fighting the good fight. They have resources for professionals and victims. They also have a rogues gallery of bad rabbis.

Some special cases in there. There have been accusations against Rav Shlomo Aviner which I find difficult to believe, but it needs to be investigated with full due process. The Shlomo Carlebach case is in there too. My favorite, though, is the current Chief Rabbi of Israel was elected despite the known accusations against him. Tisha B'av, here we come.