New Victims Come Forward: Show Your Support at the Hearing

          The next couple of weeks are loaded with hearings for our molesters, including a new alleged molester from Crown Heights. Yes, it seems we as a community are getting the message that only the cops can handle the molesters. This week, we have Meir Dascalowitz and "the new guy," check out this link for details, and next week we have Jerry/Yechiel Brauner and Nechemya Weberman.

          The calendar with the hearings on  the Yasher Koach website still works, but for some reason they did not post the date of "the new guy", which is May 4 - this Wednesday.
          Keep in mind that every person who shows his support at a hearing has a great zechus. This is the mitzva of helping out the oppressed. It is also the mitzva of rescuing people from their pursuers, and the mitzva of Lo Sa'amod al Dam Rayecha. The victims need the community's support in this, and by giving it you are giving them the strength to protect themselves.
          The halacha of Eglah Arufah teaches us as follows: when a man is killed between two cities, and it is not known who killed him, the Elders of each city must meet at a stream, perform the ritual, and declare that "Our hands did not spill this blood." The obvious question is, why should they have to vindicate themselves? It makes it sound as if they are under suspicion.
          Answer: (I believe Rashi says) that they must declare that they accompanied the victim out of their city with food and with encouragement. Had they not done so, they would be responsible for this man's murder. When a person is given emotional support, he has the strength to fight off a killer.
          We are all responsible for encouraging these brave souls, who are fighting off their "soul murderers," as experts refer to child molesters. They will be intimidated by people in the perpetrator's family and by some misguided community members. Our loud silence is inexcusable. We are responsible for giving these victims the moral support they need in order to have the strength to fight these murderers.        
          All the more so because they are fighting OUR war, the war to clean up OUR streets, shuls, mikvahs, and yeshivos. Certainly, we must give them the strength to fight on.
          Let us strengthen the hands of our front-line soldiers by openly supporting them. Only then will we be able to say, "Our hands did not spill this blood. Instead, our actions prevented the spilling of even more blood."
          I suggest you come to these hearings, stay in the background, but say hi to the family and supporters, and specify that you are here to show support.