Israeli, Haredi FaceBook Group, Lo Tishtok Goes After Sex Abuse

Frum Follies
April 24, 2016

https://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/9653/

Haaretz reports there is a new Israeli Facebook based, all-volunteer Haredi group supporting victims of sex abuse.

The scene captured by the surveillance camera shows an ultra-Orthodox man trying to force himself on a young boy in the narrow entrance of an apartment building.

It happened last month, on Purim, in the Israeli town of Bnei Brak. Within a few hours, the footage was posted on Facebook. Almost immediately, the assailant was identified, and two days later, he was under arrest.

That would not have been the normal course of events 10 years ago, five years ago or even six months ago. But reporting sexual abuse is no longer as taboo as it once was in the ultra-Orthodox community, and among those who deserve credit for this change is a group of young Israeli crusaders fed up with the long-standing silence about such crimes in their midst.

Their newfound organization is aptly named Lo Tishtok (Thou Shalt Not Be Silent).

I would point out that this group has no official sponsorship, At this point in the Haredi world, official sponsorship usually dampens or eliminates an aggressive stance on reporting abuse to the police. Therapy for victims is now OK, but not getting Haredim thrown in jail.