UNITED STATES
The JC
By Anna Sheinman, July 18, 2013
A young Orthodox woman who was sexually abused as a child has broken her silence to talk about the despair of being betrayed by her own community.
After years of suffering at the hands of a long-time family friend, Yehudis Goldsobel finally reached out for help. But after reporting the crimes to the police, rabbis refused to acknowledge her suffering, her family were driven from their synagoue, and kosher shops refused to serve them.
Now, as father-of-six Menachem Mendel Levy, 41, begins a three-year jail term for two counts of sexual assault, his victim, now 27, has waived her legal right to anonymity to speak out in a bid to encourage other victims to come forward.
“Since the sentencing the reaction from the community has been really upsetting. I’ve had people closing doors, I’ve had people stop talking to me.
“I think some people thought it was contagious, going to the police,” she said.
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