Abuse Roundup

Worthwhile posts on the abuse story, where Dr. Benzion Twerski felt he had to quit a special task force on abuse due to pressure and threats from within the Orthodox Jewish community, noted below, and which has now hit the NY Post (hat tip: LoR and TTC)...

• Chaim Rubin asks about the children and disputes the idea that it's rare in schools and the like
• R' Gil Student feels this is giving up on the children
  
• DovBear feels Dr. Twerski is absolutely wrong for quitting
• updated: Wolf, Zach Kessin, BOTH, Hershel Tzig
  

I'm more in the line of that it's upsetting but very hard to judge an individual for being unwilling to take the personal risks on behalf of the klal, particularly when we don't know what the threats were exactly. However, as I said in the prior post,

this hold needs to be broken, and that must start with individuals. Somehow, someway, people need to be willing to come forward when something happens to someone they know, or when they know someone is intimidating others within the community. People can't be scared of false claims about their children getting into schools, getting shidduchim, and the like. It hasn't been true to those who have spoken up in the past and it won't be for those who speak up in the future - and while this is a difficult point, if it is true in some circles the question must be asked: Why would one want to marry off their child to a member of a family that will believe lies and rumors? It is merely a scare tactic. As these people are removed from their positions of power it will become increasingly easier to remove the rest.