May 18, 2009 Who Cares About Sexual Abuse In Baltimore? Luke Ford No sacred cows.

Who Cares About Sexual Abuse In Baltimore?

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Luke Ford

Jane emails: “Rabbi Yaakov Menken and Project Genesis had Rabbi Aron Tendler on his payroll. As it was said:
Chaverim kol pedophiles B’ Yisroal. They both use similar grooming techniques…”

The Awareness Center blogs:

On Sunday, May 18, 2009 in the Baltimore Community, there was a rally to protest the idea of the Owings Mills JCC being open on Saturdays (the Jewish Sabbath). Though the notion of the rally was a good, what I personally find disappointing is that the orthodox community appears to care more about a JCC being open on shabbat then they do about protecting their own children being molested.

If you look below at the photograph from the Baltimore Sun, it shows an orthodox child standing, with sea of men in black hats in the background. Those who organized this rally are the same individuals who refuse to do anything about the sexual predators living within the Eruv (Jewish community). In the orthodox world they believe there needs to be a seperation of man and women for reasons of modesty (to help control the sexual urges of men). The problem is that it does not deter a sexual predator from committing sex crimes against children or adults. One such alleged sexual predator who is known to have been at the really yesterday is Rabbi Yaakov Menken. He is the director of an online kiruv organization (Jewish Outreach) called Project Genesis. He also operates the web page, Torah.org. It is on record that he was there because Rabbi Yaakov Menken was quoted in the following Batlimore Sun article.

There have been several complaints made over the years that Rabbi Yaakov Menken (AKA: Ken Menken) allegedly uses his own personal grooming process to lure young woman into performing sexual favors.

Rabbi Menken’s modus operandi has been to become a father figure to vulnerable young women, replacing himself with their real family and friends, taking them into his confidence, having them spill their sexual secrets and questions only to him. There was also one case in which he attempted to convince a woman that she was molested as a child by one of her family members, even though the woman had no memory of such abuse. Yaakov Menken has no training as a psychotherapist. His education is in the computer industry.

Click here to learn more about Rabbi Yaakov Menken

Rally promotes idea of Sabbath

As JCC seeks Saturday hours, thousands say keep the day holy

By Matthew Hay Brown | [email protected]

Baltimore Sun – May 18, 2009

www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.sabbath18may18,0,7128825.story

Posted in Abuse, Yaakov Menken | Tagged jewish outreach, jewish sabbath, modus operandi, project genesis, sexual predator, sexual urges | Comments Off

Dating In The Age Of Obama

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Luke Ford

Baruch Herzfeld has a friend who is extremely miserly. He is loving this recession because the women he dates have lowered their expectations, and no longer expect to be wined and dined before relenting to his advances. He went on two dates over the weekend and spent $10 total. 2 oranges and some taco bell between the two of them.

Posted in Dating | Tagged baruch, herzfeld, obama, oranges, taco bell | Comments Off

Rav Bina Abuse Blog

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Luke Ford

Link: Rav Aharon Bina currently runs Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, where many American post-high school students study for a year. Rav Bina’s methods work for some, but for many others they lead to serious psychological and emotional damage. For Rav Bina’s bio, click here.

Posted in Abuse | Tagged emotional damage, high school students, netiv aryeh, students study | Comments Off

Los Angeles Jewish Day School Crunch

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Luke Ford

The Los Angeles Times reports:

At Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills, increasing numbers of cash-strapped families are asking for financial assistance or more time to pay tuition.

Trustees at Yeshivat Yavneh in Hancock Park are setting aside additional funds for financial aid even as some families consider home schooling.

In Orange County, Morasha Jewish Day School lost 15 financially ailing families over the summer and will close after this term.

Jewish day schools in Southern California and across the nation face an economic crisis that is prompting calls for major education reforms and increased support from the wider Jewish community.

The Orthodox Union, a New York-based education and service organization, recently proposed a plan to create stripped-down, low-cost schools targeted at families who can’t afford to send their children to established institutions.

Posted in Education | Tagged Hancock Park, hebrew academy, Los Angeles Times, Orthodox Union, schools in southern california, tuition trustees | Comments Off

You Get More Of What You Already Have

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Luke Ford

Gretchen Rubin writes:

When you feel friendly, people want to be your friend. When you feel sexy, people are attracted to you. When you feel confident, others have confidence in you.

This truth is cruel because so often, you want others to give you what you feel you’re lacking. It’s when you’re feeling isolated and awkward that you want people to be friendly. When you’re feeling ugly, you want someone to tell you how sexy you are. When you’re feeling insecure, you wish someone would express confidence in you.

…If I want people to be friendlier to me, I must be friendlier. If I want my husband to be tender and romantic, I must be tender and romantic. If I want our household atmosphere to be light-hearted, I must be light-hearted.

Goethe wrote: “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather.” And he that brings a sunny day will find a sunny day waiting for him.

Posted in Happiness | Tagged decisive element, goethe, gretchen rubin, personal approach, sunny day | Comments Off

Drawing A Line In The Sand Around My Beard

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Luke Ford

Rabbi Marc Gafni emails: You have drawn a line in the sand around the beard — a line of symbolic integrity.

But my friend, is it the right line? Do you, like all of us, sometimes draw the line in the wrong place?

Posted in Marc Gafni, Personal | Tagged beard, integrity, line in the sand, rabbi marc gafni | Comments Off

Family Fun

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Luke Ford

I look back on these as the good years before PC considerations destroyed much of the fun in family togetherness:

Posted in Personal | Comments Off

Substantial Earthquake Just Rocked The Hovel

Posted on May 17, 2009 by Luke Ford

It rolled through for about six seconds at 8:40 pm.

There was an after-shock five minutes later.

Downtown LA was rocked.

Boss messages me: "Keep working. Don’t worry about the earthquake."

I am live on my cam and ready to deliver emergency supplies to all young ladies who’ve been shook up. No fatties, please.

LAObserved.com: Earliest magnitude is 5.0, centered in the Inglewood-Hawthorne area. The number may change, of course. USGS, SoCal Quake Center

From the Los Angeles Times: Seismologists suspect that the magnitude-4.7 earthquake that shook a large stretch of Southern California on Sunday night erupted along the Newport-Inglewood fault, which experts have long feared would produce a devastating temblor.

"The initial focal mechanism is consistent with a slip on the Newport-Inglewood fault, which was the source of the damaging 1933 Long Beach earthquake," the U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement. "Two of the early aftershocks, however, are west of the Newport-Inglewood fault trend. Later aftershocks will help to define the fault plane that ruptured."

USGS officials are not sure whether Sunday’s temblor occurred on the Newport-Inglewood but noted that a 1920 quake in the same area erupted on that fault line.

The quake hit at 8:39 p.m. and was centered near Lennox, a community between Inglewood and Hawthorne and east of Los Angeles International Airport. Lasting about 15 seconds, the temblor could be felt as far away as the high desert, Indio, Carpinteria and San Diego County. There were no reports of major damage or injuries.

My video got over 1,000 views overnight and 43 comments. Here’s a sampling:

Nice beard, man i love how you stroke it good reporting.

Carly posts: Dude I was really stoned at the time….totally awesome! Me and my roomie are hitting the bong right now and watching the news…but not for too long ….Family Guy is coming on in a bit!

Patr posts: I am in downtown San Diego which is 35 miles south of Escondido and I felt it pretty strongly. Scary.

1231Ice posts: i was lying on the couch with my dog then suddenly she jumped off and lied on the floor then the earthquake struck and i screamed for a second. when it was over my neighbors were screaming. my bird was in shock and he didnt even move. usally when i call his name he goes forward and acts like hes going to bit me but he didnt this time. poor bird i think hes still frozen. even my dog is scared. when ever i open the fridge she comes running but this time she didnt now shes under the table scared.

OX posts: Pretty strong cause my X-Box 360 and Playstation 3 to flip and just ruin one of my copies of Call of Duty 4 that was in the 360. Very disappointed. This was my second earthquake. My 1st was the july one when i was in summer school.