Protecting Our Children
Brooklyn, NY - As we mourn the heartrending loss of Leiby Kletzky’s pure soul, the stark reality hits hard and can no longer be brushed under the carpet. As a mother of a Chassidic family from the Borough Park Community, I share the grief and anguish of the Kletzky Family. I now fear more than ever for the safety of our innocent children and grandchildren, who have become easy prey.
Our community has been misguided in creating a safe harbor for dangerous men who hurt our children. We are now paying the price for unwittingly allowing these predators to live freely without being accountable or reported for their actions and thus left untreated. I have counseled many teens who have been hurt by them. They told me, when they cried, no one listened or believed them. When their pain was so great and they couldn’t sit still in class, they were rejected from yeshiva. When their pain was so great and they couldn’t sit still and daven, they were rejected from shul. And, then when they wanted to go to summer camp and have fun, they were rejected too. And, then they cried to me “I wish I was dead.”
Shortly after I began counseling kids in crisis, I realized that change will only come from the bottom – a grass roots movement by the people taking control. Any great historical change in society, whether revolutionary or evolutionary, has been initiated by ordinary people. There would have to be an event so powerful and compelling that would awaken and mobilize parents to realize, “WE” can and must bring about change to protect our children. We must take our heads out of the sand and look into the mirror for the people to bring change. We cannot look out the window expecting someone else to do something—whoever has a child they care about, can do something. The united force created by the combined efforts of all caring parents will, B’ezras Hashem, be the harbinger of the change our community needs.