The Painful Truth: Victims Deserve Better

By Zvi Gluck

When I saw that a group of respected rabbonim had sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul asking for clemency for Nechemya Weberman, a convicted child abuser who has never shown any remorse for his victims, something inside me refused to be silenced. It was not only my disappointment or shock. I experienced a wave of heartbreak, anger, disbelief, and enormous sadness for the victims and their families.

For years, survivors have fought for the right to be heard. Families have carried wounds that never fade. I have sat with children who trembled even as adults because of the crimes that were perpetrated against them. So, to read a letter filled with compassion for a man who caused such damage (with no regard for his female victim) felt like a betrayal of all the survivors who dared to face their tormentor.

If you read the letter, it speaks only of Weberman’s age, his health, his comfort, and his dignity, without once mentioning the girl he abused. They did not recall her pain or her suffering; they only pleaded for mercy for the man who stole her innocence. Where is the regard for her life?

The truth is simple. He rejected all plea deals. He chose to go to trial. And in New York State, especially in cases involving minors, that choice forces a child to relive the trauma in public for days. When a defendant rejects reasonable pleas and is convicted, the maximum sentence is not surprising. It is the consequence of choosing self-righteousness over accountability.

The irony is painful. Many who signed this letter come from communities that were torn apart by infighting for years. Yet they unite for a convicted child abuser. If only they showed such unity when it comes to protecting minors.

I realize that by speaking out, Amudim may lose donors, sponsors, and supporters. But I did not go into this work to stay quiet during moments like this. I did not build Amudim to protect the institution at the expense of the truth. I will never choose silence over the dignity of the survivors.

To every survivor seeing this, I want to remind you that you are not forgotten. You are not invisible. You are not alone. With help from Hashem, we will continue to stand with you. We will continue to build safer communities. We will continue to challenge the systems that protect abusers. We will keep fighting so no child will ever have to fear being silenced again.

We will not stop. We will not turn away. And we will never abandon those who have already suffered so much. I have dedicated my life to making sure no one faces that darkness alone. n

Zvi Gluck is the CEO of Amudim, an organization dedicated to helping abuse victims and those suffering with addiction within the Jewish community and has been heavily involved in crisis intervention and management for the past 24 years.  For more information go to www.amudim.org.