In November of 2023, Dr Henny Kupferstein filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband, Avigdor Kupferstein, and Kehillas Belz in Boro Park, for rape, physical, and sexual assault she allegedly experienced in her marriage at the hands of her husband, condoned and encouraged, she alleges, by Dayan Cheskel Akiva Gross. What's unique about this lawsuit is how it describes, in great detail, not only the abuse allegedly experienced by Dr Kupferstein, but also the particulars of the chassidish shidduch system and how it directly contributed to the circumstances of this lawsuit.

We are joined this episode by Yehudis Fletcher, founder of Nahamu, a UK based research organization focused on the issues of forced and arranged marriage, and sexual and domestic violence. Yehudis leads Nahamu’s analysis of the harms arising from extremism in the Jewish community and shapes our advocacy and policy response.

Yehudis has a background in project management and development. She is a independant sexual violence adviser, and has been battling violence against women and girls for the past decade. Yehudis began writing as a child and is now a regular contributor to community papers. In 2018, her poem ‘Kinah: from a survivor of child sexual abuse’ won the Simon Rockower award.

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

To get in touch with questions, comments, or any other concerns related to Outcry, email us at podcast@zaakah.org

Follow us on our socials to stay informed:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
TikTok: @zaakahny

SHOW NOTES:

While it is our general practice not to identify plaintiffs when discussing lawsuits, Dr Kupferstein expressly requested that her name be used in this episode.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide/51960107/#edition=70705824&idiq=62996986

https://nahamu.org/what-is-nahamu/

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=bL0ME7UsL7tGCFyGWVCMhg==

Malka Leifer is perhaps the most notorious child sexual abusers in the Jewish world. After abusing three sisters, Nicole Meyer, Elly Sapper, and Dassi Erlich, Malka Leifer fled Australia to Israel to escape justice. While Israel has an extradition treaty with Australia, they also have an accepted policy of protecting Jews from prosecution in other countries. While living as a free woman in Emmanuel, Leifer evaded extradition for nearly a decade by pretending to be mentally incompetent to stand trial. Aided by government officials in the Knesset, including health minister Yaakov Litzman, she was allowed to remain free while her victims spent years, and 74 court hearings trying desperately to have her extradited to face justice.

While Leifer was ultimately extradited and convicted in Australia and sentenced to 15 years in prison, Nicole Meyer was ultimately robbed of the justice she deserved. The jury in the case found that Leifer was guilty on the charges related to the sexual abuse of her sisters, but not guilty on the charges of Nicole's sexual abuse.

In this episode Ariella sits down with Nicole to discuss the case, her feelings about the verdict, her life as a survivor before and after the case, and what she's been up to following the verdict. They also discuss what parenting is like as a survivor.

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

To get in touch with questions, comments, or any other concerns related to Outcry, email us at podcast@zaakah.org

Follow us on our socials to stay informed:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
TikTok: @zaakahny

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/a-haven-for-paedophiles-the-ultra-orthodox-settlement-where-malka-leifer-hides-20180612-p4zkx4.html

https://www.timesofisrael.com/malka-leifers-accuser-takes-solace-in-collective-win-after-partial-guilty-verdict/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/litzman-gets-minor-fine-no-jail-for-shielding-alleged-pedophile-leifer-from-justice/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/malka-leifer-sentenced-to-15-years-for-sexual-abuse-of-two-students/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/malka-leifer-how-a-long-running-child-sexual-abuse-case-tested-australias-relationship-with-israel

https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Faith-Inside-ultra-Orthodox-betrayal-ebook/dp/B0CH33KW8F

https://www.instagram.com/breakingthesilencenow

https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoleymeyer

In this episode Ariella and Sara Rosenberg (of Jewish Survivors United) discuss the history of the infamous Jewish sex-trafficking organization, Zwi Migdal, which operated globally from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, trafficking women and girls from eastern European Shtetls to brothels they maintained around the world. Women and girls abducted by these traffickers would be sent around the world, cut off from their families, and forced into prostitution by the men in Zwi Migdal.

This episode discusses the beginnings of Zwi Migdal, the methods they used to get their victims, and the response of the Jewish community to the threat they posed. Over the course of this discussion, parts of the response of the Jewish community today to modern issues of sexual violence may seem similar to the way the community responded then, and in some ways the community then acted more responsibly than the community does today. It's important to know this history so we can recognize and combat the modern threats of sexual violence in our community.

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

To get in touch with questions, comments, or any other concerns related to Outcry, email us at podcast@zaakah.org

Follow us on our socials to stay informed:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
TikTok: @zaakahny

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.abebooks.com/9780679311638/Bodies-Souls-Tragic-Plight-Three-0679311637/plp

https://www.abebooks.com/9780805238662/Prostitution-Prejudice-Jewish-Fight-Against-0805238662/plp

The following two books were not used in making this episode but are nonetheless excellent resources on this subject:

https://www.amazon.com/Tmeiin-jud%C3%ADos-impuros-Historia-Spanish-ebook/dp/B07CYZMXDD

https://www.abebooks.com/9789500727105/Infierno-Prometido-Promise-Prostituta-Zwi-9500727102/plp