A Petition In Support of the Victim of Nechemya Weberman and All Other Victims of Child Abuse Sponsors: Rabbi Yosef Blau Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg Mark Meyer Appel, The Voice of Justice Dov Bear, dovbear.blogspot.com Pearl Engelman, Advocate and mother of a survivor of child sex abuse and cover-up Judy Genut, Chaya’s Community Yerachmiel Lopin, FrumFollies.Wordpress.com Paul Mendlowitz, UOJ, theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com Meir Seewald, JewishCommunityWatch.com Zaakah, Zaakah.com (Crying Out for the Silenced) For more information about this case see (http://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/an-introduction-to-the-nechemya-weberman-trial-for-those-new-to-the-case-on-the-eve-of-the-trial/). 1. We stand in solidarity with the alleged victims of Nechemya Weberman and ALL other victims of child sexual abuse. We support efforts to prosecute Weberman in the courts. We support all victims, regardless of gender, all religions or no religion, of above average intelligence or an exceptional child, a charming child or one who is socially inept. All children deserve a safe upbringing. 2. We stand against ALL abusers. It makes no difference whether the abuser is a rabbi or a lay person, a priest or a mullah, a man or a woman, a Caucasian or a Black. It makes no difference whether the abuser is wealthy or poor. It makes no difference if the relatives of perpetrators will suffer when evil conduct is exposed. It makes no difference that exposing the abuser will hurt the institutions that enabled the abuse and helped cover it up. The blood of the abusers, their families and their institutions is not redder than the blood of their victims. 3. We support the vigorous prosecution of all abusers. We call on prosecutors at all levels of government to fully use the powers they have to bring these predators to justice. We reject sweetheart plea deals by prosecutors that allow abusers to escape serious sentencing and placement on a sex offender registry. 4. We call on prosecutors to shorten the time between an arrest and the trial. The larger the gap, the wider the window of opportunity for intimidation and harassment and the greater the anxiety and pain of the complainant and those close to them. 5. We reject attempts by institutions to discourage the reporting of crimes of abuse. We oppose all attempts to intimidate victims from testifying whether they are aimed at the victims themselves, their families, others close to them, and organizations which are supporting them. 6. We call for the vigorous prosecution of anyone attempting to pervert justice by intimidating witnesses and their supporters with threats or bribes offered to withdraw complaints or to testify falsely. 7. We call on legislators to extend the statute of limitations (SOL) for victims of child abuse to better reflect the reality that this crime can legitimately require a longer period before it is understood and processed by victims in ways that make it possible for them to go forward and bring it into the legal system. 8. We applaud the actions of those who have supported the victim of Weberman including individuals working in private, individuals who have spoken up publicly, individuals and groups who protested the fundraiser for Nechemya Weberman, Rabbis and other public figures who have spoken in defense of the victim, and bloggers/journalists who have covered the case and kept it in the public eye. 9. We reject all attempts to censor the internet as a method of covering up the crimes or preventing people from finding out the truth. We the undersigned commit ourselves to TAKING ACTION such as: A. Signing this petition B. Attending court sessions of the Weberman trial which starts on Tuesday, October 30th in the Brooklyn Supreme Court C. Attending other demonstrations called on behalf of this and other victims D. Sending messages of support to the victim E. Providing concrete support for complainants and those close to them F. Talking up the issue in our own social circles and communities G. Educating ourselves about the issue and this case H. Listening attentively to others around us who may have been victims of abuse, and following up by supporting them in taking action. For updates on the trial and actions, go to www.frumfollies.wordpress.com.