Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

Update: Weinberg Slander Lawsuit

Dear Friends:

Last week, I utilized the opportunity of being in Eretz Yisroel for the Weinberg lawsuit to push forward our mission of child abuse prevention. I had the ze’chus/privilege to address over 1,000 parents in 5 Israeli communities (Rannana, Ramat Beit Shemesh, Ramot, Beitar Illit and Neve Daniel) on the subject of child safety and had several excellent meetings with Rabbonim and educators in the Dati Le'umi community preparing for the printing and launch of "L'vetach!"; the Dati Le'umi Hebrew version of our groundbreaking child safety book.

The great news is that things are really changing on the ground in Eretz Yisroel as far as child safety is concerned.

To be sure; the current child-safety news out of Israel is hardly encouraging, as yesterday's Times of Israel reported, Diaspora Pedophiles Increasingly Use Israel as a Haven, Activists Charge. There is still no public sex offender registry in Israel, and more sex offenders from the Diaspora are moving to Israel, including registered sex offender Stefan Colmer, who relocated to Ramot, Jerusalem, after a short stint in Passaic, NJ.

In fact; registered sex offender Yona Weinberg moved from Har Nof before Rosh Hashana and no one knew where he was until recent media reports that he is currently living in Ashdod. (Residents of Ashdod; please see below for more on this.)

So why the optimism? Because I really feel that the situation is approaching The Tipping Point in Eretz Yisroel, as it did here in the States 6-7 years ago. In the workshops, in conversations with leading Rabbonim, a high-ranking government official, and nearly a dozen cab drivers (the best source of information in Israel), I'm starting to get excited that things are really going to change and the message of the importance of personal child safety prevention will take hold there in the months and years ahead.

As for the Weinberg lawsuit; upon the advice of my attorney, I can't comment at this time about the lawsuit, other than to say that 1) it is moving forward, and 2) under no circumstances will we ever capitulate and give up the right to warn parents about the presence of sex offenders. A more detailed update will follow as soon as the information can be released.

Yakov Horowitz

To Ashdod Residents:

According to recent media reports, convicted sex offender Yona Weinberg (he is currently listed as a level 3 sex offender; the most dangerous level is living in your city (click here for his NY State Sex Offender information).

If you are the parent of children – including teenagers – please be forewarned of the danger he poses to your kids. As Israel does not have a public sex offender registry, there is no information about his precise location in Ashdod and child activists have not yet been successful in locating him.

Please email me confidentially at yhprojectyes@gmail.com if you know where he is currently living (street name is sufficient) so we can notify and warn the public. Please note that this is not a call for anyone to harass or harm Mr. Weinberg, and certainly not his family members. But parents of children need to be warned of the clear and present danger Weinberg poses.

Please forward this warning to friends/family in Ashdod, on your social media, and kindly help get this posted on Ashdod community list-serves.

Working together; we can help protect our children.

Yakov Horowitz