Nikolsberg Rebbe, brother of convicted molester

Brotherly love

By Michael Orbach

The biblical question about a brother’s keeper has reemerged in the conviction of Baruch Mordechai Lebovits on March 8. Lebovits, who will be sentenced next week, was convicted on multiple counts of sexual abuse and may serve up to 30 years in prison. Lebovits is the brother of the revered rebbe of the Nikolsberg chasidim, Rabbi Yosef Yechiel Mechel Lebovits, known as the Nikolsberg Rebbe.

When he paid a visit to the Young Israel of the West Side this past Shabbat, some activists clamored for him to address the subject of his brother’s wrongdoing.

“Communal leaders, ranging from Chasidic to Young Israel, can no longer remain silent about either the molesters themselves, or the cover-up,” said Elliot Pasik, an attorney and president of the Jewish Board of Advocates for Children. “Child abuse thrives in darkness. A 53-year-old convicted child molester like Baruch Lebovits wasn’t made overnight. What’s been happening all these years?” he asked.

The Nikolsberg Rebbe is regarded as more attuned to modern life than many of his peers. His chassidus pays for ads on Google to draw visitors to the well maintained website it operates. The rebbe’s secretary, Moshe Friedman, declined a request for comment.

Mark Weiss, a prominent sexual abuse survivor and activist recalled that the Nikolsberg Rebbe spoke at the shloshim gathering 30 days after the death of Shua Finkelstein, a Lakewood teenager who died of a drug overdose in 2009. In a letter Finkelstein wrote before his death, he described rampant sexual abuse in his community: “99% of all kids from lakewood --Yes lakewood our holy town who doesn’t allow text messaging-- were molested in this town!!!!” (Sic)

“It’s great that The Nikolsberg Rebbe was at Shua Finkelstein’s shloshim talking about drug abuse but he unfortunately completely missed the opportunity to address the real issue: sexual abuse, which caused Shua to turn to drugs in the first place,” said Weiss.

“I think that if the Nikolsberg Rebbe is trying to come off as an upstanding citizen and concerned about children, I think the man needs to say what’s right at the risk of going against his brother.”

Shelly Fine, a trustee of the Young Israel, and a victim of sexual abuse as a child, offered a different opinion.

“If the Rebbe’s brother was just convicted of such a horrible crime, it must be terribly painful for the Rebbe. It is unreasonable to expect the Rebbe to speak out about this issue at this time. Furthermore, those who have gone as far as condemning the Rebbe for the reported crime of his brother are wrong,” he explained via email. “How many people would be unjustly subject to condemnation if they were held responsible for the actions of their brothers?”