Foster care agency blind to abuse: suit
A Brooklyn foster care agency prioritized placing Jewish kids into Orthodox Jewish homes over safety, resulting in a girl’s sexual abuse at the hands of a deviant dad, a new lawsuit charges.
The alleged victim, who used the pseudonym Jane Doe in court papers, says she was abused in the 1980s while in the care of OHEL Children’s Home and Family and Services. The agency allegedly ignored obvious warning signs that emerged when she was around 7, including her loss of weight and an extreme change in behavior.
“OHEL’s case workers didn’t just fail to protect me. They falsely branded me a liar. They told me never to talk about being abused because no family will let a liar into their home,” the woman, who is now in her 40s, said in a statement.
The woman immigrated to the U.S. from the Soviet Union when she was 3 with her mother, who suffered from bipolar disorder. In less than two years she was placed in the care of OHEL, which the suit charges puts “undue emphasis” on connecting biologically Jewish children with Orthodox Jewish foster homes.
OHEL CEO David Mandel said the company trains staff on how to respond to allegations of sexual abuse and thoroughly vets prospective foster parents.
“The complaint in this case was filed today. It involves alleged conduct from 35-40 years ago. As stated above, OHEL takes any such allegations seriously,” Mandel said in a statement.
The agency placed the girl in the Elizabeth, N.J., home of Moshe Aharon Jacobs, who lived with his wife and two daughters, the suit states. Jacobs allegedly violently sexually assaulted the girl while in his care.
Jacobs now lives in Israel, according to the suit. He could not be reached. The alleged victim claims she told an OHEL case worker she’d been repeatedly sexually abused and could not sit comfortably. The worker agreed to transfer her out of the house — but only because “she had lied” and could no longer live in the home, the suit states. The “liar” label followed her while she remained in OHEL’s care, the suit states.