Rabbi under investigation for promoting underage forced marriage
Yoel Roth accused of allowing children as young as 15-years-old to tie the knot, after journalist who grew up in the Charedi community shares shocking photo of the "couple".
A rabbi is under investigation for allegedly arranging marriages between children as young as 15.
The Forward reported that the New York Police Department and Administration of Child Services are looking into the accusations against Yoel Roth, who runs Yeshiva Tiferes Hatorah in the Williamsburg neighbourhood as well as a community in upstate Liberty, where many of the young couples he allegedly has married off now live.
Frimet Goldberger, a writer who grew up in the Chasidic community, posted about the practice earlier this month, sharing a picture of a newly engaged couple: The girl is 17 and the boy is 15.
“I am sharing this photo so you know what underage forced marriage looks like,” Goldberger wrote.
Last night, a 15-year-old Hasidic girl was married off to a 21-year-old Hasidic boy. Separately, a 15-year-old Hasidic boy, a cherub holding his father's hand, got engaged to a 17-year-old girl.
I am sharing this photo so you know what underage forced marriage looks like. pic.twitter.com/stwndAPsIq
— Frimet Goldberger (@FrimetG) March 17, 2021
While men and women in Chasidic communities typically marry young, marriages are generally not done before the age of 18. In New York state, one must be 18 years old to marry, though a 17-year-old can marry with a court’s permission.
According to the Forward, Roth believes that boys should be married off at a young age to prevent them from masturbating. Former followers of Roth said he arranged marriages without permission from the parents of the bride and groom, and often does not allow parents to decide the date of the wedding or even to know the age of their child’s future spouse.
Roth’s secretary, Shaul Indig, denied the claims to the Forward.
“If you do something good, there’s always people who criticise you,” he said.
The NYPD and Administration of Child Services declined to provide specific information about the investigations to the Forward.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
