Rabbi Convicted of Fondling
By Tom Davis, Staff Writer
Originally published at NorthJersey.com, June 28, 2002
A former Bergen County rabbi was found guilty Thursday of fondling a teenage student while he was principal of Hillel Yeshiva in Ocean Township during the early 1990s.
However, the jury of six men and six women in Freehold acquitted Baruch Lanner of two charges relating to a second female accuser.
Both women, who were teenagers when they were Lanner's students, testified during the trial against the nationally known rabbi.
After two days of deliberations, the jury convicted Lanner on two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one for each accuser. He was convicted on one count of aggravated and criminal sexual contact against one accuser, who is now 23. He also was found guilty of one count of harassment.
The 52-year-old rabbi, a divorced father of three who has lived in Paramus and Fair Lawn, faces up to 20 years in prison and $300,000 in fines. Sentencing by Superior Court Judge Paul Chaiet is scheduled for Sept. 13.
Lanner, who was smiling and somewhat upbeat after the verdicts were read, was released on his own recognizance. His mother, who witnessed the entire trial and was sobbing as the verdicts were read, is supposed to sign a $100,000 bail bond by 12:30 p.m. today.
Lanner, a former leader in a widely acclaimed Orthodox youth group, faced the media after the verdicts and thanked "the United States of America for giving me a fair trial."
He then offered a Jewish blessing that he said is often recited in an "unpleasant" situation: "Bless art thou God the true judge."
Defense attorney Marvin Schechter, looking glum, said he was "very disappointed" in the verdict and is considering an appeal. He may challenge the judge's decision to bar release of the accusers' mental health records during the trial.
The accusers testified that Lanner often made sexually explicit remarks in telephone conversations with them and routinely called them into his office and fondled their breasts and other parts of their bodies.
Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Peter Boser said in his closing argument that the testimony proved the rabbi was "gratifying himself, and he was intimidating and degrading" students.
Throughout the trial, Lanner's defense team hammered away at the credibility of the accusers, whose names Chaiet prohibited from being published.
Both had a history of academic and disciplinary problems at Hillel, as well as mental health problems, according to testimony from the school's teachers and administrators.
Boser praised the jury: "They considered the evidence carefully and didn't take any shortcuts," he said.
The trial came as reports of sexual misconduct involving religious leaders have shaken the Catholic Church and other institutions. Both sides in the Lanner case expressed confidence that the jurors were not prejudiced by national publicity.
Lanner appeared confident throughout the trial, and even kissed Schechter's hand after his dramatic closing argument on Tuesday.
For others, the trial was an emotional ordeal as they watched the accusers struggle to try to remember graphic details of incidents that took place a decade ago. The mother of one of the accusers smiled after she heard the verdict.
"I'm very exhausted, emotionally and physically, and I just want to get home to my daughter," said the woman.
The jury rejected the defense's argument that the accusers were angry with Lanner for imposing strict academic standards.
The defense noted the 23-year-old testified that Lanner moved her out of a higher-track program because, she believed, she resisted his sexual advances. During his closing argument, Schechter held up a transcript documenting her poor academic record, which he said was the actual reason for her transfer. He called it the "smoking gun" of the trial.
The defense also paraded a series of witnesses who were former employees or associates of the rabbi when he was principal.
All said they never saw Lanner behaving in a sexually inappropriate way.
They said the rabbi's office was accessible, and at least part of it was visible through glass windows, and so any inappropriate acts would have been witnessed.
TIMELINE
June 23, 2000 — Jewish Week reports that as principal and on his duties with the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, Rabbi Baruch Lanner allegedly sexually, physically, and emotionally harassed or abused several teens in the last three decades.
June 27, 2000 — The Orthodox Union accepts Lanner's resignation From the National Conference of Synagogue Youth. (NCSY)
July 12, 2000 — Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye says his office is conducting a wide-ranging criminal investigation based on the allegations against Lanner.
Dec. 26, 2000 — The Orthodox Union Releases a report accusing Lanner of sexually abusing women and girls and physically abusing boys and girls. The report concludes some personnel of the union and NCSY failed to respond properly to "red flags" raised during decades of complaints against Lanner.
March 21, 2000 — A Monmouth County grand jury indicts Lanner on charges that he had sexual contact with female students at Hillel Yeshiva. Lanner is charged with two counts each of aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child.
April 30, 2000 — Lanner surrenders to authorities and pleads not guilty. He surrenders his passport and is freed without bail. Lanner faces up to 40 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted of molesting the girls.
Oct. 19, 2001 — A state Superior Court judge rejects Lanner's request to dismiss the charges. Lanner denies the allegations, and his lawyers say there is reason to question the credibility and mental stability of his two accusers.
June 12, 2002 — Trial opens. During opening arguments, prosecutors say they will prove that Lanner used his power "to isolate, intimidate them, and abuse" the female students when he was principal of Hillel Yeshiva. Defense lawyers counter that Lanner did not have privacy in his office to commit such offenses.
June 27, 2002 — A jury convicts Lanner of fondling one student. He is acquitted of fondling another of his accusers.
