Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
Viewpoints Contributor Mitch Morrison is quoted extensively in this Jewish Week article about Passaic, New Jersey, confronting sexual abuse in the Orthodox community.
Rabbi Eisenman says he put the program together on short notice — he intentionally scheduled it during the High Holy Days, for the greatest spiritual impact — and proceeded when other local rabbis dropped out. The other rabbis reportedly expressed concern about what the panelists might say, including giving names of molesters who have not been formally accused, indicted or convicted.
“It’s just easier to do it alone,” Rabbi Eisenman says.
He did not tell the panelists what to say or what not to say; such limitations, he explains, would limit the emotional impact of their words.
“It opened him up to criticism … some felt it was irresponsible for him to allow people to have an open mic,” Morrison says.
In his FailedMessiah post on the Ahavas Israel program, Morrison called Rabbi Eisenman “a maverick rabbi.”
“He’s very much an independent person,” Morrison says. “Rabbi Eisenman is an emotional person. Passaic is a passionate community. In a lot of [other Orthodox communities] there’s an intellectual response that’s devoid of passion.”
Read more at https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/a-haredi-town-confronts-abuse-from-the-inside/. Read an article by Mitch Morrison about this issue at https://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2009/10/letter-from-passaic-talking-abuse-456.html.
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In the professional world, Mitch Morrison is an award-winning journalist with a ceaseless curiosity that has crossed over into the Jewish World.
Raised in Brookline, MA, and guided by the philosophical approach of Rav Joseph Soloveitchik, zt’l, Mitch has spent much of his adult life volunteering on the education boards of Jewish Day Schools, Orthodox synagogues and today continues his volunteer activities with Partners in Torah, and helps pen opinion pieces for multiple rabbis.
Upon graduating from Maimonides Day School, Mitch enrolled at Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism with magna cum laude honors. From there, he studied at Yeshivat Hamivtar in Efrat, learning under both Rabbis Shlomo Riskin and Chaim Brovender.
Since the late 1980s, Mitch has worked at newspapers and business magazines, and is currently a vice president for a business trade media, where he writes and speaks about retailing trends and interfaces with many top retail executives.
Mitch joined the UTJ in the early 1990s, drawn by the organization’s synthesis of fidelity to halakhah with academic and historical scholarship.
“The UTJ brings a Torah approach that is three-dimensional,” Mitch says. “It recognizes that Torah and halakhah do not reside in some far-off island, unaware or consciously ignorant of society’s flaws and fortunes. The beauty of Torah is that it’s built for humankind and, when lived and applied properly, underwrites an extraordinary morality that elevates everyone it touches.”
Over 20+ years with the UTJ, Mitch edited its Hagahelet newsletter and has helped organize events, including on halakhic conversion, sexual molestation in the halakhic community, and challenges confronting adult singles.
Mitch and his wife, Leslie, are the proud parents of two children and reside in Passaic, NJ.