I thought I knew enough about Hasidic Judaism before watching this documentary, but it turns out I was very wrong. I cannot understand how the state of New York allows children to be provided with an inadequate education that is solely religious and leaves them so ignorant they are entirely unable to provide a living for themselves so that they become reliant on welfare as adults. This should never be acceptable. It makes breaking free all but impossible, which as far as I'm concerned, makes this particular religious community a cult. It leaves those born into it without choices and without the human rights guaranteed under the U.S. constitution.
I also cannot understand how these people can be allowed to have their own civil courts so that children can be handed over to an abusive parent who had his estranged wife run down by someone in a car who had been stalking her for months! Her only crime was that she was no longer willing to put up with the physical abuse of her children and herself by her husband and had him removed from her home with a restraining order. And who taught him to be physically abusive? No doubt it was his parents...it seems that physical abuse of children is what goes on in these communities. And sexual abuse of children is allowed to happen with impunity and the victims are never given or permitted to seek any kind of treatment or therapy, even as adults...they are left to think of it as their own fault and suffer in silence.
I think this documentary was long long overdue and I commend the three subjects for having the courage to tell their stories, especially Etty. As a parent and grandparent, I cannot even begin to imagine how painful her experience was to go through. I wish she could have sued the community in a state civil court on behalf of her children to protect them from their father's abuse. They deserve better. Children are nobody's property! They are human beings deserving of kindness, respect, and above all else, love!
I also cannot understand how these people can be allowed to have their own civil courts so that children can be handed over to an abusive parent who had his estranged wife run down by someone in a car who had been stalking her for months! Her only crime was that she was no longer willing to put up with the physical abuse of her children and herself by her husband and had him removed from her home with a restraining order. And who taught him to be physically abusive? No doubt it was his parents...it seems that physical abuse of children is what goes on in these communities. And sexual abuse of children is allowed to happen with impunity and the victims are never given or permitted to seek any kind of treatment or therapy, even as adults...they are left to think of it as their own fault and suffer in silence.
I think this documentary was long long overdue and I commend the three subjects for having the courage to tell their stories, especially Etty. As a parent and grandparent, I cannot even begin to imagine how painful her experience was to go through. I wish she could have sued the community in a state civil court on behalf of her children to protect them from their father's abuse. They deserve better. Children are nobody's property! They are human beings deserving of kindness, respect, and above all else, love!