Update: Isaac Hersh Returned Home

2008-03-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 28, 2008

New York Son Of Hatzalah CEO, Rescued From Notorious Abuse Boot Camp

Exclusive VIN News New York - VIN News reported a few days ago about Issac Hersh son of the CEO of Hatzalah in Brooklyn, New York, who was held since June 2007 in a Jamaican boot camp notorious for abuse and harsh conditions.

The story enraged many yiddin around the world who offered their help, including 1000's of our readers. We can now report that Isaac just landed this morning at 7:00 AM in N.Y. after a group of 'choshvia askonim' got involved to rescue him, and flew down to Jamaica to work out all details to get him out, and bring him back to be in the care of a foster family.

VIN news has also confirmed, that Isaac was physically abused, and assaulted while staying in this gulag camp, his condition came to light only after another non Jewish boy that was released a few weeks ago from the same camp, contacted the twin brother of Isaac to beg him to rescue his brother, because he is being beaten in the camp, and his mental health is deteriorating.

The askonim involved in this big mitzvah are, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (executive director of the Torah Outreach Research Center of Houston), Rabbi Avraham Wolbe (Monsey, NY), Dr. David Pelcovitz (Yeshiva University) and Mr. Zvi Gluck (Hatzalah of NY).Isaac Klein [Far Rockaway NY] a political activist who was involved with Sen. Clinton and her staff to help in this major effort to go smooth. And a special recognition to R' Yosef Shereshevsky from Norfolk Virgina, COO of Wextrust Capital, for financing this operation and providing the private Jet. And the Rabonim that need to be recognized are, Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky.

U/D 9:00 AMVIN News has confirmed with an executive member of Hatzaloh,that due to the currant situation Mr. Hersh is on leave of absence from the their Organization.

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SEE ALSO:

Teen Advocates USA "ISAAC HERSH" Webpage

Jewish Family Sues Jamaican Reform School for Troubled Teens

2008-03-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

BY KIRSTEN DANIS
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

Tuesday, March 25th 2008, 4:00 AM

A battle has erupted in the Orthodox Jewish community over a Brooklyn teenager sent by his prominent family to a behavior boot camp accused of terrifying abuse.

Isaac Hersh, 16, has been trapped since last summer at Tranquility Bay, a reform school on the island of Jamaica with a soothing name - and harsh discipline, according to the lawyer hired to try to get him out."It's a modern-day concentration camp," said Maryland lawyer Joshua Ambush.

Isaac's estranged parents sent him to the boot camp last year after luring him back to Brooklyn from his new home in Texas, court papers claim.

Isaac's twin brother, Sol, is panicked he's next to go.

"He's very worried about his brother. He's very worried about himself, too," said a friend of the family who asked to remain anonymous.

Tranquility Bay offers the promise of turning bad boys into focused achievers, but the walled-off camp with barred windows has been called a nightmare.

Children have been beaten, forced to eat their vomit and made to stand in painful contortions for hours, according to a separate suit filed in Utah by former students against private boot camps, including Tranquility Bay.

The case has so riled up members of the normally insular Orthodox community that several are taking the rare step of publicizing Isaac's situation.

One one side is Isaac's informal Texas foster family, who are also Orthodox, and their supporters, who prompted a nonprofit to file suit in Washington last week on Isaac's behalf.

They claim he was lured to Brooklyn with the promise of a job, handcuffed and thrown into a van that took him to the boot camp as he cried and begged to be released, the suit says.

On the other side are the teen's father, Michael Hersh - CEO of Brooklyn's huge Orthodox volunteer ambulance service, Hatzalah - and his wife, Miriam.

"Hatzalah will carefully monitor these proceedings, taking into account the seriousness of the allegations," the organization said in a statement.

The couple has a prominent supporter in Rabbi Aaron Schecter, head of Brooklyn's tight-knit Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, according to the suit.

It is unclear what prompted the parents to send Isaac to another country. Michael Hersh did not return a call for comment.

They had a troubled relationship for years, according to the suit.

Isaac, one of eight children, was sent to schools in Virginia and Long Island before the family moved to Israel in 2002, where the parents were accused of abusing Isaac, the suit says.

From there, the boys went to live with families in Texas, although the parents never lost custody."They're healthy, good, normal teenage boys," said the family friend.

kdanis@nydailynews.com

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SEE FOLLOWING LINK TO READ OFFICIAL COMPLAINT, NEWS UPDATES, ETC.

Teen Advocates USA "Isaac Hersh" Webpage