Showing posts with label sexual ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sexual ethics. Show all posts

Saturday, January 23, 2016

A Regularly Updated List of Current Articles on the Marc Gafni Controversy

Marc Gafni (Screenshot from YouTube)

Here is a listing of all known (at this time) articles about Marc Gafni that have appeared since the December 25th New York Times article.

After the list of current articles, there is a list of articles on Gafni that have appeared on this blog, dating back nearly a decade (May, 2006).

And now, below that, is the beginning of an archive of other posts/articles from around the Web about Gafni and his abuses. These articles go back to the first known piece in 2004.

December 26, 2015:
December 27th:
December 29th:
  • Soon followed a second article from Oppenheimer at Tablet Magazine, part 2 of the NYT article.
  • Also on the 29th, the Jewish Telegraph posted 4 quotes by ex-Orthodox rabbi Marc Gafni not in The NY Times article.
  • Matthew Gindin posted Some Thoughts On Marc Gafni at his blog, Seeking Her Voice.
  • Joe Perez "leaked" the supposedly "official" Integral Institute Report on Marc Gafni: Summary and Conclusions (circa 2008) , then deleted it. It became fully available online on Dec. 30th. To its discredit, there are several issues with this document, not least of which is the inclusion of material post-2008, with an addendum noting that it had been updated in 2011 and 2014. An "official" document of this nature is not updated, unless of of course it's NOT official. There is also the issue that those who know Gafni and his writing see his language and perspectives all over the text, again confirming it as unofficial, and in fact, pro-Gafni propaganda. What this DOES show is the lengths to which Gafni will go to cover his ass - forgery, lies, manipulation. 
December 30th:
Also on December 30th:
NOTE: In all fairness, Robb Smith and Corey DeVos made Integral Life a Gafni-free place in 2011, a decision that had been in the works for a year or more, but coincided with Gafni's affairs that cost him his book contract with Sounds True, as well as damaging two wonderful women I had the privilege of speaking with and getting to know.

December 31st: 
January 1st:
January 2nd:
January 3rd:
January 4th:
January 5th:
January 6th:
January 7th:
January 8th: 
January 9th:
  • The post you are reading appeared. As of 1.20.2016, it has more than 1,800 views.
January 10th:
January 12th:
January 13th:
January 14th:
January 17th: 
January 18th:
January 19th:
January 20th:
January 21st:
January 22nd: 
January 25th:
    January 26th:
    January 30, 2016:
    January 2016:
    February 2, 2016:
    February 3, 2016:
    February 8, 2016:
    • From Hevria, by Gafni's 3rd ex-wife: I Admit It, I Was Using Gafni Too - The last half of this article contains a survey of Gafni's victims (up to 2006) give by the author as part of her research for her MA in Clinical Psychology.
    February 18, 2016:
    February 22, 2016:

    February 29, 2016:
    March 1, 2016:
    March 2, 2016:
    March 3, 2016:
    March 4, 2016:
    March 7, 2016:
    March 12, 2016:

    As readers of this blog are well-aware, I have been tracking and reporting on Gafni and his predatory behaviors since May of 2006, when three women (Gafni was 46, they were in their 20s) in his Israeli Jewish community came forward about him having affairs with each of them and swearing them to secrecy. [Other reports placed the number at five women, three of whom filed complaints with the police, as well as others from the community and from Jerusalem who came forward when the story broke.]

    Here are some old posts from this blog:
    Marc Gafni on the Web, prior to this recent episode. [In progress]

    While Marc Gafni's sexual abuses (2 statutory rapes in the 1980s) go way back (as well as a series of incidents in Boca Raton in the brief time he was there), the 2004 story by Gary Rosenblatt in the Jewish Journal was the breakthrough piece.

    September 30, 2004 (The is the first known article that exposes Gafni's abuses):
    October 4, 2004:
    October 12, 2004:
    October 13, 2004:
    October 14, 2004:
    December 20, 2004:
    2004 - 2008:
    May 11, 2006:
    May 15, 2006 - September 13, 2011:
    • Rabbi Marc Gafni and Sexual Improprieties at NHNE Pulse - This post covers Rabbi Marc Gafni & Sexual Improprieties by Ken Wilber (Ken's original statement, May 15, 2006, the letter from Bayit Chadash, Gafni's apology and claim to sickness, Gafni's recanting of his original apology and now total denial of wrong-doing, and links, most of which do not work now); Love and Suffering: Dr. Marc Gafni Reemerges by Robb Smith in Integral Life (November 3rd, 2008 - includes Spiritual Teachers Letter From Sally Kempton, Gabriel Cousens, M.D., and John Kesler); Marc Gafni's Sexual Impropriety Re-Emerges – Will Integral Leadership Step Up this Time? by William Harryman at Integral Options Cafe (September 12, 2011); and Where I Stand by Robb Smith at Integral Life (September 13, 2011)
    May 18, 2006:
    May 19, 2006:
    May 23, 2006:
    May 25, 2006:
    June 16, 2006:
    June 27, 2006:
    May 1, 2007:
    July 17, 2008:
    July 20, 2008:
    • Trial by Internet? An “archetypal spiritual drama” by Jeff Bell and Greta DeJong at The Catalyst (This was Gafni's article, written by him with Bell; the rumor is that he seduced the editor/publisher/founder of the magazine, Ms. DeJong, to get this published. Gafni frames himself as "the hero of a spiritual epic.")
    January 9, 2009:
    May 26, 2010:

    February 13, 2015 (with several updates):
    September 1, 2015:
    Posted by at Saturday, January 23, 2016 0 comments
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    Tuesday, January 12, 2016

    An Open Letter In Support of the Petition to Stop Marc Gafni (Maggidic Journey Havurah)

    http://iamthewitness.com/listeners/img/Rabbi.Mordechai.Gafni.jpg

    Another group has created a formal letter distancing themselves from (in this case their former teacher) Marc Gafni. Maggidic Journey Havurah, a community of former students of Gafni (2003-2005) have released the following letter.

    Before the letter, here is Russ Cashin's preface:
    I have realized all along that this endeavor was not for Marc Gafni as I don’t think he’ll hear it. 
     
    In our Open Letter, we are adding our voices to the many others out there who have experienced Gafni’s abuse and who want those in positions of leadership to refuse to provide him with support and a platform to continue to harm others. 
     
    Our group’s experience as his former students for two years gives us a unique shared perspective, especially as a cohesive group who have remained in contact for 12 years. During this time, we (not all of us) have attended conferences and retreats together, and sought assistance to help many of us move through the healing processes of grief, disappointment and shame that Gafni left upon us. 
     
    It is time now for us to speak up and share our unique perspective as a group of actual students of Gafni’s and to reveal the damage he does to his students.  We want to reach those who are now choosing to give Gafni a platform to teach anyone (not just young girls) and warn them of the harm they are doing by providing this dangerous man with a stable of new victims, both male and female.
    Among the charges are the usual wherever Gafni turns up: inappropriate sexual relationships with other women while he was still married, abuses, lies, plagiarism, and failed promises.

    An Open Letter In Support of the Petition to Stop Marc Gafni

    January 10, 2016

    We the undersigned, while not representing the whole, are members of the Maggidic Journey Havurah, a community of former students of Marc Gafni (we knew him then as Mordechai Gafni). From 2003-2005, we came together for a two year educational program at Elat Chayyim with Mr. Gafni which was supposed to lead us to a certification as a Maggid, or Holy Teacher.

    For many reasons, some of which are mentioned below, as a group we disassociated from Marc Gafni in the spring of 2006.

    We herein state that we are in support of the petition called Stop Marc Gafni from Abusing Again that Rabbi David Ingber posted at change.org on December 30, 2015. We also support the statements by Gafni’s third ex-wife in her blog titled A voice for Gafni’s victims, from one who was there at timesofisrael.com that was posted on January 1, 2016.

    Like many of Marc Gafni’s students, at first we were enamored by his charisma and his ability to brilliantly convey Jewish Wisdom. A few of us even financially assisted or served in capacities that supported Bayit Chadash, the community Gafni co-founded in Israel and from which he eventually fled in 2006. 

    Little did we know that by the time our two year program ended we too would find ourselves deeply and adversely impacted by Gafni’s web of lies, deception and abuse. 

    Some of us know the women Gafni has harmed, including his third ex-wife. We now know that even as he taught us, unbeknownst to us, he was having inappropriate sexual relationships with other women while he was still married. 

    We were there and now stand as witnesses to his abuses, lies, plagiarism, and failed promises. Some of us felt and feel an incredible sense of betrayal by Gafni. 

    By the end of our two years together, Gafni had subjected members of our group to financial extortion, visits to our homes leaving huge phone bills, sexual indiscretions, false promises and outright lies, fiscal irresponsibility, manipulation of facts to support grandiose claims, theft of intellectual property, plagiarism, misuse of power, attempting to recruit us to discredit his detractors and using sacred text as an interpersonal weapon. 

    In the early stages of our program, Gafni urged us not to speak about him with anyone inside or outside our group, stating that such discussions would be disloyal and inappropriate, as well as spiritually harmful both to us and to him. 

    Our community has remained in loving connection for 12 years since our encounter with Marc Gafni. We have supported each other through our healing processes of grief, disappointment and shame that Gafni left in his wake. We have spent innumerable hours meeting with other spiritual and community leaders to better understand and cope with the psycho-spiritual damage left by our relationship with this man whom we trusted. 

    Many of us have remained silent until now out of fear of his retribution and retaliation, as has been his practice toward those who try to reveal him for who and what he truly is. Others have hoped he just would go away. 

    We acknowledge that while Gafni's teachings may be a brilliant synthesis of his and others' ideas, the open heart vulnerability that he elicits while taking advantage of that intellectual and emotional intimacy makes him a potential danger to his students. 

    We now categorically and publicly disavow Gafni as a Spiritual Leader, a mentor, and certainly as a teacher of any kind. We call upon all those both in the Jewish world and those outside of it who support, promote or offer Gafni a platform to find new victims to immediately retract their support and remove him from any position of authority or influence. 

    We encourage Gafni to fully acknowledge his responsibility in the long trail of abuse and the emotional carnage he has left behind. We prompt him to seek immediate professional help and to engage in the long, deep and intense inner work necessary for Teshuva. 

    We stand as a unified voice and in integrity – it must stop now! 

    Signed in Solidarity,

    Russ Cashin, Spiritual Leader
    Maggid Charna Rosenholtz, Aleph Rabbinic Student
    Dr. Gilah Rosner
    Rabbi Shoshana Leis
    Shir Yaakov Feit
    Michael Schaefer
    Ken Rosenstein, Senior Student, ALEPH Rabbinic Program
    Rabbi Elhanan Sunny Schnitzer
    Patti Williams Niehoff
    Maggid Alan Goldberg
    Jeanlu Ryersbach
    Charlie Roemer, Maggid
    Camille Davidson
    Abby Rosen, Ph.D.
    Maggid Ellen Triebwasser, ALEPH Rabbinic Student
    Maury Hoberman
    Steve Herman
    Posted by at Tuesday, January 12, 2016 0 comments
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    Friday, January 27, 2012

    INTEGRALES FORUM - A Statement on Sexual Ethics

    The INTEGRALES FORUM issued a statement a little while back on their choice not to work with Marc Gafni any longer. They had reservations about working with Gafni in the first place, but were persuaded (I have heard coerced by some) by Ken Wilber to work with him. But like Integral Life, they have chosen to sever ties with Gafni. Ken Wilber applauds their decision in a note he allowed them to post on their site.

    Integral blogger Joe Perez called their statement sexual fascism - but one of the members of the Integrales Forum offered his own response to Perez. For once, an argument about Gafni in which I am not involved.

    For what it's worth, I also applaud the statement by IF - they have shown the highest integral ethics and the moral spine to make their position public.

    Here is the post from Integrales Forum (including their original statement, dated in September of last year):

    Ken Wilber's response to the IF statement from January

    My statement asked that each and every person—and organization—search their conscience and come to their own decision about Marc and CWS.  I am deeply gratified that that individuals connected with IF have done exactly that, and although we came to somewhat different conclusions, I deeply respect and honor the decision reached by IF and its members.  This is exactly the type of personal decision that I hoped individuals would indeed come to.  The fact that they did shows a strong Integral ethics and conscience that bodes well for the future of Integral.  Allow me to congratulate all the members of IF for reaching this deeply ethical conclusion.  I am very proud of each and every one of you.

    -- All love, Ken Wilber 2012-01-17



    Postscript 1: Ken Wilber agreed to publish this statement.

    Postscript 2: We (the IF board) are aware, that our statement is not a statement for all IF members, but is rather a reflection of our own position. We respect and honor if people come to different conclusions and decisions. Nevertheless, our statement is also the result of ten years of co-creation of and within the integral movement, as well as the continual discussion with a lot of people. That is why we would like to thank all the participants here, who further integral theory and practice, inside and outside of the IF. In this way we understand the congratulation by Ken Wilber as including all, even if we are not of the same opinion, and are very grateful for it.


    -- The IF board 2012-01-17

    Integrales Forum Statement Concerning Further Cooperation with Marc Gafni


    After renewed allegations were presented against the spiritual teacher Marc Gafni in the fall of 2011, Ken Wilber took a three month period of time for reflection in order to state his own opinion in the matter. This statement (end of December) is now available [link]. In the statement Ken Wilber explains his further support and cooperation with Marc Gafni in the continuing development of the Center for World Spirituality (CWS) which was founded and is being led by Marc. At the same time Ken Wilber noted that this is his own personal decision and each and every individual should develop his own responsible position with respect to the situation. All members of the board of Integral Forum, including the working group for Integral Spirituality, have done just that. 

    After intensive discussions with members of the Integral Forum, partners, friends and also critics of Marc Gafni, we have come to a different decision than Ken Wilber. Until further notice, IF as an organization as well as individual members of the board will not take part in CWS and IF will not work together with Marc Gafni as a spiritual teacher. The main reason for our decision is our conviction that the leader of such an organization as CWS should exhibit a high degree of integrational capabilities in order to bring different religious and spiritual movements and personalities of the world together.

    In a current statement, Marc Gafni confirmed that he does not exclude the possibility of sexual relationships with students of his circle in the future. 

    "Let me state formally that if in the future I enter into a monogamous commitment, then I will honor it and live in it to the fullest. If that is the right path for me then I will enter into it with full delight and even ecstasy. If I do not enter into that path, and choose to love from a different place, then I will enter into that path with full delight and even ecstasy. If that is the case then it is not impossible that at some point I will date women who are in my circle. If that feels uncomfortable to someone in principle that it might not be wise to join my circle of teaching."

    We do not see this position as commensurate with the expectations for someone in such a prominent role as the leader of CWS, particularly in view of the many years of critical discussions with respect to his person and behavior [link]. Against the background of the existing spectrum of cultural values, Marc Gafni polarizes people and opinions and for this reason does not meet the criteria we expect in a personality with the ability to lead and integrate such a meaningful global project. 

    This polarization could also be seen within IF in view of the reaction to the most recent events. Many of us still hold him in high esteem as before, others view him very critically as a person. We are however unanimously of the same opinion that Marc Gafni, as author and integral thinker for the further development of the integral theory with concepts such as the unique self, provides an important contribution and we will continue to provide access to his contributions in our media.

    The subject of world spirituality remains on our agenda. We will further promote this within the framework of the School for Integral Spirituality (SIS) in connection with the development of principles and ethical basics of this school. 

    Our wish is that a constructive and responsible interaction with differences of opinion concerning theory, individuals, methods, and paths will lead to the realization of a truly integral and integrative spirituality. 

    Integrales Forum, January 2012 

    Michael Habecker, Sonja Student, Dennis Wittrock, Hilde Weckmann, Rolf Lutterbeck, Erich Carl Derks, Stefan Schoch und Helmut Dörmann
     
    -
IF Board and working group School for Integral Spirituality (SIS) in the IF

    A Statement of IF concerning Marc Gafni

    Since its foundation, Integrales Forum has made an effort to develop an independent integral perspective in the German speaking countries, while also continuously looking for contact with the American integral scene around Ken Wilber. During the past years, several occasions for fruitful contact and cooperation have emerged, including with Marc Gafni, who together with co-teacher Diane Hamilton offered a contribution at the IF conference 2010 in Berlin and was a main contributor at this year's annual conference in Nuremberg. 

    A few years before this cooperation there were indications of Marc's ethical misconduct in connection with female students. At the time, this lead to a break between Marc and the Integral Institute. In this context Ken Wilber composed a critical text, which we have published in German language in the „Integrale Bibliothek“(integral library), which has now been incorporated in the general website of the Integral Forum. A few years later, Marc was officially rehabilitated by Integral Life (the CEO  Robb Smith). This was the basis for the ensuing cooperation between Integrales Forum and Marc, after thoroughly checking the reasons for the rehabilitation, which had been supported by many teachers. Now (September 2011), new accusations of misconduct have been made against Marc, which we from Integrales Forum take very seriously and which have shaken the trust which we had shown in him after his rehabilitation. We have entered a new process of information and clarification. We will bring this process of clarification to a temporary conclusion from our side by the middle of October at the latest, and then make a statement. During this time we will put our cooperation with Marc as a spiritual teacher and in the context of the project of world spirituality on halt. 

    The IF aims to contribute to a more integral understanding in a variety of fields, including business, education, ecology, politics, etc. This also includes the very sensitive field of spirituality that we want to help evolve from an integral perspective with the help of many other spiritual teachers. We will continue working on the subjects such as world spirituality, a new concept of self and an evolutionary-integral understanding of love. In this, we will also take into account  Marc's contributions, such as the ones we are publishing in the new edition of our magazine Integrale Perspektiven and the Online Journal. We’ve started this public discussion about spiritual standards already last year with our position paper (also discussing the role of spiritual teachers) and we will definitely continue to deepen it in the future. 

    The Integrales Forum Board and the DIA-Team:
    Dennis Wittrock, Sonja Student, Hilde Weckmann, Michael Habecker, Rolf Lutterbeck

    September 15th, 2011
    Posted by at Friday, January 27, 2012 1 comments
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