Customer Reviews

Primrose Path

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The story in this book, although portrayed by the author as mere fiction, nevertheless, is a groundbreaking revelation! It surprisingly well mimics the story of Rabbi Ephraim Boruch Bryks of Queens, NY. It shows how a charismatic rabbi can manipulate his subjects, children, families and even entire communities. Despite all the allegations, discoveries and oustings from Jewish Rabbinical associations and schools, he still manages to remain a respected member of the community. Threats, intimidations, betrayal, blackmail, civil suits, and even buying the support of the Bukharian community in Queens are not the only tools. www.Theawarenesscenter.org/Bryks_Ephraim.html is a must read with conjunction with this book in order to appreciate how this fiction is reality.

What happens when a trusted rabbi, someone you respect, violate you and your family? When you ask for help, how does the rest of your community respond? How often do community members turn against those who were violated? How do sexual predators get away with it? The Primrose Path is an extremely important fictional book, which outlines how this happens. It's interesting as I was reading The Primrose Path I was haunted by the way the book mimicked the Case of Rabbi Ephraim Bryks, who was accused of doing similar things, back in the 1980's in Canada.
The Primrose Path, a story about a young teenage girl named Debbie, who was trying to deal with the many losses in her life. Her grandmother dies, her parent's marriage is on the rocks, and while she is away at summer camp her family moves to a new town.
Even though Debbie's family is from a reform background, her mother connects with an orthodox rabbi, and starts on a spiritual journey, becoming more observant.
Nothing in Debbie's life will ever be the same. Summer camp comes to an end. Debbie joins her family in their new home. She learns that when the school year starts, her mother enroll her in an Orthodox Jewish Day School. Debbie is confused, struggling to find her identity. Think about it, all these changes are a perfect set-up for a pedophile.
The Primrose Path is an educational experience for anyone interested in learning more about how a charismatic leader can manipulate a teenager, a parent, family, and community.

Carol Matas writes brilliantly. This story is powerful, realistic, disturbing, emotional, and frusturating all at once.
Told from the point of veiw of Debbie, a young Jewish teenager growing up in the nineties. When her Baba dies unexpectedly, her family decides to move.
Everything is different from then on. She goes to a Jewish Orthodox school now, something she is not used to. Things are starting to go well. She's meeting new, interesting friends, becoming more spiritual, and she likes her young teacher, Rabbi Werner. Even if the Rabbi does act a little strange around the girls... He tickles them, kisses them, hugs them, touches them...
But as he gains Debbie's trust, she becomes uncomfortable with his attention towards her. He often touches her innapropriately.
When Debbie does decide to tell someone about the Rabbi, it turns her world upside-down. Her mother, who has recently been taking classes with the Rabbi, accuses her of being a liar. Everyone believes that the Rabbi is too good of a person to do such terrible things. Everyone thinks the tickling is just a game.
The story is frusturating, because the Rabbi has enough power to convince everyone, even his victims, of his innocence. The story is realistic, because you feel Debbie's emotions and confusions and everything seems so true.
The story is powerful, because Debbie fights.
It becomes clearer and clearer that Rabbi Werner has pulled many into his trap. Debbie, her friends, and her mother find themselves under his power and following his absurd rules.
Debbie is shunned. And shut out. And punished, because she stood up. But she knows what the Rabbie does is wrong.
Through stages of denial, confusion, and depression to a suicidal point, Debbie comes to the truth about Rabbi Werner and his relationship with her and the other girls, and even the grown women that he teaches.
This book expresses universal denial. And the abuse that has to stop.

Why is it so hard to believe that an Orthodox rabbi would be capable of doing such a hideous crime? We hear all the time on the news and in the paper about Catholic priests who sexually abuse children and yet you can sit there at your computer and tell me that Orthodox rabbis are not capable of this. You are doing what most people like to do when we don't like what we see - look the other way. We are all humans and unfortunately some of us don't understand or are incapable of understanding right from wrong. So the next time you decide to read a book with some subject matter you're not exactly hip to, please try to look at it with more of an open mind. This is the real world please try to live in it. If anything the author should be praised for portraying reality no matter how ugly it is.

I was shocked to read the reviews written about this book. Judaism teaches us to be unbiased. These reviews are a clear example of what Carol Matas so skillfully portrays. Just as in the story, the community circles around itself when one of its own is accused. They're provoking a witch hunt by denying the abuse. ANYONE can be a child molester, even an Orthodox Rabbi. Remember that man is human. You would charge Matas with blasting the Orthodox tradition by having the characters in the story shy away from Orthodoxy. If the sexual abuse had occured in a school and the district circled its wagons to deny what had happened, wouldn't you be reluctant to go back? The abuse occurred in a temple, a supposedly safe place, and the Orthodox community circled its wagons to deny the abuse. What's the difference? Learn to read between the lines before you're blinded by them. Then read this book again.

This is a further comment on this book which I already critiqued for having a plot hinged on a character, the Rabbi, which I do not find believable. On discussing this "book" with a colleague, she made the excellent point that in addition to hanging the action of the book on an incredible hook, Mattas also frames the family as rejecting Orthodox Judaism based on their experiences. What connection could be brought to bear, between the actions of such a despicable character, and Orthodox Judaism, which totally condemns such behavior? The fictional family makes a narrowminded choice at the end, unfortunately reflecting more on the viewpoint of the author, than the merits of the situation.

Carol Matas is careful to note in the introduction to her book that the story bears no relationship to any real person, living or dead. She then goes on to skillfully weave a realistic tale of a young girl, who must brave the pressure of peers and a respected Rabbi, in order to extricate herself from an abusive situation. The falsehood in this book is its strength; It portrays an orthodox Rabbi as an abuser of young girls. Matas is careful to say that she modeled this character on her imagination. My objection to this book is that I doubt that she or anyone else can produce an example of an American Orthodox Rabbi doing what she says her fictional character is capable of.This book does not portray our world faithfully. It is a flawed product, and not in good taste.