Aryeh Goodman charged with 12 counts of sex assault on a child

EAST BRUNSWICK – A rabbi who runs a community services program on Lexington Avenue has been arrested and charged with sex crimes that occurred nearly 12 years ago when he was a camp counselor in Pennsylvania, authorities said.

Aryeh Goodman, 30, was arrested Jan. 4 and charged with 12 counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age – a sex crime categorized as a first-degree misdemeanor, said Trooper Adam Reed of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Goodman is director of Chabbad of East Brunswick, which focuses on educating children.

State police said the assault occurred on June 1, 2001 in Lackawaxen Township, which is in Pike County, Pa.

Pocononews.net reported the victim was a juvenile male camper. The alleged incident happened while Goodman served as a counselor at Camp Manachem, according to the news website.

A teenage boy who attended the camp came forward to police last summer to report that Goodman assaulted him in 2001, according to thetimes-tribune.com.

The state police spokesman said he had no information on why it took police several months to obtain an arrest warrant.

Goodman was arrested in Middlesex County last week and transported to Pennsylvania, according to reports.

According to New Jersey Jewish News, Goodman grew up in Highland Park, the son of Rabbi Boruch and Sarah Goodman. The elder Goodman is the campus director at Chabad House at Rutgers University, according to NJJN.

Goodman and his wife, Ora Malka, took over Chabad of East Brunswick in 2006, focusing on educating children. It operates the Chai Central Hebrew School for children ages 6-14, stressing “the inculcation of Jewish values and ethics” and “mutual tolerance and respect for fellow human beings as basic principles of the Jewish faith” It also offers bar and bat mitzva instruction and operates the Chai Early Childhood Center, according to NJJN.

Goodman founded the annual Good Deed Awards, honoring teen community service leaders from across the state, according to the East Brunswick Chabad website.

This week, the Awareness Center, Inc., an International Jewish Coalition against child sex abuse, ran a photo of Goodman, along with a list of places where he’s worked and counseled.

“If you or someone you know was abused by Aryeh Goodman please contact your local rape crisis center or local police department for help,” the website states.          




NJ.com