I feel it necessary to clarify the objectives of all the recent intensive publicity.
This is a last, desperate resort.
It was NEVER my intention to turn this into a public scandal. As people who know me and my family personally, we are quiet people and would never have wanted to bring this into the public arena. It is by NO means my intention to shame anybody, harm anybody, take revenge or ‘win sympathy.’ As I have said repeatedly, this is ONLY about the best interests of Sammy and Benji.
From the time of my separation in February 2010, I and my parents approached every Rabbi in Vienna pleading for their assistance to mediate and bring a solution outside the courts. We were willing to cooperate and compromise on everything but custody of the children. I never wanted to deny the father his role and knowing his own difficult childhood, didn’t want Sammy and Benji to grow up without contact to their father as he himself did. Unfortunately, he was insistent that the case must only go through the Austrian courts.
When the psychologist recommendation came out in April 2011, I went to the Chief Rabbi of Vienna, Rabbi Chaim Eisenberg, sobbing uncontrollably, pleading and begging with him to intervene, to prevent a tragedy from happening, to save 2 Jewish souls. If the leaders of the Jewish community of Vienna had taken forceful action even at that point, this terrible situation could have been averted and things would never have escalated so dramatically.
Since it is clear this court case is not following proper legal procedure and we have exhausted every other avenue without success, we find ourselves with no other choice but to expose the ugly truth, even if people don’t want to confront it. We have simply presented the facts as they are. We have not embellished or manipulated the evidence in any way. Everything we have said is fully documented.
Had we not launched this campaign, Sammy and Benji may still be suffering in years to come, regardless of our legal representation.
History has shown that publicity campaigns do work. I repeat, our sole objective is to return the boys to their rightful place with their mother, not to deliberately antagonise or harm anyone. It is unfortunate that this has caused so much shame and embarrassment to the people involved but that is a sad consequence of our agenda, not the agenda itself.
Perhaps, as a result, the publicity may now encourage action that was not forthcoming before. This scandal is only going to keep escalating. Until the children are returned, the story is not going to go away. It is not my intention to deny the father his role in the children’s lives. Of course, he should support emotionally in their upbringing but for their daily care and nurturing, these young children belong with their mother.
