KIT December 1997, Vol IX #12 New 12-7-97

7/31/2019 KIT December 1997, Vol IX #12 New 12-7-97

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The KIT Newsletter, an Activity of the KIT Information Service, a Project of ThePeregrine Foundation

P.O. Box 460141 San Francisco, CA 94146-0141 telephone: (415) 821-2090 FAX (415) 282-2369 http://www.matisse.net/~peregrin/

KIT Staff U.S.: Ramn Sender, Charles Lamar, Vince Lagano, Dave Ostrom, BrotherWitless (in an advisory capacity)

EuroKIT: Joy Johnson MacDonald, Susan Johnson Suleski, Carol Beels Beck,Elizabeth Bohlken-Zumpe, Ben Cavanna, Leonard Pavitt, Joan Pavitt Taylor

The KIT Newsletter is an open forum for fact and opinion. It encourages the expression of all views,

both from inside and from outside the Bruderhof. We reserve the right to edit submissions according

to guidelines discussed at numerous KIT conferences. Obviously, it's seldom easy to know exactly

how best to carry out KIT's mission of allowing many voices and various points of view to be heard.

We do not, and cannot, vouch for the validity of any opinion or assertion appearing in the KIT

Newsletter. The opinions expressed in the letters that we publish must remain those of the

correspondents and do not necessarily reflect those of KIT editors or staff.

Yearly subscription rates (11 issues): $25 USA; $30 Canada; $35 International mailed f/ USA; 20mailed f/ EuroKIT to UK & Europe

KEEP IN TOUCH

KIT staff would like to extend Best Wishes to all for a healthy and happy Winter HolidaySeason.

T h e W h o l e K i t A n d C a b o o d l e

Toll-Free Phone for former Bruderhofers in need of advice and referrals: 1 888 6 KINDER

-------- Table of Contents --------

The Times Herald RecordThe Lakeville JournalWayne ChesleyJoseph KeiderlingJ. Christoph ArnoldWTNH (ABC) New HavenHeidi (Kleiner) StricklandBarnabas Johnson

Name WithheldElizabeth Bohlken-ZumpePeoria Journal StarHannah Goodwin Johnson

Page 1 of 33former Bruderhof members/residents KIT Newsletter December 1997 Volume IX #12

27/10/2007http://www.perefound.org/KIT12_97.html


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Katherine BrookshireMelchior FrosDave OstromCharlie LamarPauline (Ellison) DaviesMike LeBlancSam ArnoldRenatus Kluver

Nadina Marie DuBac, August and Nadine Pleil's newest granddaughter, was born Sept. 3, 1997.August and Nadine are very proud grandparents of this new little girl. She was born to their daughterAndrea and husband Kerry DuBac. Welcome, Nadina!

Pete Holland had his own cells transfused back into his system on November 18th as a bone marrowre-grafting. He will likely remain in hospital for about six weeks. He and the Holland clan can use allthe support and good wishes we can give them. This is a very crucial time for Pete and for all wholove him.

Belinda Manley: A VERY HAPPY 89th on 12/10! And dearest Buddug Evans, an AMAZING94th!!

Ben Cavanna & Joanie Pavitt Taylor, 11/30/97: As many of you will know, we will be gettingmarried on the 1st of August, 1998. We have decided to take up Matt and Andrea Holland's offer ofthe use of Lower Shaw Farm for our Alternative Wedding Weekend Festival. This will run fromFriday evening, 31st July, through to Sunday afternoon, 2nd August. So put the date in your diaries -- you will be receiving invitations. They have about 25 beds on a bed-and-breakfast basis and roomto camp, plus other accommodation locally with family and in other types, up to posh hotels. Moreon these plans as we firm them up.

Miriam Arnold Holmesis posting her annual offer to create for anyone hand-knit, colorful one-(two?)-of-a-kind sox for $12. Tell her your color preference and size! Xmas socks -- for anyoneneeding presents for others or warm toes for self.

CORRECTION In theNovember KIT issue , page 8, line 19 (of the printed copy) in StanleyVowles letter to Christian Domer, the sentence should read:

"While I do not agree with all I read in KIT -- how could it be otherwise? -- there is enoughconfirmation in it from diverse sources as to there being a considerable modicum oftruth containedtherein in some assertions concerning certain aspects of the Communities' activities meted out tosome individuals that comes within Amnesty International's mandate of combating "cruel, inhumanor degrading treatment or punishment," be it physical or mental, in conformity with the United

Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "

We regret the error.

click here to return to Table of Contents

The Times Herald Record, 11/8/97:

"Bruderhof Head Finds Forgiveness Divine"

by Paul Brooks




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Bruderhof leader J. Christoph Arnold reluctantly set aside his fears in Ulster County Court yesterdayand took a page out of his own book on forgiveness. Arnold did not look at David Maendel, who satat the defense table awaiting sentencing on a conviction for trying to extort $15,000 out of Arnoldand the Bruderhof. Maendel was convicted on Sept 10 on one set of extortion-related counts, butcleared of similar counts involving $3.5 million threatening bodily harm.

Arnold, his short gray hair tousled, padded across the courtroom in white running shoes to stand infront of Judge Dan Lamont. Arnold spoke in a loud voice as he read from a statement aboutMaendel's "frightening actions and threats." He said he believed Maendel once tried to murderArnold's father and since shifted that hatred to Arnold and his family.

"David's supporters have accused me of insincerity," said Arnold, the author of Seventy TimesSeven: The Power of Forgiveness.

"How, they argue, can I urge others to practice forgiveness and not apply it in this situation? I amprepared to accept that challenge," he said. "Accordingly, I wish to state to the court my deep desirefor leniency when sentencing David Maendel," he said.

Don't put Maendel in jail, Arnold asked Lamont, provided the judge also ordered Maendel to stayaway from the Bruderhof.

This is what Lamont did. After listening to Arnold and Bruderhof member, Joseph Keiderling,Lamont sentenced Maendel to 90 days in jail and five years probation. As it turns out, Maendel hasalready spent nearly three months in jail. Lamont also prohibited Maendel from harassing,intimidating or interfering with the Bruderhof for five years.

Maendel said he was deeply sorry for having broken the state law. "I broke God's law too, and I willhave to be judged for that," he said. Maendel's lawyer Thomas Petro said his client apologized to theBruderhof if they were caused any pain. Maendel spoke on his own, saying he wanted to see hisfamily members in the Bruderhof.

"Since 1978 I have been barred from visiting the Bruderhof. I don't know if my mother is alive ordead," he said. "I ask Christoph Arnold if he had been barred from seeing his family, to what lengthswould he go?"


The Lakeville Journal, 11/13/97:

"Extortion Case In New York Revives Issues Surrounding Life In Bruderhof Communities"

by Karen Bartomioli

Norfolk - The conviction of a former Bruderhof member on charges of attempted extortion againstthe group's Woodcrest Community in Rifton, NY, drew fresh attention this week to questionssurrounding these Christian communities, including the Deer Spring Bruderhof here in Norfolk. Itfollows the announcement two weeks ago that the Bruderhof plans to leave its Connecticut home of40 years.

On a Connecticut television station's news broadcast covering the trial verdict that aired last week,other former members, including a former member of Norfolk's Deer Spring Community, cameforward to talk about their lives as children in the communities, where they said they wereemotionally abused and punished by being isolated, sometimes for weeks at a time.




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David Maendel was found guilty by a judge in Ulster County, NY, Supreme Court on two felonycounts of attempted grand larceny. He was sentenced Nov. 7 to two jail terms: 90 days for the firstcount and 60 days for the second. The 60 days he served pretrial however, will satisfy his sentences.

Mr. Maendel, now a resident of Ohio, will remain under probation for five years and has beenordered to avoid contact with community members, particularly three individuals at the WoodcrestCommunity where he grew up. He was acquitted of more serious charges in the case, including anattempt to extort $3.5 million from the Bruderhof with the threat to publish a book revealing allegedatrocities against Bruderhof children and extortion by threat of physical violence.

At some point, $15,000 was given to Maendel by the Bruderhof in a transaction that attorneys forboth sides of the case called "a negotiation." In an interview with The Lakeville Journal, Maendel'scousin Michael Boller, a former resident of Deer Spring in Norfolk who now owns a business inCanton, CT, called the $15,000 "bait" in a scheme by the Bruderhof to trap Maendel in extortioncharges. Mr. Boller said he believes his cousin was attempting to put an end to the emotional pain heclaims to have suffered in the years since he broke from the community.

"Dave wanted the Bruderhof to admit they have a systemic problem," Boller said. "I don'tnecessarily agree with the way he went about getting their attention, but he needed some kind ofclosure."

Closure is something Boller said he managed to gain for himself about two years ago, more than adecade and a half after he left the Norfolk commune where he was born and raised. Boller describeda childhood that was "heaven on earth" until his teen years when he became aware that there werelifestyles beyond the Bruderhof where his individuality of thought would not get him into trouble.

Boller, now 37, said he was not physically abused as a child, and that he has come to see that muchof his upbringing was very good. But little infractions, such as making fun of a song -- "spoiling asong" as they called it -- could mean hours of interrogation and a period of house arrest, he said.

At that time, he said, he didn't think of the severe discipline as abuse because he knew of nothingelse. But the Bruderhof communities are held together by a measure of control that is aimed even atmembers' thoughts, Boller said, making it "hell on earth for a thinking person."

His last contact with Deer Spring was about two years ago when he was arrested for trespassing afterhe rollerbladed onto the Deer Spring property during its annual open house. Boller admitted hisactions were motivated by a need to see how the Bruderhof would react. Months earlier he had beenasked to stay away, the result, he said, of his making several unscheduled visits to family there.

Deer Spring declined to comment for this story.

During the Nov. 6 WTNH broadcast, a letter from the Bruderhof attorney was quoted as saying,"What was accepted as acts of normal child rearing 40 years ago would be considered politicallyincorrect acts of near child abuse today."

But another interview during the TV report points to allegations of abuse during recent years.

Clara Arnold, granddaughter of Bruderhof leader Christoph Arnold [sic], is only about 20 years oldbut claims to have attempted suicide twice because of emotional abuse. She has left the Bruderhof.

During interviews with The Journal this week, lawyers in the extortion trial that followed chargesbrought in October, 1996 by the state of New York on behalf of the Bruderhof paint differingpictures of the Bruderhof and what happened in Maendel's case. Defense attorney Tom Petro said hisclient was simply trying to seek restitution for the abuse he had suffered as a child, and the 20 years




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he was barred from contact with his family.

According to Mr. Petro, Maendel meant to use the money from the Bruderhof to allow remainingfamily members to leave the community and start a new life. Petro said Bruderhof members called totestify repeatedly answered questions with deceptive answers.

Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said that Maendel's only motivation was money forhimself. Mr. Nneji said that although the court found Maendel not guilty of a charge of physicalthreatening, witnesses testified that Maendel appeared several times at the Woodcrest property with ahigh-powered rifle and scope, with the intent to harm a specific individual. Nneji added thatevidence of this and other threats, including the $3.5 million request, were heard in tapes made byBruderhof members of conversations between themselves and Maendel, and that Maendel made noattempt to dispute these tapes.

As to the allegations of abuse, Nneji said, "We called witnesses to testify and there was not oneshred of evidence given to support claims of abuse."

He believes Maendel was used as a weapon against the Bruderhof by a group of former memberscalled KIT (Keep In Touch). Nneji claims their admitted mission is to destroy the Bruderhof.

Boller said KIT is a group of several people who publish a newsletter that serves as a form ofsupport and communication between former members who have left family behind and as a means tovent frustrations and anger by some.

Nneji's office has sent a request to Connecticut asking the state to revoke the pistol permit Maendelholds here. Petro says his client intends to appeal the case.

In Norfolk, the Bruderhof announced recently it plans to leave the town this spring. The Bruderhof's

only comment on leaving Norfolk has been a brief statement that it is doing so "in order toconsolidate its business and communal way of life with other existing Bruderhof in the United Statesand England."

Deer Spring has already begun moving members to other communities and has set a spring deadlinefor closing the 50-plus acre compound which will be put up for sale.


Wayne Chesley (alt.support.bruderhof) 11/9/97: I am happy to hear that Christoph Arnold felt tolive up to the Bruderhof book on forgiveness by asking for mercy for Dave Maendel. I commend this

Christian act. Perhaps if the Bruderhof, from the start, would love their enemies, the type of situationDave found himself in might never have happened. Maybe if Dave had just been allowed to visit hisrelatives in the communities...

Now, will the Bruderhof continue in this start of turning back to Christ? Will the Bruderhof stop theappeal of the lawsuit and drop the second lawsuit against Ramon? Will the Bruderhof allow familycontact again? Will they accept the offer for experienced Christian mediation through the MennoniteConciliation Service?

There is an interesting new article on the Bruderhof's web site about the church and cults:http://www.bruderhof.org/features/cults_and_ church.htm. Quoting:

"In the end our only defense against all evil, whether it be cults or persecution, is to keep our lifetogether firmly centered on Jesus Christ: not the invented Christ of the cults, but the Christ who




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speaks so plainly to us in the Gospels, and especially in the Sermon on the Mount. For the cults tradeabove all on ignorance of the person and works of Jesus Christ. Those who have really come toknow him through a prayerful reading of the New Testament cannot possibly be deceived.

"If we keep our eyes on Jesus, the true Jesus of the New Testament, he will not allow us to be ledastray."

Does The Plough staff really mean this? Will the Bruderhof really center its life on the words ofChrist, especially the Sermon on the Mount, where he speaks so plainly?

I hope and pray that Christoph's actions and these words signify a new beginning at the Bruderhof.Many people are looking forward to hearing from the Bruderhof leadership and paralegals, and fromtheir family members. Peace,

KIT: The article quoted from above was written by Dr. Paul Fox while he was living in theBruderhof, but posted without his permission or acknowledgment of his authorship to theBruderhof's website. After Dr. Fox e-mailed a request to have it withdrawn, it has disappeared.


Joseph Keiderling, Statement to the Court upon the Sentencing of David Maendel, 11/7/97:

May it please the Court, I am appearing here on my own behalf and as a representative of theBruderhof Communities here in Ulster County and elsewhere in the United States. I am alsoappearing on behalf of my fellow brethren, Christian Domer and Christoph Arnold, both of whomhave personally felt the brunt of David Maendel's acts. As a devoted and committed member of aChristian group, it is impossible for me to pass judgment upon others; I leave that to the Court. In sodoing, however, it is important for the Court to understand what impact David Maendel's conduct

has had on me, personally, and my fellow brethren at the Bruderhof.

Necessarily, I must give some of the background leading up to his recent conduct in the hopes that itnot only will assist the Court in sentencing but also serve to deter others who, like David Maendel,might resort to criminal activity in order to meet their goals.

David Maendel only lived at the Bruderhof for three years and left as a thirteen-year-old in 1962 --35 years ago. It is clear to me now that during that protracted absence from the community, hisfeelings of animosity, indeed rage, began to take shape and develop. I did not know David while helived at the Bruderhof and, in fact, only first became acquainted with him when he first advanced hisextortion plot. I had, by then heard stories about how he had entered our property several years

earlier armed with a high-powered rifle with the intent to kill one of our ministers.

David confirmed this event to me when we first met and, surely did so in order to enhance theextortion threat he was making. I must tell the Court that David's threats were taken very seriouslyand were far more than alarming. I wish that the Court could have been present to observe David'sdemeanor while making his threats.

As a husband and a father of young children, I cannot impress upon the Court enough the impact ofknowing that an emotionally unstable man -- one who had revealed his intentions to shoot one of ourministers -- could be lurking in the woods with a high-powered rifle near our remote property inRifton unless we ceded to his extortion demands.

Based upon my conversation with David, what was even more frightening to me and my fellowbrethren was the fact that, from the start, David was not acting on his own but, rather, was part of a




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small but well-organized group of disgruntled ex-members who, in recent years, have resorted toever more alarming tactics in order to advance their publicly stated goal of destroying the Bruderhof.

It is against this background and hoping and praying to avoid the violence which David's threatinevitably would lead to, that I turned to the police for protection of myself and my community. Imust also tell the Court that, contrary to those who would criticize the criminal justice system, thesystem worked the way it is supposed to work in our unique case. Even the members of a group likeours who live outside of "mainstream America" can rely on the law and its enforcers to protect itfrom the violent society in which we live.

I know that David's attorney, or maybe even David himself, will follow me before this Court andadvance all kinds of reasons for David's conduct. Indeed, the leaders of the small group which, I

believe, led David to advance his extortion plot in the first place, have already publicly begun adamage control campaign by suggesting that David's unfortunate conduct was the direct product ofBruderhof-inflicted abuse, albeit more than thirty-five years ago -- a kind of devil-made-me-do-itdefense.

Firstly, I must assure the Court that these allegations are as specious as they are stale. Moreimportantly, however, there can be no justification for either inflicting or instilling the fear ofviolence in others in order to advance your goals.

I respectfully request that your Honor take my statement into consideration in reaching yoursentencing decision. The Bruderhof wants to stem the increasing verbal violence against us by DavidMaendel's supporters before it escalates any further towards physical violence -- something which,tragically, has already occurred in some measure.

In addition, we respectfully request that the Court issue a permanent Order of Protection in favor ofmyself, Christoph Arnold, Christian Domer and the members and properties of the Bruderhofcommunities, replacing the temporary Order as earlier. We thank the Court in all respects and,especially, for this opportunity to be heard,


Johann Christoph Arnold, Statement to the Court upon the Sentencing of David Maendel, 11/7/97:

May it please the Court, I am appearing today on my own behalf and as the Senior Minister of theinternational Bruderhof Community movement. My colleague, Joe Keiderling, has already made astatement which describes well our concern over David Maendel's frightening actions and threatstoward us as well as the actions of his supporters. I wish to add a few comments based on my

personal concern for David's well-being and for the sake of his family.

Ever since the day when I first heard about how David Maendel had deliberately attempted tomurder my father I have agonized over how I as a Christian should respond to this man, knowingthat the same hatred leveled against my father has since shifted to me. I worried about David's stateof mind and ongoing intention regarding the Bruderhof and my family in particular.

David's supporters have accused me of insincerity. I recently authored a book on the topic offorgiveness called Seventy Times Seven: The Power Of Forgiveness. How, they argue, can I urgeothers to practice forgiveness and apply it in this situation? I am prepared to accept their challenge. Iwant to use this opportunity to profess my deeply held belief in the Gospel of forgiveness and in a

God of mercy. I want to apply to the Bruderhof and myself everything I have written in my book.

Accordingly, I wish to state to the Court my deep desire for leniency when sentencing David




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Maendel. I am fully aware that David spent several months in jail already for the crime which he hasbeen found guilty of, and I strongly believe that further jail time will do nothing more to help Davidin the process of rehabilitation spiritually. Provided that your Honor issues an Order of Protection forme and for the members of the Bruderhof Communities, I plead for leniency for David Maendel inthe fullest measure. I thank the Court for this opportunity to be heard,


WTNH (ABC) Channel 8,New Haven, CT, 11/6-7/97:

a transcript of the 2 TV news segments:

Ann Nyberg: Do the Bruderhof make rules for the love of God or control of their members? Asimple Christian community called the Bruderhof has lived quietly in the northwest corner of ourstate for more than 40 years, But two weeks ago they made headlines by announcing that they'regoing to leave.Brian Brunell: Leaders say the group wants to consolidate its manufacturing operations, but others

say the move is intended to tighten control over members of the group. Our undercover investigativeteam talked with former members who say living in the Bruderhof was 'hell on earth.' Jim Hofferoins us.

Jim Hoffer: That's what they say. Like all groups and organizations, the Bruderhof with sixcommunities around the country has rules that members are expected to follow. But some ex-members say the rules were too rigid, and punishment for breaking them too severe. Among theirallegations, emotional abuse and interrogation.Jim Hoffer: Imagine growing up in a place filled with song, a Christian community where familiesshare, where children are cherished, where the spiritual holds value over the material.Mike Boller: When I was a kid, like third grade, fourth grade, I sincerely believe that the Bruderhofwas heaven on earth.

Jim Hoffer: Mike Boller, along with his seven brothers and sisters, grew up in the Deer SpringBruderhof in Norfolk, Connecticut. Mike Boller: I had a blast. I had a blast, yeah.Jim Hoffer: But the fun faded when the shy little boy started to spread his wings, to quench hiscuriosity and exert his individuality. Mike Boller: I was caught making fun of a song, "spoiling asong" was the term. And gee, looking back on it, I don't think it was -- it wasn't like I was using anydirty words, or something.Jim Hoffer: Well, how bad was the punishment?Mike Boller: One is basically restricted to house arrest for a couple a weeks. It can definitely hurt achild's self-esteem.Clara Arnold: I was at the end of my rope. I tried to commit suicide twice, and...Jim Hoffer: Clara Arnold, the great-grandchild of the Bruderhof's founder, says the emotional abuse

nearly destroyed her.Clara Arnold: Always the sweet talk, you know, and you wish it. But the next thing they are doing ishaving you interrogated and trying to get you to write down sins that you've committed that youhaven't actually done.Dave Maendel: They'd put us first in a closet with no lights on, the doors all shut, the windowsclosed.im Hoffer: Dave Maendel tells a similar story, of punishment by internal exile. For disobeying one

of his teachers, he says he suffered hours of interrogation and weeks of isolation.Dave Maendel: I was twelve years old, they took me away, I was told that I had to go with him. Hetook me up to the fourth floor in one of their buildings, put me in the room and turned around andwalked out and locked the door. There was a bunk bed, a mattress with no blankets or sheets and a

pillow with no pillowcase. No light, no heat. I was in this room for a month.im Hoffer: In part, as a result of years of this type of treatment, Maendel said he sought monetarycompensation from the Bruderhof for his psychological injuries. But the court saw it differently,however, and recently convicted him of extortion.




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ulius Rubin: These clearances and interrogations, these separations from family, being made a pawnof these adult struggles, have been terribly injurious.im Hoffer: Sociology professor Julius Rubin is writing a book about the Bruderhof. He sees in these

stories of abuse a community that has no tolerance for the nonconformist, for the individual thinker.ulius Rubin: They've required people to live according a single belief system, so that if you're out of

step with this belief, this leadership, these ideas, then you will suffer church discipline and exclusion.im Hoffer: We made repeated attempts to try and talk to the Bruderhof about these allegations of

emotional and psychological abuse, and they declined, saying through an attorney that they wouldrather not talk to us because of unfavorable dealings with the media. We may never know the realstory of life inside this community, so we turned to the outside, to its neighbors, to see how they feelabout the Bruderhof.

Norfolk's First Selectman says a town could not ask for better citizens. "[garbled on thetape] ...volunteers and they're right there." They're also industrious. Their Norfolk factory produces

playground equipment and gear for the disabled. It's a multi-million-dollar business...im Hoffer: And as teenagers, the Bruderhof children leave their community school for a public

education and their first real test of coping with the outside world.School Superintendent: "Well educated, happy. They seem to be well-adjusted, happy kids."im Hoffer: And in a letter from their attorneys, the Bruderhof calls allegations of psychology and

emotional abuse completely unfounded and ridiculous. It also states that not a single person who hasever alleged misconduct has ever filed a complaint against the Bruderhof.But the exiled members say that beneath the Bruderhof's public image of harmony and unity thereexists a mine field of punishment and pressure for any teen who sees things different from the group.

ike Boller: They can get right inside your mind and break you, basically.im Hoffer: Former members say the anguish and anxiety of those childhood years still hurts today.ike Boller: (looking at photo album) There was a while when I couldn't look at the book at all.

Like maybe four years ago, when I looked at a lot of these pictures, it would back feelings ofrevulsion and feelings of pain.im Hoffer: To deal with that pain, ex-members of the Bruderhof have sought each other out. For

many, the exiled members serve as surrogate family for those who lost touch with their real families

when they broke away from the Bruderhof. These reunions help them make peace with their past.ike Boller: I can look back at a picture of myself and say, "You know, he wasn't so bad after all!"

im Hoffer: This letter from the Bruderhof attorney says that the media have placed them on trial fortheir unorthodox lifestyle. The letter also says, 'That your viewers will no doubt agree that what wasaccepted as acts of normal child-rearing forty years ago would be considered politically incorrectacts of near child abuse today." We should also note that we made repeated attempts to try to dointerviews with Bruderhof members, and tomorrow, a former Bruderhof member will... go before aSuperior Court judge in the state of New York where he will be sentenced for extorting money fromthe Bruderhof. We'll be in that courtroom and we'll have that story tomorrow night.

Brian Brunell: And these people who have left, and left that life behind them, if they have familymembers inside, they're cut off now. Is that right?

im Hoffer: Well, that's what some of them say. They say it's been very difficult for them to reachout and to try and make contact with their family members.nn Nyberg: Fascinating look at a closed community, Jim. Thank You...

(end of segment)

11/7/97: (Continuing the investigative report)

Dave Maendel: I'm still very much afraid of what's going to happen to this group, especially myfamily.im Hoffer: The Bruderhof was his home, and then he tried to extort from the religious community.

Find out why this former member is concerned about those living inside.

nnouncer: You're watching News Channel 8 at 11, with Ann Nyberg, Brian Brunell.Brian Brunell: Extorting money from a religious community here in Connecticut, one of the formermembers did that. The Connecticut man was sentenced today for trying to extort money from theBruderhof religious group.




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nn Nyberg: As we reported to you last night, the extortionist said that he wanted compensation forabuses he suffered as a child. Jim Hoffer was in the courtroom today for the sentencing.im Hoffer: Dave Maendel arrived at a New York courthouse today to find out if he would go back

to jail for trying to extort $15,000 from the Bruderhof.Dave Maendel: I think I did what I had to do.

im Hoffer: This former Bruderhof member from Torrington threatened to publish a tell-all bookabout the religious community if it failed to pay him big bucks.

Dave Maendel: For that I'm deeply sorry. I regret doing that, but I think that I'm still very muchafraid of what's going to happen to this group, especially my family.im Hoffer: Maendel admits he stepped over the line here, but he says he broke the law to gain

attention, to focus the spotlight on what he calls troubling problems inside the Bruderhof community.oe Keiderling: I don't want to comment on this.im Hoffer: This is one of the Bruderhof members Maendel tried to extort. He refused to talk to us,

but in a statement read to the judge, he said he was worried for his safety because he believes thatMaendel is emotionally unstable and said he had threatened to kill one of the Bruderhof ministers.im Hoffer: (to Joe Keiderling) Do you really think that Mr. Maendel is a threat?oe Keiderling: Everything has been said in this statement and that's all I really care to talk about.im Hoffer: But Maendel says he's never harmed any Bruderhof members, and he was the one

emotionally abused as a child, growing up in one of the religious group's six communes.Dave Maendel: I was twelve years old. He said I had to go with him. He took me up to the fourthfloor in one of their buildings, put me in the room and turned around and walked out and locked thedoor. There was a bunk bed, a mattress with no blankets or sheets, and a pillow with no pillowcase.

No light, no heat. I was in this room for a month.im Hoffer: (to Christoph Arnold exiting the courthouse) Got a second?im Hoffer: The Bruderhof leader sped away when we tried to talk to him.im Hoffer: (to Christoph Arnold exiting the courthouse) Why did you argue for leniency?

(Christoph drives away.)im Hoffer: This is the letter that Christoph Arnold, the head of the Bruderhof, handed to us through

the pickup truck window. In it he tells the judge that he's worried about Maendel's state of mind and

he urges the judge to place a Protective Order against him. But he also asks the judge to be lenient insentencing Maendel. The judge was. He gave Maendel 90 days in prison, which he has alreadyserved, plus five years probation. But he also told Maendel that he must stay away from allBruderhof communities and its members. Ann and Brian, back to you.


Heidi (Kleiner) Strickland, 11/6/97: (This letter was written last May and got lost on my desk). I'veust digested three months of the KIT newsletter during my visit to Albuquerque, NM, where we

were celebrating our middle daughter Haidee's graduation from the University of New Mexico. I find

that these days I avoid and escape giving thought to the Bruderhof. The tragedy of what they havebecome is too great and appears irreversible.

I think of Joe Keiderling, whose diapers I used to change when he was an innocent little baby inBulstrode. I had had the good fortune of being placed in the Ullu/Ellen Keiderling family during atime when I had once again been abandoned by my parents. I was 16, Bulstrode was in the processof another 'Great Crisis.' People were thrown out left and right. There were no opportunities to saygood-bye -- besides, who would say 'good-bye' to someone who was 'evil' enough to be thrown out?I found this time very confusing and emotionally disturbing.

Ellen was the kindest, most understanding, nurturing individual I had met on the hof. I could not get

enough of her! Here was a person who listened to me, cared about what I had to say and respondedwith unconditional love. This unique experience ended too soon, because it was decided to ship meto Oak Lake to be reunited with my parents.

Page 10 of 33former Bruderhof members/residents KIT Newsletter December 1997 Volume IX #...



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It is difficult for me to imagine that Ellen could produce a son like Joe -- a power-hungry, arrogant,egomaniac. I suppose power corrupts all. It must hurt her to see what her son has become.

Most of the time these days I give the Bruderhof no thought. When I do, the pain can beexcruciating. The person that I miss the most and want in my life is my sister Susanna. Once a year Iget a note from her saying she loves me and I should cut myself off from KIT. She manages to slip ina statement such as.... 'You know what your father Fritz stood for." That surely is a dig. Yes, I knowwhat my father Fritz stood for -- I consider myself to stand for the same principals he did. No -- I donot think he was a saint as the Bruderhof has led people to believe. I know my sister Susanna doesnot really believe what she writes. She was always a rebel. Sometimes I wonder, though, how doesone digest a daily diet of "KIT -- Evil -- Enemy -- Out to destroy us," especially in a place like theBruderhof where there is no room for individual thought and opinion.

Susanna has two choices -- to spout the garbage or leave the only life she has known for about 64years. I would welcome her with open arms if she chose to leave. On several occasions in my earlylife, she was a substitute parent to me for long periods of time. She was an energetic, enthusiastic,loving, creative women and mother. I miss her terribly and am beginning to be resigned to neverseeing her again. Greetings to all,


Barnabas Johnson (from alt.support.bruderhof) 11/5/97: I am relieved that the $15-milliondefamation suit was dismissed yesterday. Even so, I rather wish it had proceeded to the "meritsstage" (rather than being dismissed due to statute of limitations problems) because the case was, inmy opinion, without merit -- and, if only for the sake of dear friends in the Bruderhof, the allegationsneeded a full airing and an authoritative judicial determination that the defendants had not engagedin actionable conduct and, specifically, were legally entitled to say what they said about theBruderhof.

What they said was, I believe, "fair comment" -- expressions of responsible opinions, withoutmalice, without reckless disregard for their truth or falsity, entirely appropriate under thecircumstances. Indeed, as near as I can tell (I was not "there" to witness the facts on some points,etc.), what the defendants said about the Bruderhof was probably true and definitely not deliberatelyfalse; I know the defendants, and I know them to be honorable, responsible, thoughtful, decent, kind.Much worse could have been said, in my view, and would nonetheless have been entirely withinlegal bounds. I could say much more to explain what I mean here, but -- frankly -- I am scared to doso. I am a 54-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School and I am scared of the Bruderhof.

The Bruderhof needs the kinds of criticism the defendants engaged in. Our society needs citizens

who have the courage of their convictions and will "speak truth to power" whenever and whereverneeded. The Bruderhof has a long history of engaging in bullying tactics, especially with regard tomembers and ex-members. Its leaders have too long operated without the "disinfectant of sunlight" --without anything close to public scrutiny. The members are kept in the dark on far too much, and areexpected to "swallow the party line" and conform or be expelled, essentially penniless.

This is very unhealthy. Honesty is the first casualty of authoritarian societies. That is why Americaguarantees freedom of expression, and that is why the current leaders so adamantly assert that"democracy is not God's way" (I think these precise words were used on television by J. C. Arnold,the Elder) and why they have sought to silence their critics. And they have succeeded better thanthey perhaps realize.

Lots of my friends are scared to speak or write candidly about the Bruderhof, fearing a lawsuit. And,as I said, I'm scared too. It is one thing to have a legal right to say something, but it is quite another




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to face ruinous litigation in order to defend that right. The Bruderhof's current leaders jet around intheir deluxe Gulfstream, oblivious to the costs of the suits they have instituted; those costs do not

burden them personally; but we, on the outside, face utter ruination by such suits. So we pull ourpunches, we don't publicize the full extent of what we know has gone on or is going on, and most ofus don't publish anything, don't say a word, keep quiet as mice. We are frightened.

I'm glad this suit was dismissed. But I'm no less scared to speak up and share my true thoughts andfeelings about the present Bruderhof leadership. Readers of alt.support.bruderhof should be awarethat most people who truly know about the Bruderhof are silent about what they know because theyare frightened of Bruderhof retaliation against them, their loved ones, their friends. This is the realitywe face.

I hope I will not be sued for writing this. But I think that at this time this has to be said: "winning"this lawsuit is not the end of the matter; the Bruderhof has gone to war against its critics, and weneed all the support that this newsgroup and other "friends of truth" can give,


Name Withheld, 11/11/97: Dear Susie, you have brought some very important points to ourattention in your letter in the November KIT [p. 8]. Dr. Cyril Davies was a very good doctor. Withthe little medicine he had on hand, he managed to save many lives. He not only dedicated his wholelife to helping the Commune people, but worked day and night to help the Mennonites andParaguayans. Cyril was not an arrogant man or doctor. He had compassion and love in his heart! Iam not one bit surprised that he did not want to agree to the giving up of the Primavera hospital --not one bit surprised! Had he not sacrificed a great deal in order to dedicate his life to the Commune?That kind of dedication did not warrant being called 'arrogant' and 'insubordinate!'

The lawsuits! Ben Zumpe apparently misled you, his daughter, in telling you that the Comissar was

called at all times when the Paraguayan workers stole from us in Primavera. That is absolutely nottrue. Even when Bob Peck was shot at in Ibate by one of the robbers who came to steal things, wewere all taught to turn the other cheek. We were taught not to call the police and the young men whowere of Military Service age and not born in Primavera were sent to other countries in order to getaround doing military service. If I remember correctly, Carlos Pleil, Erwin Weiss and others weresent to Uruguay so that they would not be called up.

Ben Zumpe states that the lawsuits are not instigated in order to get money! Then, I humbly ask, whywere Ramon, Julius and Blair and the Peregrine Foundation being sued for $15.5 million dollars?!!Ben Zumpe's statement definitely does not coincide with the papers served on the three menmentioned above.

We were always told how Eberhard Arnold pleaded for non-violence. No lawsuits and no police!Ben Zumpe is a grandson of Eberhard Arnold, who used Peter Ridemann's Confession of Faith toconfirm his doctrine of no lawsuits, etc. Here I would like to ask, "Are the tenets of Anabaptism

being 'redefined' by the Bruderhof?" Are the tenets of Peter Ridemann being redefined, or is the NewTestament being redefined?

We were often told in Primavera to take Mahatma Gandhi as an example of what it means to be non-violent. The Servants of the Word often read to us about Mahatma Gandhi.

We used to ask Bob Clement and Peter Cavanna for legal advice, but never ever was anyone asked

to take up the study of law. It is inconceivable that Marianne Zumpe should plead with you, herdaughter, to study law "because we are being sued by so many people!" How, I ask you? Who isdoing the suing? The Bruderhof has initiated three lawsuits against people who read and write in




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KIT.

I was shocked to see on Jim Hoffer's recent TV show that "Nobody has launched a complaint abouthow they have been treated!" First of all, that is not true. So many people have dialogued and havetried to dialogue with the Bruderhof about how they were mistreated, but we have not launchedlawsuits against the Bruderhof! So I ask, where is Marianne Zumpe coming from? All thisdishonesty bothers me! Why, when we have something to say are we the ones who are dishonest,when we are only acting on what we have been taught, to tell the truth and to clear upmisunderstandings? Now it is more than misunderstandings; now it is lawsuits! Now it is, "If youdon't comply, then you get sued!"

In German one says, "Willst Du nicht mein Bruder sein dann hau ich dir den Schdel ein?"Translated, "If you do not want to be my brother, then I break you skull!" That is the thanks we get

because we dedicated our life to the "Brothers," we were loyal to the "Brothers." We complied, wedid as we were told, and then as a reward for all this loyalty we were sent away to repent!


Elizabeth Bohlken-Zumpe, 11/14/97: How wonderful for all of you that this lawsuit is out of theway. I am so sorry that I was out of commission for a while, but hope to be on top of the world againsoon. My extreme headaches returned and I started the high temps again (104-105) When you feellow and in such pain, the wish for life becomes low as well. I do my utmost to count all the streamsof love and life that come my way. I have received many letters and do enjoy all the contacts I canget! I must go to bed as I am very tired and my head starts thumping again. Much Love to all,11/26/97: The November KIT was fabulous and I really enjoyed reading all the very different lettersfrom different friends. The newspaper articles are very good indeed and I think it is good that all thisnews comes from the media also and not only from us. I thought the show of JCA at the trial of DaveMaendel was really pitiful, and then to drive off with his nice red pickup truck and dog does not give

the impression of a really loving and dedicated spiritual leader for the community, and the world assuch.

This time the contributions were especially good! I like the memorandum of Maria Eckroyd fromMichael Caine and the letter the Johnson family wrote to Christoph as well as all the other goodletters. I also feel that the "Looking Back - Nostalgic Tidbits" is a good addition to the letter, as theyshow so clearly how we have been trying for years now to reach our families and friends on theinside without aggression, but rather to try to point out to them why we can no longer accept theirways and actions, because they are against all humane law! To keep us away from our families andnot even allow Andrew Bazeley to visit the grave of his mother -- this is somethingincomprehensible! I also have not heard from anyone in the Community since, I think, 1991 when I

went to the KIT Conference in the States except for the letter from JCA when I was so sick in May.

This will not be a long letter, but I want to try and answer a few points my niece Susanna Zumpe putin her letter. First of all, Susanna, it was brave of you to write as openly as you did, but it sounds likea very different Bruderhof you write about than the one I experienced as a child. You must haveheard often that the Bruderhof has changed and turned into a sect after 1960. I no longer believe thatany community of men can be "the Kingdom of God on earth," as was often suggested. No, it isalways a group of well-meaning, faithful people who want to see a change in modern society. That ishow the Bruderhof started. Eberhard and Emmy Arnold really believed that "wheresoever two orthree are gathered together in my name, I will be amongst them!" They believed in community as anexpression of faith and love towards all men.

Although everything in those days was not perfect, the will, the faith and the love was there and thatis what people felt when they visited the poverty-stricken Bruderhof in the Rhoen! That is whathelped them to keep their faith during the persecution time through Liechtenstein, Holland and




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England. That is what made them start courageously in the back woods of Paraguay. Those yearswere difficult -- financially, the heat, the sickness, everything. Why do we remember only the goodthings? Because we felt safe and loved, even though strange things might have happened.

When I speak of Primavera, it is the time from 1940 until 1953 when we left for Wheathill. As Iremember the leadership, it was not like a ruling power but rather just that certain members wereelected to do a certain job. The wife of a Servant was not automatically a Housemother; that onlystarted with Annemarie, Heini's wife, and maybe in the beginning Oma was Opa's right hand. AHousemother was chosen for her qualities of love and righteousness. Also a Servant was chosen onlyafter many difficult meetings to try and find the most suitable person to help guide a Bruderhof. Allthe Servants also had different tasks, like my father Hans Zumpe, and the second Servant in LomaHoby, had to go to the hospital each day and help Cyril and the other doctors make the right decisionabout difficult cases.

The Servant Balz Trumpi always had a special task to see to all the three Bruderhof schools andadvise them. Hans Meier had the special task to buy the machinery we needed, like the first lorry wehad and the first tractor. It was not like today, when a married couple have the main influence on acommunity. Also we did not have an Elder. My father did not want the task. He always said, "Thewhole Brotherhood is responsible and is our Elder! We are only in the service of the Brotherhood!"Seen from this point of view, you will realize that the Servants' children were not special. I even hadthe feeling that we were worse off. My mother was always sick and we were in the care of LottiAhrend and later Ria.

But even then our schoolfriends would say, "At the Zumpe's house, even the cat gets whippedcream!" We didn't even know what that was. So as a child I often prayed that I would wake up in theDreher or Zimmermann family where I felt the parents had time for their children. Now aftereverything you must have read, Susanna, it must be clear to you that throughout all the years inParaguay, Heini held a grudge against the Servants of that time and he hated working in the school.He wanted to be the modern Eberhard Arnold and lead the Community from a democracy to adictatorship saying, "We are not a democracy because we are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit."But he alone interpreted the Holy Spirit, so he alone became the power of the new community, andeveryone who disagreed or just had questions, or had hurt him personally in the past, had to leave!

That is how 623 people found themselves on the street penniless and forsaken! He was schizoid, onthe one hand showing great love at Woodcrest that tied people to his person, and a hard, resentfuland wicked person that did not mind separating families like Anne and Constantin, and others likeMargot and Cyril who had given so much love to all the community and to the Paraguayans andMennonites, who were just dumped when they arrived at Bulstrode and could not understand whathad happened.

Everything you write about the Bruderhof today has to be seen in that light -- the corrupt power ofone man destroyed the 40 years of communal life together. Of course things were not perfect inPrimavera, but we knew that and always tried to find a foundation in true faith and the strong beliefthat God was with us at all times. We never used the law -- even during the Paraguayan revolutionwhen the Paraguayans drove away most of our cattle, stole the clothing in the laundry, entered ourhouses and stripped the beds of blankets, went into the children's departments and took all thetoddlers' potties. We still believed in showing them love and did not defend ourselves. TheMennonites used shotguns to keep the Paraguayans away, but we never even considered this. Wealso experienced that hospital patients brought back stolen materials after being helped by Cyril.

So today, in a country much less explosive and with better houses and finances, the Bruderhof feels

that they need guns to protect themselves, lawyers to defend themselves, and put expensive lawsuitson their former brothers and sisters, then it is obvious that they have lost their very foundation andthe people are caught up in a system that will destroy them eventually.




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forgive you. You are actually controlling my life."

Arnold's other books are A Little Child Shall Lead Them: Hopeful Parenting In A Confused Worldand I Tell You A Mystery: Life, Death And Eternity.

"These really are themes from womb to tomb, and life issues about which we in the Bruderhof and

the Catholic Church have in common," Arnold said.10/18/97: "Struggle Between Community, Detractors Persists: Bruderhof Group Sues Ex-members,Other Critics" by Michael Miller

Though forgiveness is the subject of the new book by the spiritual leader of the Bruderhofcommunities, a lawsuit shows there are still bad feelings between the Bruderhof and some ex-members. According to a story in The Times Herald-Record in Kingston, N.Y., the Bruderhofcommunities in September filed a $15.5 million lawsuit against Ramon Sender, an ex-member nowliving in San Francisco, and his Peregrine Foundation. Sender, whose ex-wife and grandchildren stilllive in the New York Bruderhof community, publishes a newsletter for former Bruderhof community

members.Others connected with the Keep In Touch newsletter, which is sent to about 600 people and also isavailable on the Internet, also are named in the lawsuit. The Times Herald-Record quotes ChristianDomer, a leader of the religious community, as saying that the lawsuit is about "efforts to discreditus and paint us a cult."

Critics have accused the Bruderhof of doing such things as keeping ex-members from contactingfamily members still in the community and intimidation of members.

"I consider the Bruderhof a closed community," Sender said Thursday in a phone interview from his

San Francisco home.Johann Christoph Arnold, spiritual elder for the Bruderhof communities, said the suit was filed for"legal protection and not for the money. "One thing I can assure you, it is not for the sake of themoney that it is done," Arnold said Tuesday while at a Catholic educators conference at BradleyUniversity's Robertson Memorial Field House. "What the brothers are trying to do is get legal

protection. If they (critics) don't want to live with us, then fine. We wish them the best. But let uslive."

Arnold said that people who have left a Bruderhof community "definitely" can stay in contact withthose who remain -- "with the exception" of people who are antagonistic toward the Bruderhof, such

as Ramon Sender, Arnold added."Ramon has said as long as we believe in Jesus, he is going to persecute us," Arnold said.

Sender denied ever saying that. "I have requested that the Bruderhofs announce to their membershipthat this is a complete fabrication or a complete misunderstanding," Sender said. "I just have neversaid anything like that."

The Bruderhof also claim that Sender and others have harassed the communities.

"Whatever we do, they are out to destroy it," Arnold said.

Sender said that his foundation has publicly challenged the Bruderhof when the community hasgotten involved in public issues, such as the death penalty. But Sender said that, rather than wanting"to destroy" the Bruderhof, he wants "to see them live up to their best dream. Whatever Christoph




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comes out with in public, we do challenge him to live up to the words of his books that he keepspublishing," Sender said. "We're not out to destroy the Bruderhof. We really are not."

On Tuesday, Arnold said he wanted peace. "If there is a chance for reconciliation with any of them,I'll be the first," Arnold said. "I sure don't want to slander them now," Arnold said of his critics, "Butwe are really in a bind and trying to seek God's will there."

Sender said attempts at such reconciliation have been frustrated. Arnold also said that, thanks toaccusations made against the Bruderhof, "No media person can write something objectively aboutus."

According to Arnold, that was a problem CBS News ran into when it did a profile on the communityand its detractors earlier this year. He said the piece was completely unfair. Though the network was

planning to run the piece later in the spring, CBS decided to rush it onto the '48 Hours' newsmagazine program when the Heaven's Gate cult suicides occurred.

The story ran on Holy Thursday, the day before Good Friday.

"It made us convinced that we were doing something right," Arnold said. "So in that sense CBS didus a favor. When it was time to be crucified, it was a good time to do it."


Hannah Goodwin Johnson, 11/5/97: For me, most of the old hofnicks are quite forgettable. Dadwas one of them and that I can't forget. After he saw to the selling of Wheathill, we came to thesecruel USA. May Day! Abandon ship! Why!? Was "The Hill of Wheat" sinking into the Clee Hills?Damn, how I loved those hills. Oh, when will we ever learn? I loved those hills and I love them still.Shipped out,


Katherine Brookshire, 11/12/97: I keep starting letters and not getting them finished and mailed,but this time I'll really try. I've moved into my new house and that is what has kept me occupied. I'mstill not totally organized (not that I'll ever be!). I'm having bookcases built to replace some built-insthat I had before. I think I need to get rid of some books too!

The fall colors have been beautiful this year. My back yard was lovely. If anyone is traveling thisway, or otherwise needs a place to stay, I'd love to have visitors! I'm just off US 441 between Atlanta

and the Smoky Mountains, about 90 miles north of Atlanta, also not far (40 miles) off I-85 betweenAtlanta and Greenville, S.C. I'm easy to find, and have lots of room!

It was really great to have Tim Johnson and Rosie Sumner come by a few weeks ago. We all droveup thru the Smoky Mountains to see Duffy and Susie Black. It was delightful to meet their familyand see their homestead. They have some wonderful plants in their nursery, and I hope to order somefor my place.

The October KIT was quite interesting. If I didn't know better, I'd think someone was making up allthat stuff about the Bruderhof lawsuit -- someone with a really wild and far-out imagination. NoChristian group would really behave that way! It seems vindictive and just plain mean. Bad fiction!

If it weren't for the hurt that it causes people with family in the Bruderhof, I'd just laugh because it'sso stupid.




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I talked to Belinda Manley yesterday and she reported that the judge threw it out, but that theBruderhof planned to appeal. The fact that the judge threw it out makes sense, but if they reallyappeal, what on earth are they trying to accomplish? Have they taken total leave of their senses?

Are they trying to bring down the Bruderhof totally? Is that the best thing they can think of to dowith their extra money? I can tell them of a lot of good causes they could spend money on, not leastsome of their parents and/or children they have put out with no resources. My new address is on thenew address list. As we say down South, "Y'all come!" Love to all,


Melchior Fros, 11/7/97: In regards to Christian Domer's inquiry as to why the defamation lawsuitshould not be heard on its merits alone rather than being defeated on a technicality [SeeDomer/Keiderling letter in Nov KIT p. 1], I would suggest that if he removes all requests for

punitive damages, and if he is willing to pay the lawyer's fees for the defense, then by all means thesuit should be heard (assuming the case on appeal does not get dismissed yet again). There I go... butthen, does such a proposal not achieve the same results as a mediated settlement?

Perhaps the Bruderhof leadership has a way to go and a costly ($$$) lesson yet to learn, but let usalso be mindful that ours is not a battle between "them" and "us"; rather it is a struggle between whatis right and what is wrong. We don't often acknowledge how easily we, the "outside" folks, couldhave been one of "them". And let us not forget the many sincere, kind and decent brothers and sisterswho at this moment are yearning inwardly for a new beginning with us. Some tried, and wereexpelled!

I know I may face criticism from some of you for my "soft" stand, but let me say that I am sincerelytrying to help solve this "crisis" using the best means I have. Also, I am mindful that many of youhave horror stories of suffering and loneliness to tell, and I sincerely hurt for you.

Before you close your eyes tonight, may I encourage you all to think one loving thought aboutChristoph, Joe, Christian, Dick, John... and "beam" it to them. Thanks for allowing me to share thesethoughts. With love to you all,

P.S. I include my letter to Christoph Arnold:

Christoph: I commend you for the words you spoke at Dave's sentencing in which you feltchallenged by your own writings and asked the judge to be lenient toward him. I long to see more ofthis kind of Grosszuegigkeit and compassion for the "enemy" coming from you. Your words at thetrial are an important reconciliatory step in the direction of living and modeling the words of Christ. I

sincerely hope that Joe Keiderling will be challenged to re- examine his closing words to the judge. Ido not condone what Dave did, but I feel it is important for you, Christoph, to lead in genuine peace-making efforts.

Perhaps you will also come to see that security cameras and fences need to come down as part ofyour attempt at peace-making. Equally, I would kindly suggest that you remove hunting rifles andsecurity dogs from your premises. While none of these are illegal, and while you have every right totheir ownership, yet for the sake of the Greater Good I would suggest that you remove them. Thereshould be no confusion about the vision you are trying to live.

Let us continue to find small and meaningful ways to further the goal of reconciliation until at last

we can once more extend each other the hand of forgiveness and of peace,

11/20/97: It is apparent that for many of us, our past experiences shape our present vision. For some




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the past and the present remain unresolved and the wounds fester. My own experiences with theBruderhof have been those of true joy, intense pain, and of great loneliness. I have seen

psychological suffering within my own family. Along with these, I have also seen signs of hope fornew beginnings. After all, Mark Kurtz did write me a heart-felt and kind apology for pastmishandling. And, in one way or another, others have indicated a deep regret for some of what myfamily went through. So, while the past is ever with me, I am also encouraged by what the futuremay hold.

I tend to be an optimist, nurturing and encouraging what good I see in others. Please do me one favorand do not confuse my optimism with a sense of my not adequately caring about the legitimateanger, confusion and withholding of forgiveness by others. I see the pain. I want to be a part of it, for"no man is an island, no man (woman) stands alone, each man's joy is joy to me, each man's tears aremy own.." My optimism, my hope in a brighter tomorrow is not dependent on how the Bruderhofhappens to respond to me/us. Rather, my hope is grounded in faith: faith means you believe insomething that as yet is unseen; an almost-impossible thing to do in light of the confusing signals,the warped "Christian witness" and the wicked conduct of some within the Bruderhof leadership. Myoptimism in a healing future does not mean I forgo the unpleasant task of exploring the sinful presentwith the Bruderhof. I do all of these things with one important consideration.

That consideration is this: Am I, and are we, willing to meet the "enemy" and actively work toward alasting peace, or are we going to hold onto old grudges and forgo any hope for a peaceful future?Each one of us will have to cultivate a heart of forgiveness so that when the opportunity arrives, wewill seize it and take it from there. This is hard, yes very hard to do. I can only pray that God willgrant each of us the humility to meet our adversaries with compassion when the right time comes.

I empathize with your concern for the "plain folk" at "home". I know that for some the presentsituation is a great burden. I would not go so far as to say that many of them are on medication.Rather, I would say that many of them are chafing under the duress of "obedience" to their vows andto the ever-present influence of the leadership. As Lee Kleiss points out, there surely is many a

painful "baaaaa" being said in brotherhood meetings, where a "naaaaaah" might have been the inner,heart-felt response. Keep one thing in mind: the novice vows are considered so "sacred" and so all-consuming that there is no possibility for reconsidering how they are being lived faithfully in the

present B'hof structure. There is no distinction between faithfulness to Christ and faithfulness to theBrotherhood. Both are seen as one and the same thing. In a recent telephone conversation, XXemphatically stated that everyone who takes the vows knows what is expected: no distinction ismade between faithfulness to Christ and to the hof.

In the Nov. KIT issue I explore this dilemma and offer a simple solution. However, I am aware thatuntil the Bruderhof recognizes that it has contributed toward the "unfaithfulness" of it's ex-membersin the "breaking" of the vows, and until they can see that at least some "ex- members" have made an

effort to remain faithful to Christ on the "outside", no progress in our present standoff can beexpected. I encourage the Bruderhof to embrace an attitude of unconditional forgiveness. By this Imean that they seek reconciliation entirely based on the merits of each case and that they not in anyway use the "broken" vow as a condition for full forgiveness. God needs to be the judge of our vows.Only He can judge our sincerity.

You are correct in noting that we all have to tread extremely carefully, and be protective of what wedo know. I appreciate Lee's advice but I will not cloak my association with KIT in secrecy. If theycannot see my good intentions, then I have somehow failed them or they are completely blind. In theend, it will be neither you or I who brings the conviction of wrongdoing upon them. We merely serveas a "voice in the wilderness". It is God who convicts the heart of sin. However, our efforts can be

used by God. So let us work with integrity and responsibility to aid in bringing about much-neededchange at "home"... Do keep in mind though, that almost all of what we say to them is critical.Somewhere a word of hope is also needed... My fondest hope is that Christoph will summon the




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courage and humility to take a moment's pause from his many engagements and carefully examineall that he is permitting to transpire under his leadership. Ultimate responsibility for leadership restswith him, as he stated on "48 Hours." When that leadership is lacking at the helm, the ship is indeedin a state of confusion. Confusion breeds more of the same. Their belief that it does not matter ifwhat they do is right or wrong as long as they do it together, is a sorry reflection on the current stateof affairs at "home".

I end this long letter with the hope that we can all contribute in our own way to the breaking down ofthe "Bruderhof Wall". A wall has fallen before. It can happen again. In God's time. Peace to you,dear friends,


Dave Ostrom, 11/18/97: It is interesting to speak and correspond with many of the old-timers:Leslie and Gertie Holland, Leonard Pavitt, Belinda Manley, Bruce Sumner, Jim Bernard, the Owens,the Dunlops and the Trumpis all represent a wide range of backgrounds and religious beliefs. Theone common factor appears to be a real care and concern for people, a concept of 'the brotherhood of

man'. My parents fell into this category.

Many people post on the Hummer and write to KIT expressing a feeling of injustice: they worked sohard for something (Primavera/Wheathill) and then the goal was erased, removed from their grasp.What many fail to appreciate is that many of us here in the U.S. -- we or our parents -- also workedhard to bring to reality the dream as espoused by the Society of Brothers/Bruderhof here in our ownhome areas. Just as many people worked, experiencing hardship and need, to establish Macedoniaand Koinonia, my Dad started with nothing. He homesteaded 25 acres of 'the worst plot of land inStanislaus County' and, after twenty five years of blood, sweat and tears, we were beginning to enjoythe fruits of the family's endeavors. I have heard and read very similar presentations by B'hof sabra.The point is we had a lot in common even though we were in rich America while the sabra were in

Paraguay. We were all effectively misled, conned into giving all this up for a 'pie-in-the-sky' dreamby the Bruderhof leadership. What is so insidious about what happened is that it was all done in thename of Christianity under the guise of loving, brotherly concern for the individual while destroyingsaid individual for personal power and glory!

I see five factors influencing the relations and intercourse between the present B'hof leadership andthe people 'outside'. If one reads Torches Rekindled correctly, there was:

1) The conflict in the Arnold family regarding who was to assume Eberhard's holy mantle. Thisconflict led to the alignment of people in different political, religious and social sub-groups. This hadnothing to do with listening to God's will. It was a ploy set up by a few in order to control the many

without appearing to do so.

2) Heini's letter to Christoph, as published at the conclusion of Torches' second edition indicates thatHeini carried a lot of anger and un-dissipated hatred for us 'common folk' (such as me, my buddiesOakie and Yosam and all us other ignorant red-necks).

3) This undiluted bile led to a sense of need for revenge and the establishment of a position ofsuperiority on Heini/Domer's part.

4) This need was the beginning of greed. The perceived need to establish and maintain a position ofsuperiority blinds one to the needs and feelings of others.

5) Once on the Highway of Lust for the results of others' labor, it is difficult if not impossible for theindividual or cadre to alter course.




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I can understand my father's dream and that of many sincere people presently at the hofs. It hasbecome clear over the past thirty-plus years that the people associated with the 'dream' are a cross-section of all the people of the world. All have their strengths and weaknesses.

As Dad related to me, there are basically two types of people in the world, Builders and Takers. TheBuilders are those people who had a vision and put forth effort, their blood sweat and tears to make ita reality. Then there are the Takers, no names necessary, who saw the idea and the value of it, took itfor their own use, and in the process corrupted the very idea or concept.

I have found in all of life: family, commercial, community (both intentional and natural) as well asprofessional, that there are always these builders and takers. The builders are often so busy workingto make the dream possible that they fail to notice takeover by the takers. Herein lies the conundrum:is it possible for builders and takers to work and live harmoniously together? Is it possible for asincere, devout Christian to be a politician?

My sense of justice wants to believe that it is possible. But fifty-seven years of getting hit in thechops, seeing the best of intentions ruined by greed and laziness, make me think that mankind doesnot have either the will, the determination or the fortitude to pull it off. This is where religion entersin. It is God's will for this to happen. Man cannot 'make it happen'. Christoph, the Domers and theKeiderlings are just fallible, weak humans like the rest of us. The mistake anyone makes is thefollowing of other men rather than God's will. Sincerely, 11/21/97:Now comes the question offorgiveness. In my frame of reference, forgiveness is primarily a Christian concept. I recently heard adefinition of forgiveness as 'condoning' someone's action or conduct. I cannot partake of thisdefinition. I cannot and will not condone the Bruderhof leadership's conduct and actions. I haveforgiven, and will continue to forgive individuals for events of the past. I am learning that things Isaid and did while at the Bruderhof had a very negative impact on some others, just as others have,in all ignorance, had severe negative impact on me and my family. For me, this is all past history,forgiven and, in all honesty, in many cases forgotten.

What I find difficult to forgive is the systematic, planned campaign to harass, intimidate and ruinpeople's lives and families! This sadism I see in the B'hofs actions results from the leadership'scallous disregard for the 'common man's' basic honesty and hard work. This idea of nonproductive

people corrupting other's ideals and intentions under the guise of Christianity is where I tend tobecome incoherent and somewhat violent in my reactions.

As I had indicated in the previous posting, some people have raised the question, can one be a goodChristian and a politician at the same time? Without another wordy dissertation I would make thisqualified statement: One can in the context of the wider society in which we all live. Thequalification being that the individual must maintain a sense of humility and proportion. In short:Don't let the pants get too tight or the head too big!

The problem in the Bruderhof is, and you sabras correct me if I am wrong, that the Bruderhofleadership maintains that for the Community to exist, it must exist outside of, and exclusive of, thelarger society in which it finds itself. In short, the Bruderhof claims a superior moral Christianity.(Several good 'Brothers' have stated they would not allow their families to associate with me and myfamily, as we are sinners!) They have to live in isolation to maintain their purity. This emphasis onChristian life and principles is what is so deceitful about the Bruderhof leadership. Money and powerare the only things that, in my opinion, they recognize and respect. Here is a major difference

between the Hutterites and the Bruderhof Inc. One can find the Minister at a Hutterite colonyshoveling pig manure in the barn. At a Bruderhof community, if one can locate a Servant, it willmost likely to be in an impressive office, complete with all the trappings of a successful corporate

executive.

The Christian perspective is that forgiveness comes from the heart, it is a "Godly" act to forgive. My




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question is, at what point does one stop forgiving? The Bible states "... seventy times seven...," theimplication being that one always and continuously forgives. However, the Bible also indicates that

by one's actions, one can place oneself outside of God's protection. Does this also mean that there isa point at which one says, "Cease, halt, enough already!" Does one forgive an act to oneself or canone forgive acts committed against others? I have to wonder: does forgiveness include forgivingthose who rely upon being forgiven by others in order to realize personal profit and gain? Wouldforgiving the Bruderhof leadership cause them to alter their course of action? Greetings to all,


Charlie Lamar 11/22/97: I was talking with Ben Cavanna last night to calm the insomnia of mytemporarily overheated life. We were talking about forgiveness. Early in KIT the topic offorgiveness came up when I visited with Dick and Lois Ann, Sibyl, the Wisers and my mother atPleasant View. I said that I believed forgiveness to be a matter of "size," spiritual size.

Obviously it's very easy for a normal adult to forgive a three-year-old child, for instance. Everythinga normal adult does in reaction to a child's less-than-perfect actions is done with constructive, long-

range goals in mind. The failings of the child are small matters to the adult, and always inperspective. The adult never has to make a conscious moral decision to forgive the child because theadult's "forgiveness" is not even a conscious process at all, but simply an inherent attitude on the partof the adult in view of the facts of the case.

For an infinite being, forgiveness of the most horrible human deeds would also no doubt beautomatic and inherent. Moreover the reactions of an infinite being to even the most terrible humanactions would likewise be conditioned by infinitely long-range goals. So it makes no sense to ask theJews, for example, to forgive the Nazis as a moral obligation. At such time, perhaps only on theother side of the grave, as the individual Jew spontaneously comes to regard the events of theHolocaust in a sufficiently long-range, cosmic perspective, an attitude of forgiveness will naturally

develop. 'To forgive' may be a transitive verb in English, but real forgiveness is a natural spiritualreaction, not a moral action or a conscious decision at all. Love,


Pauline (Ellison) Davies, Via Svevo 10,Caselli di Selvazzano, 35030 Padova,ITALY,10/30/97:

I have written many letters in response to KIT, but never get round to copying them out neatly andsending them. The last letter I wrote to send with this Earthquake report is enclosed, Please makesure that my Italian address [note new address on p.1] is included as my English address I left 4years ago and my post is not being forwarded by the new occupants. Sorry it has taken so long towrite! I would love to hear from some of you who used to write in KIT. So that's why I am trying tomake a start. I must say it is the personal letters by friends expressing their feelings that I really liketo read. I always read KIT. I must admit to skipping over some of the boring stuff, but as I haven'twritten myself, I can't complain about others not writing.

I'd like to say to all those who, like me, find it very hard to getting round to putting their thoughts onpaper, take courage! Don't try to write too much. Just write a bit to keep in touch. I miss you all.

Warmest greetings,10/14/97, Earthquake Report: Today is the 19th day after the first earthquake struck the towns ofPerugia, Umbria and Assisi in the central region of Italy north of Rome. The shock waves were felt




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over a large area including Rome and even Naples.

Each day there have been further earthquakes of varying strengths, causing further damage. Todayanother quake registering 7 on the Richter Scale hit the town of Filigno. As a TV film crew werefilming the difficult task of trying to save the spire of an old, historic church, the quake struck. Theworkmen on the top of a crane only just escaped with their lives as it collapsed in ruins and a cloudof dust. That was just one quake, but you can imagine the damage being done each time. One daythere were 10 quakes!

The injuries and death rate have been comparatively low because most of the people in the affectedareas have been evacuated and are living in tents, caravans and mobile homes. They are allemotionally exhausted and very frightened. Many have lost everything, 2500 are homeless and nowthe weather is getting very cold and wet, to add to their misery. The continuing earthquakes make itimpossible to make a start on repairs, although some of the dangerously damaged buildings are beingdemolished for reasons of safety, but the rest of the structures continue to crumble with each shake.

Many of the buildings are very old, but the biggest preoccupation on the news seems to be how tosave the historic buildings, in particular the Church of St. Francis in Assisi. They were filming itsdome after the first quake when another caused part of the dome to collapse onto some of thereporters, and four more people were killed. So the people's fear is not without cause.

By the time you read this, things will have changed again. Hopefully the quakes will have stopped,but the scripture in Matthew 24:7, which says "there will be earthquakes in one place after another"is having a frightening fulfillment for the people in central Italy. As I am living in Padova innorthern Italy, we have not been affected, even though there was one isolated quake further north inthe mountain area of Crotina. Padova is near Venice and parallel to Milan for those who want toknow.

10/30/97: The weather is worsening, the tent dwellers are now contending with snow, rain and verystrong winds that have blown over some of the tents including the schools being conducted there.Italy is very slow to get things done. They have dozens of container buildings, or mobile homes, butstill haven't finished connecting them up to water and sewer lines. So the people continue to freeze intents. Undated: Dear All, it's a long time since I wrote. Life here in Padova is hectic and has its joysand sorrows. The missionary work is very rewarding and helps to compensate for the harshness oflife in general, trying to scrape enough work together to support oneself in a country without anysocial benefits and high costs. I have been here in Italy for 4 years now, and at last I can speakenough Italian to work for a nursing agency. The pay is very poor, but it is useful because they findthe work for me. My last job was working in a hotel looking after a 94-year-old German gentleman.They were a very nice couple and have asked me to work for them privately next time they come toItaly in April. I was surprised at how much German I still know after so many years, even though I

kept on saying "si" instead of "ja."

I've missed hearing from all of you who have stopped writing. I preferred reading KIT when people Iknow (or didn't know) wrote about their personal stuff. It helped me to sort out my own thoughtsabout the past, and validated my feelings. I still enjoy reading KIT and appreciate all the faithfulregular writers, but all this stuff about the Bruderhof makes me so angry. Really, though, thedirection that the Bruderhof has gone should be of no surprise to anyone who lived through the 1961Crisis. Those American impostors caused unbelievable suffering and destroyed something goodforever.

People who can do such cruel things without a twinge of conscience are not going to suddenly repent

after so many years and change for the better. To quote 2 Timothy 3:13, "But wicked men andimpostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled." According to verse 1, thiswill happen in "the last days, critical times hard to deal with will be here." So we can only expect the




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relationship between the Bruderhof impostors and those outside to get worse.

While many ex-Bruderhofers on the outside cling desperately to the high, rather unrealistic moralprincipals and standards of the pre-1961 Bruderhof, those inside rejected these standards long agoand replaced them with a code of action that is totally unacceptable to even hardened non-Christian

people of the world.

The Bruderhof today seems to be made up of three groups of people:

1. The ordinary people who may have returned after experiencing expulsion in 1961 or at other timesand are now much too afraid to say or do (or think) anything in case they will get expelled again. Forthem, anything "inside" the Bruderhof is more acceptable than the alternative: expulsion into a cold,lonely existence "outside."2. The "brainwashed" children who know nothing different because they are so successfully kept inignorance of reality, just as we were for so many years.3. The Leaders: these are made up of that criminal element, American businessmen who took over in1961 and quite cold-bloodedly expelled all the good, simple people whose biggest crime was to tryand live an honest Christian life, showing love for one another and to those on the outside whiletrusting implicitly in their leaders. That was, and still is, the good, simple people's biggest mistake.

Surely we know all this, so why on earth does anyone hope that things will change? The Bruderhofasks to be left alone, but why don't they leave KIT alone? Why do they so wickedly persecute andsue those involved with KIT?

It's true, no one likes to be criticized, but anyone who claims to be something that they so obviouslyare not lays themselves wide open to criticism. If the criticism is untrue, they they've got nothing toworry about and need say nothing in defense as the truth always becomes evident in the end. But ifon the other hand it is true, fear of exposure is likely to panic some into this scared and unreasonablereaction. It's the reaction of a trapped

KIT December 1997, Vol IX #12 New 12-7-97

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Transcript of KIT December 1997, Vol IX #12 New 12-7-97