TO all outward appearances, Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman fits easily into the comfortable stereotype of an Orthodox rabbi — the long black coat and broad-brimmed hat, the full beard of red gradually surrendering to gray, the “yeshivish” accent, spoken in the quiet tones of a contemplative and modest man.
Outward appearances, however, can be deceiving.
While all accurate, the descriptions above reveal only part of the man. Although they hint at the Torah that inspires him, they say nothing of the determined sense of justice that drives him, the streak of fearlessness that emboldens him, the simple compassion for the victim that sustains him.
These are evinced not in his appearance, but in his deeds.
For the past few years, Rabbi Eisenman has taken a lonely and sometimes precarious stance as a vocal combatant against sexual molestation — especially when it victimizes the young — in the Orthodox Jewish community.
