Couple Accused in Child's Death May Have Belonged to Shoresh Yishai Cult
From "Hedda Linked to Kid-beating Cult," the New York Post, December 2, 1987, p. 14.
New York police are investigating reports that Joel Steinberg and his live-in lover, Hedda Nussbaum, were members of Shoresh Yishai, a Long Island-based cult that advocated strict discipline of children. The pair are accused of beating to death their "adoptive daughter," Lisa, in 1987. Their lawyer said the reports of cult involvement were false.
Law enforcement sources said they found "cult-like things" in the couple's Greenwich Village apartment and are questioning former members of the group. One ex-member recalled seeing Nussbaum at meetings as far back as 1979.
Shoresh Yishai, led by Jack Hickman, once claimed more than 2,000 members who had transformed themselves from traditional Christians to Orthodox-style Jews who believed in Jesus. Many members left the group in 1982 when they learned Hickman was homosexual. More than 50 members still exist on Long Island, according to police.
Former members have reported several cases of men being beaten and humiliated by sect leaders. One former member said she had heard of bizarre sexual incidents involving children, and reported that boys were taken into a separate room to pray and told to unzip their pants because "prayer is sexually arousing."
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