Cantor arrested on charges of child abuse
By Ralph Vigoda
Philadelphia Inquirer
The cantor for the largest reform synagogue in the country was arrested at
his Manhattan home early this morning on charges that he sexually abused
his nephew in Lower Merion during a four-year period. Another uncle and a
cousin of the boy, who is now 12 years old, have been convicted of sexually
abusing the youth.
In the latest case, Howard Nevison, 61, who has been cantor of Temple
Emanu-El in New York for more than 20 years, was taken into custody without
incident by Lower Merion detectives, who knocked on his door at 5:30 a.m.
Nevison is charged with abusing his nephew from 1993 to 1997 during visits
to his brother's home in Lower Merion. The boy was aged 3 to 7 at the time
of the alleged abuse.
Authorities were aware of the allegations for years, but the boy was so
traumatized that it was not until October that his family said he was able
to come forward and testify.
"He had come forward before," District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said
this morning. "We knew about this. But he was so terrified of this guy that
the investigation was dormant. He's only now at the point where he's
capable of withstanding a trial."
Nevison's brother, Lawrence Nevison, and another nephew, Stewart Nevison,
have been convicted in Montgomery County Court of abusing the boy. Lawrence
and Stewart Nevison are father and son.
According to papers filed in the case, Stewart Nevison was living with the
Lower Merion family in 1997 when some instances of abuse took place.
Lawrence Nevison was living in Croydon, Bucks County, at the time of his
arrest.
Lawrence Nevison, 55, was convicted in 2000 and was sentenced to 5 to 15
years in prison. Stewart Nevison, 30, pleaded guilty in 2000 to abusing
both the boy and his sister and was sentenced to 11-1/2 months to 23 months
in prison. He is on parole. Both are required to register as sexual
offenders under the requirements of Megan's Law.
According to court documents, the boy's mother took the child to the
hospital on numerous occasions beginning in 1993 for treatment of recurring
stomach and genital pain, nausea, vomiting and anal bleeding. The mother
said her son was fearful of Howard Nevison, but never said why. Detectives
met with the boy when he was 9 and he described in detail the incidents of
alleged abuse by his "Uncle Howard."
"At the time of [the boy's] initial report to police, he was so fearful of
Howard Nevison that his family, a child psychologist and the Commonwealth
felt it was not in his best interests to commence prosecution against
Howard Nevison at that time," court papers say.
"Finally the parents said they thought he was capable of going through with
it," Castor said this morning. "I met with the family to be on the safe
side, to let them know they had to be sure. They said they want him
punished."
Temple Emanu-El, founded in 1845 and with about 10,000 members, is a
historic synagogue on Fifth Avenue in New York, across from Central Park.
Nevison performed frequently in cantorial concerts, and in April 1994 he
became the first cantor to sing in the Vatican and the first to sing in
Hebrew there when he was featured in "The Papal Concert to Commemorate the
Holocaust."
Castor said he did not seek the surrender of Nevison because he thought he
was a flight risk. He said he was picked up without incident this morning
and was being booked on the charges in New York. If Nevison waives
extradition, he is expected to be brought to Lower Merion today for
arraignment. If not, Castor said, he could be detained in New York for
months.
