**5. Conclusion**

This chapter aims at offering some guidance to scholars, advocates and policy makers who grapple with problems similar to those posed by Ohel. Ohel does not stand alone. It is quite possible that other institutions serving other insular, fundamentalist religious sects also act in violation of secular law and in violation of the public trust.

Analysis of Ohel is important for another reason. Given Ohel's central role in a closely knit and family-oriented Orthodox community, we must now consider and observe what happens when such an iconic institution comes under scrutiny for possibly violating mandates related to child welfare and safety (not to mention confidentiality).

Finally, we have attempted this exploration of Ohel because we believe that what has happened at Ohel, under the auspices of religious authority ostensibly designed to protect and nurture children, demands serious scrutiny from anyone concerned with the future of child welfare in today's religious communities. Many such communities enjoy unprecedented political power and opportunities in the United States. These opportunities can be used for good – as when community members use religious values to impress the importance of compassion and human dignity on political institutions – or they can lead to abuses. The authors hope to see the sort of abuses we have observed at Ohel quickly curbed so that both religious and government values may be better served in the future.
