By
Ava Berger
Dani Bensky, a vocal survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, balances her personal life with her activism.Corrie Aune for NPRhide caption
In the early morning hours in a quiet New Jersey suburb, Dani Bensky struggles to get her energetic, wannabe "ninja" out the door and to school. Her son Dax bounces around the house throwing impressive kicks that only the agility of a 6-year-old allows.
Bensky's home is littered with kid stuff: A small backpack rests on the floor, red and purple kindergarten scribbles hang on the fridge, and a half-full Danimals smoothie sits on the kitchen table. A stuffed rabbit called "Mommy Bunny" watches over the pair when they eat breakfast.
But it's hard to miss the signs of her other life — the one consumed by the abuse of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Dani Bensky sits at her kitchen table with her 6-year-old son in New Jersey on June 22. Together, they write notes to give to his teachers on the last day of school before summer break.Corrie Aune for NPRhide caption
Dozens of photos of a young Bensky in leotards and with dance teachers are scattered on the dining room table. They represent her life before Epstein. Before Bensky went to Epstein's New York penthouse to give him massages, starting when she was 17 in 2004.
"I miss the kid that I was," she says when she looks at them.
In the top drawer of her dresser, Bensky leaves stacks of printed papers from the Department of Justice's Epstein files for easy access. A black pin on her bedroom floor reads "Release the Files," and hanging on the wall is a nude portrait of a dancer that reminds her of herself. It's what she believed a nude portrait should look like, not the "exploitative" nude portrait she stared at 22 years ago in Epstein's massage room.
"There's no real escaping, you know?" Bensky says. She says Epstein's abuse led to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Epsteindied in a New York prison cellin 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
As acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faces lawmakers this week, survivors of Epstein's abuse are among those pushing to stop his confirmation, and Bensky is scheduled to be awitness for the Democrats. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi saidBlanche, when he was her deputy, was the one who oversaw the releaseof nearly 3.5 million DOJ documents related to Epstein. The files contain the names ofwealthyandhigh-profile people, and spotty redactions, which Bensky and other survivors say put their lives and privacy at risk.
Despitethe flurry of publicityover the last year, noadditional arrestshave been made since the files' release. While theHouse Oversight Committeecontinues to interview people connected to Epstein, survivors say they're frustrated at times.
"It's transitioned from this very hopeful thing to being more in the warrior mentality," Bensky says of the ongoing probe into Epstein's associates. "The fight is longer than I think we expected it to be."
