Parents of Child Abuse Activist Leaving Australia
The parents of child abuse whistleblower Manny Waks are leaving Australia, saying they have been bullied, intimidated and virtually ”excommunicated” from the community.
Zephaniah Waks confirmed on Friday that his house is on the market and that he and his wife, Chaya, plan to divide their time between Israel and Melbourne, but outside the Yeshivah community. They have a wig business in Melbourne.
Their decision comes as another alleged victim of child abuse at the Yeshivah Centre has gone to police, saying he was molested when he was eight or nine by a man still associated with the centre. Two former employees, David Kramer and David Cyprys, both admitted child abuse offences in Melbourne courts this year, and charges have also been brought against a Yeshivah substitute teacher and a former Orthodox youth leader.
The victim told police he was lured to the worship center with the promise of chocolates and raped “in front of the Sefer Torah,” the scroll of the Torah, Judaism’s sacred text. ”I have a clear memory of the pain.” He said he was raped several times and that the man abused another victim, too.
“After I was raped I was in shock and I went to the office and I was shivering and crying. I didn’t know what rape was because I was eight years old. I didn’t have the words to say what happened,” the man said.
Yeshivah Centre spokesman Yehoshua Smukler said in a statement police said there was no basis for concern in relation to any current staff member, and had complimented the center on their “exemplary child protection policies and procedures”.
Rabbi Smukler, principal of the center’s Yeshivah and Beth Rivkah colleges, said police would immediately tell them if a staff member was being investigated, and that person would be stood down. He attacked Manny Waks’ Tzedek victims advocacy group for running a “vendetta” against Yeshivah.
Mr. Waks said of his shunning by the community: ”The Talmud says the best journey is when you get rid of doubt. I’ve been hoping for years that people would come round, but it’s not going to happen.” Mr. Waks, whose home is near the Yeshivah Centre, said he used to go there up to five times a day, but could not go there any more.
Manny Waks, a victim of child abuse, posted on Facebook that he was ”bitterly disappointed to share that due to the ongoing harassment, intimidation and discrimination from leaders and members of the Yeshivah Centre, which has effectively led to my parents’ excommunication from their community of almost 30 years (carried out by Yeshivah leaders and most of its members),” they were relocating.
He told Fairfax Media: ”The bullies have won, to some degree. But the campaign will continue.”
let's be careful not harmful
Let’s be careful not harmful, not blame parents, he is grown-up now and they have no influence on him, what can they do?
I Don't Know
Let Australia have their mishugoim for themselves the few waks sons in the usa don’t look too hot either
Balaclava
While the ongoing media campaign against the Yeshivah doesn’t sit well with me, I see how many lives in Melbourne have ben affected by s. abuse. The victims are still suffering till today. Manny is a very brave to break the silence. As the result our kids are safer now than 20 years ago. Rabbi G meant well but in retrospect he made a huge mistake that cost shattered lives. Our focus should be on outing all the perpetrators and not shutting down the victims who speak up.
let's be careful not harmful
“As the result our kids are” used as tools of revenge much more “now than 20 years ago”. Safer? for 10% of true cases. Do the math! I think the harm outweights it!
come
Zephaniah
come to crown heights!
resident
CH does not want him we already have braun who is making lots of trouble we dont need more of the same
support the real victims
#1 should hide in a corner and never look up again.
M Waks is a hero.
We must support abuse victims and not harass or exclude victims or their families.
We should buy the Waks family another house right next to the yeshiva.
Yeshiva should be privileged to have Waks.family near by.
taco peligroso
amen brother
Good bye
Trouble makers. Opportunists. Don’t bite the hand that fed you and your 17 kids.
Chaim
Manny and his father have been harassing and bulling the Yeshivah and the entire Chabad Community in Melbourne.
They have managed to destroy an impeccable name that our community has built up over the past 60 years by leveraging his horrific childhood abuse to turn the entire Melbourne Jewish community against us.
Zephaniah has been in a fight with everyone here for the past 25 years and now’s his chance to even the score.
Manny and Zephaniah, you don’t want to fix te system you just want to destroy Chabad in austraila.
Your are not CSA victim advocates. You are taking advantage of the horrible and very real crime to further your own goals.
Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be close by, ready to smeer Chabad whenever possible.
let's be careful not harmful
Chaim, I am sorry for my comment #1. I was melamed zechus on his parents, but may be it’s not the case!
gut gezugt
100% correct most people around the world dont know what is going on they just know that waks is a victim and if you speak against him you are obviously supporting abusers
This has nothing to do with abuse, they are using abuse to fight chabad and take down the entire yeshiva, and chabad.
people should learn what this guy has done to chabad and yeshiva (nothing to do with abuse) and then make their judgment
Wow
This guy should of been sent flying long ago.
He should go to crown heights he will fit right in with Braun and co
let's be careful not harmful
You have rechmonus? We here in Crown Heights are not people?
Unreal!
For heavens sake!!! When will people take molestation seriously!! Its just like your wife or daughter being raped!! Molestation is RAPEEEE!!! Why do people think they are protecting rapists is even NORMAL?!!
JW
I’m sure manny will put out a statement about these comments. What a Joke!!
Danny
So let me get this straight Zephaniah, you didn’t leave Melbourne when you knew your kids were being molested in school but now that their all grown up you are leaving because you are being shuned???
A statement from Yeshivah
This should shed some light on what’s really going on here:
The Principal of Melbourne’s Yeshivah – Beth Rivkah College has responded to claims that a known perpetrator of child sexual abuse is in the College’s employment.
Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler has issued the following statement:
Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler
“As Principal of Yeshivah College I find it most disturbing that anyone reading the Australian Jewish News or Tzedek website may be led to believe that Yeshivah College currently employs a known perpetrator of child sexual abuse. This could be no further from the truth.
We are in regular contact with the Victoria Police and the relevant authorities. The Police have made it very clear that should they believe that there is cause for concern or that we need to take action in relation to any staff member, they will contact us immediately. The Police have unequivocally confirmed, that at present, there are no concerns about any of our staff whatsoever.
If the Police or any government agency were to make us aware of any staff member being investigated for allegations of child abuse, our school policy is clear and unequivocal; we would unhesitatingly stand them down and remove them from having any access or exposure to our children during the investigation.
We were terribly disappointed that the Australian Jewish News did not have the decency of giving Yeshivah the right of reply prior to publishing an article about an alleged staff member of our College.
It is outrageous and irresponsible for the AJN or the Tzedek advocacy group, who profess to act in the best interests of the community and the children within it, to make broad and sweeping allegations. In doing so, they have cast suspicion on hundreds of innocent educators in circumstances when the police have confirmed there are no concerns. This does nothing to keep children safe.
It is a pity, that instead of acknowledging and encouraging our extensive efforts in child protection, and working together with us to ensure the safety of all our children, that Mr Manny Waks and his Tzedek organisation have instead continued to portray themselves as having a vendetta against orthodox Jewry and in particular the Yeshivah community. It is most disappointing that this vendetta also appears to be supported by the AJN.
Yeshivah, as an organisation today, can only be accused of being overly vigilant in the protection of our children – something for which we are proud.
We conclude by reassuring the community that we are absolutely committed to ensuring the safety of the most vulnerable members of the community – our children. We prioritise child safety, with best practice in relation to staff employment policies and training, and employ effective policies to prevent, and procedures to deal with any issues should they ever arise. We are in the forefront of student and parent education, and collaborate and work closely with the community, the Police and Government and support agencies. Together we keep our children safe.
Once again, we call upon anyone with any information about someone they reasonably believe poses a risk to our children to immediately report their concerns to the Police.”
Bullies - Don't go to far!
Weberman victim, Boorey Deutsch, got a death threat in his E-mail, because he testified. Well, guess what?! If that were to occur, people are talking about what could be the a headline like this: “Maimonide’s Tish”
MS from Melbourne
People in Crown Heights may be getting the wrong picture here. This article portrays us as backwards, close minded individuals who are trying to cover up abuse. This is far from the truth.
In the 80’s, (and possibly/probably more recently) there were at least two known abusers working in Yeshivah. When there abuse came to the attention of the leadership, they inexcusably sent them out if town where at least one of them continued to abuse.
This along with other past gross mishandlings of Abuse are unforgivable and must be addressed.
The Yeshivah has made massive strives in the past few years to put in place an extreme anti abuse policy. They have been in touch with the police and parents and I sincerely believe they have fixed things up.
Manny and Zephaniah Waks have launched a sustained and damaging campaign against the entire Chabad community with the only purpose being to promote themselves and hurt a community they despise.
The community here finds itself in a no win situation: They are doing everything in thier power to fight abuse but Manny keeps on maligning them in the press and through Facebook, if they do respond they are accused of covering up abuse and attacking the victims.
Good luck to which ever community in Israel gets Zephaniah.
Balaclava
Today was such a nice morning here in Melbourne. It’s a public holiday and I was happy to spend the day with my family. A friend smsed me about this article on chinfo and I was shocked to read some comments. I wanna to make a MACHO:
Yeshivah Centre still employs people that wete covering up a proven child abuser D. Kramer who went on to abuse kids around the world. Many children of our Melbourne Anash went off the derech, had major marital problems, mental breakdowns because of what happened to them. What about the damage inflicted on their siblings, parents. Those scars don’t just go away. Now yes Yeshivah put the right policies in place because they HAD to. What is missing is that the ‘important’ people who enabled the perpetrators to hide have to stand down. Yes, giving them benefit of the doubt, they could have meant well, but what they did was WRONG. Yes Manny went to the press, what else could he do if in our community the only way to be heard is by legal action or public outcry. I think it’s time for the regular Anash tohave more say as our ‘leading select few’ have not done the right thing for the Melbourne Lubavitch community. They are the ones causing CHILLUL HASHEM not the Wakses.
osher
no 20 wake up, many waks + co is trying to close the yeshiva down
nothing to do with kramer they where all educated for free and going to all the authorities and mussering and trying to make trouble for no reason by the time everyone wakes up it will be to late
osher
number 8 very well written
how true
stupidity
I like the waks family
Oh Please
Their departure is long overdue. The Waks have a history of being trouble makers within the communities that they resided in.
Melbourne is better off without them!!
Zephania constantly ran to the anti Semitic media to defame Yeshivah in Melbourne and the frum community in general.
He was shunned by the community?
And what did he do for the benefit of that community?
Good riddance I say!
Balaclava, you should join them
to #2
not appropriate & not necessary
enablers
The enablers and protectors are as guilty as the perps.Just read the comments and you can see that the victims get victimized over and over.You send the monsters away only to hurt many others. You warned no one.You stomp and squash the ones who suffered in their lives.And then to really stab them in the back you write comments and BLAME the victim.Gd help you all.Gd forgive you for your hurtful words and the way you continue to spit in the faces of the abused children.
Apologies
Why can’t YC just issue a public apology to the Waks and start treating them like human beings! Give the guy an aliah before a birthday, yartziet etc.. That could have gone a long way to ending this better. You don’t have to be his best friend but you do have to treat him as a fellow person. Unfortunately the Melbourne community will be forever scarred. And the fault does not lie with the wakses it lies with the leadership or should I say lack of leadership.
ba
Well said
protect the children
Manny – your father ruined his name and life siding with your publicity stunt.
Have some kibud av and move to Israel with him in support.
The children of Melbourne will be much safer without you there giving people who are REALLY trying to do the RIGHT thing a bad name.
Layla Tov
I wonder if he ever apologized to his children for kicking them out on the street and exhorting the “evil’ community do-gooders who took them in, to let them rot on the streets of East St. Kilda!
Do you remember those days Manny! How about your brother who disowned the family name!
It is not all roses and perfume in this ‘tinsel’ family – far from it. Wait for them to come after ‘money’.
משלמי רע תחת טובה
To No. 8
Couldn”t have put it better myself
Dina
To 24 you need to read Comment 19 again and again. Many people originally supported Manny and his organisation .Many now do not agree with his methods and you have just demonstrated the difficult position in which the community finds itself. Because if you DARE disagree with him or criticise then you are branded as ‘ an enabler’ or that you don’t want the perpetrators locked up. And he views ‘criticism’ as ‘attack’ and has specifically said that he blames the entire community because they he says they don’t speak up,when really they keep quiet only because he is so vicious in his responses to those who do dare to.
Dina
And he and his father are master manipulators with a gullible following. There is a very vocal group of people who are simply not voicing to him how dissatisfied they are with his methods. In fact just days ago he called someone asking why that person had demonstrated support to a critic of his-and that individual withdrew his support-talk about a ‘cover up’, talk about bullying- the one thing he blasts Yeshivah for-what a hypocrite! He defames people all the time yet cries defamation when anyone dares question him or criticise him as witnessed recently.He recently went to the press with a bogus story about someone in our schools and the obvious question was why did you run to the press and not bother to call the principal of the school first if you care so much about the students-it was clearly garbage. The Police said so. Whenever his father is asked the simple question as to why his daughter is still in the school and how in all good conscience he runs to the newspapers to rubbish the principal and administration of that school, all he does is deflect the criticism onto others and avoid the question. Then he uses the articles to ‘prove’ whatever he’s claiming when in reality he’s fed it to the press. Manny has no business being CEO of his organisation because his view is clearly tainted by his desire for revenge and his desire to blame an entire community whom he holds responsible. He should be taking those responsible for his abuse in his childhood to task. What about all the good kind people in this community who took in sibling by sibling of his after his father threw them onto the street as kids? Are they not worthy of his appreciation and gratitude? Are only the people who have vocalised support to him and his organisation worthy of recognition?Yes much awareness has been created and achievements made but now his methods have become enmeshed with his desire for revenge. And he has gone way too far -so much so that many in the Yeshivah and wider community have had an absolute gutful..
the visionary
the damage done in australia, is pay back for sending braun to us,he is a child, who was dumb enough to believe that he can be a rov,and there are rumors that he has had a shady past in the yeshiva oholei torah.
aussie balabusta
Manny please don’t get discouraged by some of the above comments. It’s all the usual trolls like E.A. & Co.
Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of our children. You are a true shliach min hashomayim. It isn’t a quixotic fight look how much you have accomplished against all odds. I really hope that all of these horror let people don’t push you farther away from horseshoeing. I really believe that your care and courage represent the chassidishe values you we’re taught by your parents.
Lechatchileh aribber
You are an idiot!!
the other side to the story
The waks family has opened this dialogue by running to the press for every “cut finger”. They arrived in Australia, a deistitute family of 17 kids. Parents comepletely emotionally uninvolved. the community fed and raised those kids the best way they know how. Mr Waks threw out his kids to the street, one by one, as they started going “off the derech”. The community was there to take the kids in. The Community educated those kids for free. A little respect and gratitude to the people who saved your lives countless times. Zephania and Chaya should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe it was THEIR parenting that caused 12 of their 17 kids to be not frum and druggies and one point or another. Maybe it is time to look inside and not always blame others for your own crimes against your own children. GO FAR AWAY and stay there.
What happened?!
You see how dangerous mesirah is?
You have victims, who went to the authorities, and now they are getting death threats, fear for their lives – pleasant way to live, isn’t it.
A whole community may also face dread. Here are some sicko friends of some victims threatening a MASSACRE! What’s going on here, what happened to our people?! Are we in for some kind of civil war, CH”V?
The Rebbe, ZY”A, always talking about how just as Sinas Chinam caused our golus, Ahavas Chinam will end it. Sorry to say, it may be more like homeopathy. It may be the biggest irony that, unfortunately, it will be SINAS Chinam that will force the geula.
SoCal Shliach
Wow
I wish I knew the real story.
am i not seeing the whole picture?
I wrote the comment about the enablers and now i’m so confused. There was some terrible dysfunction going on that I see from many comments.Gd only knows what happened.If the poor boy was abused then that is one issue and people should side with him on that.If the parents thre their own kids out, then that’s another layer of tragedy.I cry for the children.How many times were they abused on this earth and by their own parents????omg-
py
#2’s comment is vile open loshon hora and I request that it be taken off. Disgusting to say that, and very common and low….to attack the family? You are either very stunted in your ability to assess a situation, or just very unconscious, and without a conscience of what the halacha says. To use a forum in public to trash someone….really?
what have we Jews come to.
thankyou #40.
on one hand if there is treyf and injustice, maybe we should know about it, but it just seems so disgusting to read it and not know if it is lies, misinformation, or what. HaShem, please please help us!
Balaclava
The comments section to this article is overtaken by some trolls. I am quite sure I know who they are. Well I see them whenever I step into the main Yeshivah minyan. Don’t you realise how ridiculous you appear to the wider public. The adass case is coming to court. Yesterday Gug Heyman was arrested on s abuse charges. There is more coming for Yeshivah as well. Would you rather that Manny not spoken up and we would still have so many hands on wareme mechanchim in our midst. Then you could all sleep well and enjoy oilom haze.
C’mon, Let’s clean the house first and then you can go on hating Manny as much as you want.
Dina
42-you need to reread 19 again.No one objects to having perpetrators and paedophiles locked up as they should be,but that does not in any way mean that the way Manny and his father are conducting themselves at the moment is acceptable.
Balaclava
Dina aka known as Shoshana S
Stop mixing apples and oranges
You may not like Zephaniah’s parenting style or Manny’s daring to turn a spotlight on some dodgy crony community leadership, don’t compare it to the real evil that took place with our very own children. How good are the Wakses is absolutely irrelevant, we aee dealing with a crime comparable to murder.that’s what should preoccupy your minds not some family on Beckett st. The people who enabled these criminal activities are still running the show. Do you guys live in some parallel universe? What reached courts is a drop in a bucket from what actuallly happened.
Dina
The comparisons you make are laughable.Just because much has been achieved does not mean that Manny and his father are free to run around tarring and feathering an entire community whom they hold responsible because they have not spoken up to voice their support of them and their methods.Many people just can’t stand the way they are conducting their activities.And their hypocritical whinging if they are criticised yet do nothing but defame many in their pursuits themselves.
Balaclava
No comment. You just don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the crimes, the impact on so many lives in the Melbourne kehillah & the only worry of the big whigs is to stay out of it.
Pendulum swing
Think pendulum swing here unfortunately. Years ago, incidences of abuse were swept under the rug, sick perpetrators hidden or sent off irresponsibly to be someone elses time bomb. Nowadays it has swung the opposite way, where so much is being brought up and exposed. Some of it has brought out the fact we sometimes forget, about the impact and far reaching consequences of even one act (let alone more, let alone something which could have been prevented, and/or prevented to happen to another). How much money is thrown, or help given to one person or another, is a separate thing of an incident of abuse (IOW you may not like a person or family, but is an act of violence against their child OK?). It’s not easy right now, and we can only hope the pendulum swing now comes toward the middle ground, and the costs are not so high. Honestly, I can’t imagine what I would do, or how far I would take it, if someone did something to my child. What would you do?
Balaclava
I could not say it better than you did. Thank you. That was exactly my point.
Dina
You are wrong on that one.Everyone understands the seriousness of the crimes. Everyone is utterly horrified. You are the one who does it understand that this does not excuse Manny from making broad sweeping statements to the effect that he despises anyone in the Yeshivah community.
Supporter
Waks – tell us it aint so!
Did you actually kick your kids out of home at 15?
Did you try and stop people from the Chabad community from giving them food and a bed?
Did you take these good people to a Din Torah for feeding your kids?
When your broken and scared child cried on your doorstep, did you call your rabbi in Chicago to ask if you can let him in?
Is it true that you insisted that Kramer be sent away before the assault could be reported?
Have you gone to the media or local council to object to every building in the Chabad school?
Was a member of your own family bullied to remove a facebook comment this week?
Was a person attacked on facebook because of her family connection while you claim to have no control over your kids?
Did you stand by smirking in Shule when your son physically attacked the Rov, and then claim “it’s nothing to do with me”?
Please Waks say it aint so.
This isn’t about Manny but your claim to have been driven out of Melbourne, please please tell us that all these claims against you are not true.
Upset
Its shocking to me that a community can remain quite about this kind of situation and then turn around a expect a thank you for “tolerating” someone going public.
By not being that person to end it, you, in my not-so humble opinion, lose the right to dictate how to correct the issue.
It is possible that Manny’s tactics are overboard, that he has a vendetta against the Yeshivah/hanholla, and that his parents are piggy-backing this cause, but at least there is someone fighting and bringing awareness.
Known abuses that still exist that is “community-tolerated” is physical abuse, mental and emotional abuse in our schools, and for that matter in some homes.
Please let Manny’s Message at least help remove sexual abuse.
Dina
No one is denying that-much has been achieved.If Manny wasn’t so thoroughly vicious in his responses to anyone making respectful suggestions or constructive criticisms,especially if they are members of the Yeshivah community,he would have a different support base. There is good reason why so many people keep quiet-they are simply too scared to speak up
Upset
@Dina
“scared” of what? Ridicule? Ostracism?
To me this is a diabolical excuse, but one used often to excuse inactivity.
I get the argument about massering, but then hold the Rabbonim to task. Saving a life is paramount. If you cannot act, then persuade people that can.
to allow children to be molested/abused and excuse inactivity due to being scared……
Dina
The only reason people are hesitant or ‘scared’ to speak up is because the Waks are vindictive and vicious in their vendettas.Anyone who dares speak up against their methods are attacked on Facebbok and the wider media
Supporter
Waks, your silence is deafening, not a word of defence from you or Balaclava, Aussie Ballabusta & Upset.
Shtika k’hodoho!
But I see that you have changed your line of argument. You agree to all the true criticisms about yourself but then pedal more insinuations that other people are knowingly allowing kids to be abused now. Where is the proof for your assertions, to quote Upset “Known abuses that still exist that is “community-tolerated”.
What twisted drivel.
Dina
And nothing could be further than the truth that there is inactivity.The Waks are putting that out there in the press but it is simply untrue.The Rabbonim have said unequivocally that any concern must be taken to the Police immediately.The Principal of the schools has a zero tolerance policy for anyone of concern and he and the schools are very frequently running forums and sessions for staff,parents and students- both in the primary and secondary schools, regarding this issue.
The only thing people are scared of is being vilified in the press by the Waks’ with their exaggerated twisted lies about the community,because anyone who speaks up in criticism or disagreement to them directly over even the slightest issue, or who dares even ‘like’ a comment made by someone else on FB , risks being put through the coals on Facebook or mentioned and defamed in the wider press ,in the Waks’ constant need for publicity and revenge.
The safety of our children is paramount to EVERYONE.The community us being nothing but vigilant and the Waks are becoming more and more aggressive in their publicity machine to propagate their exaggerated lies and distortions. It’s a wonder so many people here haven’t taken action for defamation.
Lechatchileh aribber
I say that the Waks are doing the only right thing by moving away.
If you are not wanted, then why stay?
I noted that in The Australian Age it was stated that they were respectable people within the community.
Really? When exactly?
My burning question is why didn’t Zephania report to the police years ago as soon as he found out about his son being sexually abused? Why did he wait more than a decade ?
He expected Rabbi Groner ob”m to go to the police but not he?
Previously someone posted a list of why’s regarding Zephania.
I would really like to know the answers too, and then have it passed on to the media!
Lu-bondi
I have stumble upon this article and I am so shocked. There seems to be a lot wrong with the community in Melbourne as their so vindictive. There were paedophiles convicted and you guys are angry at some bad publicity. You let it happen…
I wish the same people who attack the Wakses would be as vocal about the real criminals in your midst.
Shame on you!!!
BTW I am a lubavitch mother of 4 and I would never be quiet if a situation like this would happen in ourschool
Lechatchileh aribber
You write such nonsense!
A lot wrong with the community in Melbourne? You think Melbourne is unique ? This sort of thing is beginning to be exposed in Sydney as in many cities around the world.
ww
what a mess
Balaclava
Dina what you wrote inthe pist#57 is the biggest joke. Yeshivah has to put those policies in place according to law. All those actions were a damage control campaign
The people who knew about the crimes and were silent are still in the positions of piwer.
Well if Manny would not have spoken… nobody would be in prison.
So far we had 2 predators convicted and the charges against one more were not pressed. One more person convicted of s crime lives right near Yeshivah. Because he gave himself in his name wasnt publicised. There are more victims some of whom are not ready yet to face their abusers and more charges can be brought.
I like Rabbi Smuckler but I do not envy him.
Dina
So interesting and pathetic that Balaclava (aka ZW) and his cronies claim that Yeshivah has the same policies as those of twenty years ago and that the new policies are being forced upon it by law.By that simplistic ,black and white line of thinking ,Yeshivah and the community can never win, because the worst is always and only expected of them.
No one will deny the awareness brought about by those campaigning for the sick perpetrators to be locked up.No one will deny that so much has been achieved in terms of bringing those perpetrators to justice.
But Balaclava claims in that same simplistic line of thinking that because much has been achieved, the Waks’ current methods are ok-they are tarring and feathering the entire Yeshivah community and Manny openly admits it- and then he wonders why no one speaks up to him or communicates readily! As CEO of a public organisation he should not be above reproach. He and his father are behaving disgracefully and using the banner of pursuing child abuse as justification. There are better ways to pursue such a noble cause.
Dina
And to 59- no one is vindictive, just saying it as it is-how would you enjoy waking up in the last week to two articles in The Age,one a double spread,filled with twisted distortions and lies,about your community? Not to mention the frequency of repetitive untrue articles Waks feeds to his journalist friend there who hasn’t once bothered to give Yeshivah the courtesy of reply before publishing? And reading on social media the vicious responses of Manny to those who offer respectful suggestions?
wow
What a mess
Dina
And more so Manny uses his social media sites under the banner of child abuse to bash Yiddishkeit-today’s wisdom was what he termed the disgrace of Taharas Hamishpocha.He personifies the adage that a little bit if knowledge is dangerous.
Lightning Rod
Anytime something of this mater is put out there it attracts voices from all angles. Like any volatile topic many attempt to deflect, widen the circle, personalize, rather than either keeping quiet if they don’t know facts first hand, or keeping the focus on priorities. And the zeitgeist today is accountability for child abuse. Unless you don’t believe W was a victim (and I don’t think there’s anyone who could justifiably feel that way) you should not be voicing any opinion against him or his family. Don’t judge a person until you stand in his place (were you a victim of S Abuse as a child?). Let the family deal with this horrific injustice as they wish. Either support them or stay clear of the situation.
Dina
If he wasn’t rushing to the media and mainstream newspaper every week with lies about the community,naming and shaming people,many may indeed feel that way.