Principal: Child Abuse Inquiry a ‘Welcome Step’
The launch of a commission to investigate child abuse was welcomed by the principal of an Australian Jewish school whose students allegedly were victimized.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday that the royal commission — or public inquiry — would look into children under the care of religious organizations and focus on the response of the institutions to the alleged abuse cases. She called child abuse “vile and evil.”
Yeshivah College, an Orthodox school run by Chabad in Melbourne, has been at the center of controversy since allegations broke last year that its students had been victims of abuse.
Its principal, Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler, issued a statement Wednesday saying that “Child abuse is abhorrent and has a traumatic consequences for victims and their families. Victims of abuse deserve support and closure, and a royal commission is a very positive and welcome step.”
Manny Waks, a spokesman for alleged victims who claims he was abused as a student at Yeshivah College, said that “I’m receiving more and more allegations of child abuse coming from the Melbourne, Sydney and Perth Jewish communities. Some are alleged to have occurred years ago, while others as recent as the past few years.”
One alleged perpetrator, David Cyprys, is standing trial next year on numerous counts of child abuse against former students of Yeshivah College from the 1980s. Another alleged perpetrator, David Kramer, is awaiting extradition from America to Australia, where he is wanted by police who are investigating allegations that he also committed child abuse while he taught at Yeshivah College between 1989 and 1993.
Malka Leifer, a former principal of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, fled the country for Israel in 2008 amid allegations that she abused female students.
I see a double side
http://www.jewishcommunityw…
“The Yeshivah leadership has excelled in double-speak. They inform the public that they are co-operating fully with the relevant authorities, yet in private they are engaged in the most vile and irreligious acts,” he said.
Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out!
Didn’t Eli’s sons lose the Ark of the Covenant when they went to battle in sin?
If you do not prosecute in the court of the land, your case will be prosecuted in the court of Gd!
YOU WANT TO EMBARRASS LUBAVITCH?!
How can you go public with this? I know there is abuse, unfortunately, even in Chabad Institutions. But, let’s keep this to ourselves, and let the Rabbanan handle it. There must be a better way of addressing this issue without embarrassing and making ourselves look pathetic!
to # 1
writing articles may not help anything but going to rabbonim dont do anything, we need to deal with this with the police, and if someone is convicted and the person is deemed to be a threat then we need to let people know.
otherwise i agree no point in just writing articles that wont accomplish anything
Proud Australian
it can accomplish of course it can! maybe the perpertrater will think twice before MOLESTING another child. and he/ she wont want their name plastered on the internet! good for you to expose. this is not called embarrassing lubavitch lets not confuse things. this is called Screaming warnings to all sick people think before you do something that will wreck a childs life because YOUR name will be platstered on crownheights.info one day! go get help.
Finally
Yay! FInally something substantial is happening to change the cycle of Molestation cover ups!!
TO #3
The amazing chutzpah you display. The molestor is embarrasing Lubavitch…not the victims. You are an embaressment to Lubavitch. And, what makes you think “Rabbonim” have any specialized knowledge/training/ability to deal with the issue? Youre old school “stick your head in the sand” mentality is thankfully dying away.
Glad you took the bait
To no 7:
I agree with you 100%, and I hope you are right. You see, I was playing a game of “Devil’s Advocate.”
I know someone who went to a Rav and well-respected shliach to complain about an attempt on his kid. Happened many years ago. Basically, the Rav blamed the victim, and when the subject of going to an outside source for input came up – that’s what he said,“you want to embarrass Lubavitch?”
Victims, Gd Loves You Dearly!
Confession of sin is always good. Repemtance is even better!