Montreal, Canada – A rabbinical court has brought the long-hidden issue of sexual abuse in Montreal’s Orthodox Jewish community out into the open.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
In an advisory issued at the start of the summer-camp season, the Beit Din, a religious court, told parents to teach children about inappropriate touching, whether it’s by another child, a relative or an authority figure.
The written notice said parents should explain to children it’s an obligation — not a sin — to tell a parent or rabbi if an incident occurs.
The move is a departure for a community that’s been accused in the past of sweeping the sensitive topic of sexual abuse under the carpet.
“That already is a huge step for the Orthodox community,” said Diane Sasson, executive director of Auberge Shalom, a centre for women and children affected by conjugal violence.
That the Jewish court is acknowledging the existence of sexual abuse is a sign of progress, Sasson said.
But an expert on sexual abuse in the Orthodox community criticized the religious court for not telling parents to report incidents to police or youth-protection authorities.
The rabbinical court is a branch of the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, which is also responsible for certifying kosher food and Jewish conversion.
Continue to read at The Montreal Gazette
A happy day for molestors in Montreal.
“But an expert on sexual abuse in the Orthodox community criticized the religious court for not telling parents to report incidents to police or youth-protection authorities.”
exactly!!!
Stop blaming the rabbonim! Since when do we listen to them anyway? In most cases the victim “chooses” to leave it within the system- because of the shame and stigma which comes along with exposing the perpetrator- hoping that the next victim will have the courage to act. It’s unfortunate, but that is the fact.
Finally some daas torah. Not just apikorsish brain-washed anti-charedi wishy washy people’s opinions.
I once told a Rav about an incident of child abuse and what the mother was doing (not by speculation but by witness and what she told me), and the Rav kept being hesitant to accept what I said out of concern of Lashon Harah, and kept saying “even if what you seem to allege may be true”, and said he didn’t know what he could do. In the end, I called CPS. Wonder how the Agudah feels about that-yes, going to the Rav, and it resulting in the Rav doing something other than keeping it in the community (sarcasm) Good way to protect the kids (again, sarcasm) Well, I guess that makes me a kofer as I reported abuse behind the Rav’s back after he refused to intervene because “there’s really not much I can do about it” as he said.
Wow, the rabbis are waking up
Oh stop it already we know how well this works in the secular community.
Our education slowly adapting to secular education.
Social norms are adapting to the secular social life
Our moral values are slowly adapting to the respective national moral values
and now;
Trust the Government to deal with “suspected” criminals according to their guidelines.
How is the results from all above going to be different than the current violent immoral disrespectful secular world today. I am not saying we are perfect and it definitely hurts when our shortcoming have hurt somebody, but using the same ingredients as the non-Jew will definitely not create a different portage.
I don’t understand what rabbi’s have to do with justice, protection, or the law! Molostation of a minor is crime and should be handled by the police. Where do rabbi’s come in the picture at all? Any father of a molested child who goes to a rabbi instead of the police needs to have his child taken away from him!!
What beis din is it From up town or down town?
I don’t care whether its Montreal, New York, Monsey or Yenavelt, do these rabbonim really want to have the blood of the next Leiby on their hands if c’v the next child abuser/molestor/ murderer was not reported to the police but instead was report to some rebbe who failed to alert the authorities. Its incredible that there are still some who are obcessed with the issue of whether its permitted to report to the police under halacha.
Mesira is assur. No American police are needed.
Umm wait….didn’t we do this till now? oh yes we did and they failed us, so no thank you. If god forbid somebody touches my son I’m going right to the police without even talking to a rabbi.
Reagen said “Trust but verify.” I say just like their are rabonim who are mumcha in a specific area. There should be a bais din trained to deal with these issues.
I want to know who can take it on their shoulders to take an accused put him on the front page, do the perp walk, ruin and stigmitize his family only to find out it never happened.
As a teacher for 20+ years i can say it’s not always – where there’s smoke there’s fire (I am talking of hitting accusations.) Many times it’s perception. In my 4th year teaching my principal tells me a mother called that i hit her son. when she called again the next day, the boy was called to the principal. It turned out that during davening i banged with my hand on his desk, in his mind this was hitting! Therefore if a child comes home and tells you something happened, trust but verify.
Those who are kind to the cruel, will end up being cruel to the kind.
Those who are compassionate to molestors, will end up destroying innocent holy Yiddishe children’s neshamos, and causing the victimization of their already pained families. Let them be aware of their responsibility!!!
reply to # 11 who says that mesira is assur. You are right. Mesira is prohibited. But what is mesira? Mesira is telling the Romans that Rabbi Akiva was studying Torah. Mesirah is the apostate Pablo Christiani telling the Spanish Inquistion that a Jewish woman was lighting Shabbos candles and causing her to be hanged. Mesirah is the Yevsektzia (secular Jews) in Russia telling the government that Jews are not loyal to the government and causing them to be imprisoned. Mesira is a Jew giving another Jew over to an enemy governemnt. Mesira is NOT a Jew saving a child from molestation or another crime It’s time to get it straight! .
If someone touchs my kids or grand kids I’m definitely not going to call the police or go to court but I’m also not going to go the a rabbi I’m going to take care of my self( and I guaranty you he would do it again) also these same people who say it’s loshen horato report have no proplem talking loshen hora all day in shul even during Davening also loans hora is muter if it’s for a toals
Don’t knock the Rabbonim. 15 years ago I went to the Rabbonim concerning a case of frum yungeh man who had molested a young boy and within 2 hours Bais Din had a psak to go to the police. It was evident that if the incident was actually going on at the moment, not to wait but go straight to the authorities.
I personally know someone that’s been molesting for over 20 years in montreal and NOTHING was or is being done about it! He goes to shul, even gives shuirim and goes around ruining peoples lives! How can anyone just stand by and just ignore it?! His wife knows it his entire family knows it the enitr community knows it and he’s still there! Shame on them!
Most molesters were molested themselves as children, some go on to develop personality disorders. Most victims don’t go on to lead normal lives.
This cancer must be stopped now.
The Beth Din does not have the power to properly investigate and deal with this.
Maybe these batei din should release the names of those Rabbonim with special training to answer these questions. I doubt a regular yoreh-yoreh rov really knows what to look for in these sad cases.
Most Rabbonim are not equipped to handle molestation issues.
They cannot adequately rehabilitate molesters and do not have the ability to protect our children from them!!!
I do not understand why any Rabbi would even want the responsibility of rendering a decision regarding these types of serious allegations.
If they give a psak and advise someone not to report….and are wrong….are they not somehow culpable for putting childrens lives at risk and for any future acts of abuse or crimes committed by that child molester???
When you find a robber in your house and call the rabbi , I’ll call him too for abuse.
All you who don’t understand why consult a rabbi for something thats not his feild, you simply do not know what a rabbi is.
You were brought up in boro park, so your image of a rabbi is your next door neighber, or the guy who gives you an alia in the shul. Or you get interesting letters in the mail sighned by “rabbonim”
Thats NOT what a rabbi is. A rabbi is someone who you consult with for your EVERYDAY decisions that you have to make in your life, wether its medical, financial, philosophical, practical, religous, or non religous questions. Why? because your spiritual mentor is obviosly an expert in shulchan aruch, and the shulchan aruch was written as a guide for EVERYTHING in a jewish person’s life from when he gets up in the morning, to how he should get dressed, to how he should greet other poeple on his way to shul, to how he should pray, to how he should study, to how he should be employed, to how he should talk to other poeple, to how he should eat, how he should help others, to how he should call the police on others, to how he should treat his wife and how he should go to bed at night.
So a rabbi is an expert in all of the above. Including when to call the cops.
Torah is Torah and we all have the same Shulchan Aruch.
Why is it that some people who abuse by the Shulchan Aruch say to go directly to Police and other abiding by the very same identical shulchan aruch, say as someone other than the police first?
The shocking answer which many of us have discovered is that those people who say don’t report molesters directly to police, say so to protect themselves or very close friends and associates of themselves form being reported.
Check it out yourself and you will see that all those who preach that you should not go directly to Police, have a personal agenda to protect themselves or their very close associates, from being reported.
Child molestation is a non curable disorder. Ask someone you know in the field.