Australia – A Sydney rabbi stepped aside from his high-profile post while he fights a report suggesting he supported covering up alleged cases of child molestation.
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Rabbi Yosef Feldman removed himself as president of the Rabbinical Council of New South Wales Monday after the Australian Jewish News published a damning report, based on leaked e-mails, alleging that he contended that rabbis should determine whether or not pedophiles be reported to authorities.
The report and editorial in last week’s edition comes in the wake of Australian police opening an investigation in June into revelations of child abuse two decades ago at Yeshivah College in Melbourne that were not reported to police at the time.
Rabbi Feldman’s alleged comments were met by a storm of criticism from leading rabbis, who all stated that there was a halachic obligation to report suspected child abuse cases to police.
Media release from
Rabbi Yosef Feldman
31 July 2011
On 27 July 2011 and on 29 July 2011, a series of false and defamatory allegations were published by the Australian Jewish News concerning Rabbi Yosef Feldman . The article, published under the byline of the AJN’s senior Sydney journalist, Joshua Levi, imputed that Rabbi Feldman was in favour of covering up acts of paedophilia by not reporting those acts to the police. Those statements in the Australian Jewish News were false and are highly damaging to the Rabbi’s high reputation. The Rabbi is presently considering the commencement of legal proceedings against the Australian Jewish News, its editor Zeddy Lawrence and Joshua Levi for defamation.
Rabbi Yosef Feldman has, at all times, publicly endorsed the unanimous view of the Rabbinical Council of New South Wales under his Presidency – that all acts of abuse must be reported to the police.
It would appear that the AJN obtained, by means unknown, an internal email exchange among Rabbis in which there was academic discussion of a range of views held by international scholars on how to deal with situations not subject to mandatory reporting.
Now that there is near universal agreement among gadolei hador that suspected abuse cases, where there is any reasonable evidence, MUST be reported to police, any rav who holds to the contrary is clearly seeking to cover up somthing or protect a suspected abuser and should be removed immediately from any position of responsibility.
The AJN took extracts from that exchange and constructed a story and an editorial which attributed to the Rabbi views and opinions which he simply does not hold.
The Rabbi does not wish to speculate upon the AJN’s motivation in publishing such a scandalously false piece of journalism. His only concern is to repair the damage done to his good name.
The true position is that Rabbi Feldman, like all other right thinking Australian citizens, believes that acts of paedophilia should and must be reported to the police for investigation and, if warranted, prosecution. It is not, and has never been, his view that criminal conduct of this kind should be covered up. The Rabbi’s stance is that suspected paedophiles must face the Australian legal system.
There is no suggestion that any abuse has occurred in any Jewish establishment in New South Wales. However, the unanimous view of Rabbi Feldman and the Rabbinical Council of New South Wales is that suspected paedophiles must, if discovered, be reported to the police.
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Statement by The Rabbinical Council of NSW
1 August 2011
1. Notwithstanding Rabbi Yosef Feldman’s assurance of his full endorsement of the RCNSW position on child abuse as outlined in paragraph 2, we accept with respect his decision to step aside at this time as President to clear his name.
2. In addition to our support and endorsement of the published statements of other major Rabbinic bodies of Australia on this matter, the RCNSW unreservedly and emphatically condemns all forms of child abuse and protection of perpetrators. We encourage all victims to report directly to the Police (or relevant authorities).
3. This statement has the full support and endorsement of Rabbi Yosef Feldman.
4. The RCNSW distances itself from the alleged views ascribed to Rabbi Yosef Feldman by the AJN.
5. The RCNSW condemns unreservedly the Chilul HaShem (desecration of G-d’s name) perpetrated by the AJN as a result of its reckless and sensationalist portrayal of Rabbi Yosef Feldman’s views and a prominent photograph with peremptory caption on the front page. Sensitive matters were distorted and presented out of context with damaging effect..
We also reject the AJN’s unjustified excoriation of the RCNSW. It is a sad day for the Jewish community when the largest circulation Jewish newspaper in Australia has stooped to the level of a cheap tabloid.
I don’t get it.Doesn’t Aguda believe this as well?
Why is he resigning if he insists he did nothing wrong?
I guess I don’t understand how the Rabbi doesn’t feel parents should report these cases to police first! I am well aware of the commandments protecting people from being falsely accused, and that going to the Beit Din is a part of helping that process but…
It seems to me, that there is more than enough evidence in halacha to support that the little Yidden MUST be protected before a Rabbi’s reputation!
I cannot imagine the pressure some parents must get from people to “report it to the Rabbis first”… and I stand by the ones who go to the police instead.
HaShem is standing with them also. It would be a serious crime to overlook the sufferings & plight of vulnerable children, all so some Rabbi can keep his ego fed.
This is what we need today, a Rabbi that does not change his mind from the seculer jewish media, if this it what you think is the halacha stick with it and don’t change,
If they require you to change, rather step down.
My opinoin on chile molesters: report to police only with heter from a ruv (which most of them give after vertifying the true story) if you go on your own its against halacha!!!
I can respect (on some level) the disagreement on this issue. However, if you cannot act in the public interest and do what needs to be done under the law, you should not hold a public position of authority. Outside the orthodox community you will not find anyone who thinks that silence is acceptable.
Child rapists are a danger to society. They destroy lives. They eat little neshamos for breakfast and then vomit them into the streets. If you don’t know what a victim looks like, or don’t know what it REALLY does, go visit a place for at-risk youth or visit organizations that deal with boys and girls who have gone off the derech. There is a SHOCKINGLY all too common thread that runs through them and it will make your heart hurt. You’ll never see things the same way again. A rodef is a rodef. We have no obligation to protect them.
This Rabbi was quoted as saying “Worse things will happen if the perpetrator is turned over to authorities – like he will be raped in jail…” It is clear that this Rabbi was following the age old edict “protect the molester, not the victim…” None of his comments were made up. they were all real and that is why under pressure of all those who realized his words were real as well as really damaging, he finally agreed to resign.
“I really don’t understand why as soon as something of serious loshon horo (evil talk) is heard about someone of even child molestation should we immediately go to the secular authorities (sic),” Rabbi Feldman wrote.
“One must go to a Rov (rabbi) who should firstly investigate the veracity of the complaint and if thought to be serious, warn the culprit etc. and act in a way that could scare him by threatening him with publicity by internet to the whole community.”
He added: “I personally feel that if we as a Jewish leadership can’t deal with this and other issues bifnim (internally) we are showing ourselves to be impotent …”
When contacted by The AJN this week, Rabbi Feldman didn’t back down. He said that if there is no legal obligation to report abuse and the rabbi believed the perpetrator would not reoffend, then there was no need to call the police.
“If there is a grey area then we have to look at the Jewish perspective and the human rights of the aggressor. It is not only the victim that he (the rabbi) has to think of, because in this case he also has to think of the attacker.”
As someone who knows Rabbi Y Feldman personally, it is wrong to jump to conclusions about him based on a newspaper article. The Australian Jewish News (AJN) is a newspaper that tries very hard to portray frum Yidden in a bad light, in Australia they call the paper; the “Newish Jews” or “Jewish Z’nus”. Vda”l
If anyone in the orthodox Jewish community on this end of the world actually got their hands on a copy of the Australian ‘Jewish’ News (AKA: AJN) I can almost assure you that VIN and it’s readers would pay little attention to such an article, even if it was glaring at them from the front page. The publication is as Jewish as bagels are. Nothing more, perhaps even less. They look to make a mountain out of any molehill they can find to report on, most likely because they hardly have what to report about. They certainly can’t only report on the secular Australian issues – they’d never be able to compete with the likes of The Age, etc. – and so they must literally be digging Gold-rush style for any remotely juicy and/informative tidbits of Jewish information they can find. That being said, the publication itself is anywhere between 10-20 pages max (based on the last time I saw one), advertises many and mostly non-kosher establishments, has few standards of religion – if any, – and charges over $3.00 for it’s measly publication (according to my memory).
I don’t say this as Lashon Hara. I say this simply so that any readers, and VIN take it from where it comes.
we can all thank Leiby Kletzky Z”L for finally bringing Rabbonim and laymen to realize that pedophilia and molestation is a serious crime and spiritual & emotional murder of a helpless defensless innocent child simply for the sick pleasure of twisted evil human beings disguised as members of our society.
i feel so sad that Leiby A”H suffered what he did- but he surely will save hundreds of children from being molested- as ppl are begining to report and pedophiles will be locked up or seek help and stop ruining children & families….may no child ever be molested! please HaShem. and if someone feels the need to do something…..get help…if you were molested- get help…there is so much therapy today and there is no need to continue the vicious cycle of pain and abuse …..besuros tovos….
dont know about this Rabbi and his story- he is innocent untill proven guilty – i just hope the word “cover up” will be erradicated from our dictionary. a pedophile is a rodef- and its not mesirah- mesira is me calling the IRS about my brother in law (to get even at him….)….may HKB”H protect us and all children from all evil and evil people..
This Newspaper bashmutzt a Rabbi in adelaide on their front page a few years ago. When this case against that Rabbi was dismissed, the AJN didn’t even have the decency to apologise.
Irrespective of this particular situation, where we have no facts with which to judge, it must be abundantly clear that anyone who advocates any hesitation whatsoever or advocates delay of even one millisecond on whether to report pedophilia to the authorities of a democratic nation operating for the benefit of its citizens is a kofer baikar, and is mischayev b’nafsho. No ands, ifs, or buts, about it. Ha tzedek yetzeh la’or and all attempts to conceal, impede, or delay an investigation is criminal behavior and in violation of the shulchan aruch. Shomer nafso yirhak haymenu. The notion that untrained rabbonim can deal with this matter is hutzpa. We do not live, thank HaShem, in Tzarist Russia and the authorities do not bring up false charges of pedophilia. The courts are not corrupt. Truth comes out. Any teacher in Israel has to know with perfect, absolute certainty that the entire klal yiraoel without hesitation or delay will immediately hand over to the authorities any all who commit pedaphillia against HaShem’s holy children, and won’t tolerate such abuse. The mitzvah is ubiarta haro mikirkech, vechol yiroel yiru v’yirau.
“I personally feel that if we as a Jewish leadership can’t deal with this and other issues bifnim (internally) we are showing ourselves to be impotent …”.
Obviously the real issue on this poor fellow’s mind is his feelings of impotence.
The AJN is notorious for fabricating or doctoring info. Don’t believe a word they say. Rabbi Feldman erred in saying something nuanced to the AJN. But experience shows that they will twist your words, as if you said something that you never said, in order to further their ends. THAT’s where Rabbi Feldman erred big time.