Child Sexual Abuse in the Orthodox Community
- Written by JV Staff
Dear Editor:
Recently, 300 rabbis signed a statement
(300 rabbis’ pledges) condemning Orthodox child sexual abuse and calling
on rabbis to make Orthodox institutions safe for children. It appears
that most of the signers are affiliated with either the Orthodox Union,
the National Council of Young Israel, are graduates or employees of
Yeshiva University or are members of the Rabbinical Council of America
(RCA).
Although this statement isn’t officially
from the RCA, almost everything contained in it has been copied nearly
verbatim from four previous RCA child protection resolutions that date
back 23 years. None of them have been implemented or enforced. What’s
significant about this latest statement is that the RCA has over 1,000
rabbis who are members, yet only 300 were willing to sign it.
It is difficult to view this statement
as anything more than the 5th attempt over several decades by the RCA
and Orthodox rabbis to appear concerned about the rampant sexual abuse
of Orthodox children, while doing little or nothing to actually stop it.
Like the previously ignored RCA child protection resolutions, this one
imposes no sanction on any rabbi or Orthodox institution who fails to
act to protect our children from sexual abuse.
The statement condemns the covering-up
of Orthodox child molesters; the ignoring, shaming or punishing of
victims who cry out for help; and the rabbinic demands that victims not
report their abuser to the police. It calls for Orthodox institutions to
implement child safety procedures; allow victims to pursue justice and
demands that members of Orthodox communities be informed when a child
sex predator moves in.
Hypocritically, this statement is signed
by many of the very same rabbis who cover-up Orthodox child molesters,
ignore victims’ reports of abuse, harass victims and their families who
speak out or demand that they remain silent about their abuse and
abuser.
Moreover, many of these signers are the
same rabbis who for decades have failed to implement the RCA’s own child
protection rules or who deny justice to students who were sexually
abused at Yeshiva University and other Orthodox institutions. They
refuse to establish a public database of Orthodox child sex predators or
warn community members about molesters in their synagogues, schools,
yeshivas or neighborhoods.
Some of the rabbis have even gone so far
as to write pre-sentencing letters to judges in support of convicted
Orthodox child sex offenders, without expressing any concern, sympathy
or support for the offender’s victims.
It should be clear to anyone paying
attention that if we – parents and grandparents, survivors and concerned
community members – don’t demand that our rabbis protect our children
from sexual abuse, they will do nothing.
The holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur will arrive shortly. This is a time when our synagogues, schools,
yeshivas, rabbis, presidents or board members will ask us – repeatedly –
for our money.
This is an excellent time to explain to
all of them that we will only donate to Jewish institutions that have
implemented the public pledges enumerated in the child safety statement
that our rabbis have signed, or should have signed, but refuse to. If
our rabbis and Orthodox institutions want our money, they must earn it
by adhering to their Torah obligation to do everything in their power to
make our children safe. If they refuse to protect our kids, we will
refuse to donate to them.
Sincerely
Eric Aiken
(owner of http://www.protectjewishkids.com and an advocate for Orthodox victims of child sexual abuse)
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