Royal Commission gets underway
The Royal Commission started today into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse at the Yeshiva Centre and Yeshiva College Melbourne and Yeshiva Centre and Yeshiva College, Bondi.
Manny Waks makes his statement
A short summary of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement was outlined to give some background to the circumstances leading to the establishment of Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi and to provide a context for some understanding of the communities being examined.
The Royal Commission is sitting in Melbourne.
Cultural, historical and religious issues will be highlighted. The Commission intends examining the concept of mesira – a practice it acknowledged was developed in past times of persecution. The Jewish communities in post war Europe would not approach secular authorities in order to keep problems within their community and not attract trouble.
The offences committed by David Cyprys, ‘Rabbi’ David Kramer and Daniel Hayman were committed in connection with Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi, and it will be necessary to understand the nature of those religious institutions and their place within the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in order to examine the responses of the institutions to these acts of abuse.
Witness AVA gave his testimony and the effect it had on him and his family.
Menachem (Manny) Waks read his statements and said he hoped that speaking publicly would help other victims of abuse.
He said it had been cathartic and empowering to speak publicly but the experience had torn his family. He detailed his parents experiences within the Yeshiva community and how his parents had been ostracised.
Waks now lives overseas.
After listening to the start of the Royal
Commission I felt sick
These people who dare call themselves Rabbis and community leaders are truly evil.
The arial Commission gets it as do most of us.
Manny and the others who testified should be hailed as heros for despite every reason not to do anything, decided to change things for everyone’s children
Ms Gabriel,while it is obvious from your comments, as you confess, that you are sick , I am not so much interested where you learnt all that stuff about Rabbis being “evil” as much as I’d like to know where on earth did you learn to write in “English” !!!
Anyway, Mr. Waks and you deserve each other.
Hey it’s Otto the troll!
Lol wtf??
that’s much better, stick to 3, maximum 4 letter “words” whatever their “meaning”…..they adorn perfectly the “substance” of your…”thoughts”. Too many inverted commas maybe, but suitable for Ms Gabrile’s “logically” inverted rants.
Otto, that’s right, your main concern is about the spelling. Others make it about ZW’s beard. Others mention bad parenting. The spelling, the beard and the parenting are not what we are discussing here today. You can discuss those later if you wish.
You seem to ignore the 100 victims of Chabad in Australia and the permanent, deleterious effects. You don’t seem to worry about the cover-up. Or that they were called moserim by Rabbis and the community and shunned.
You are only concerned about being Mr Grammar Policeman. Shame on you!
Steven, see how you distort the obvious !!! Have you noticed that the grammar motiff is just a rational peg leading to the last, and most relevant, word “thoughts” !!! That, my friend, is what matters and the torrents of thoughts by which one confuses the number of perpetrators with the number of tragic victims is the kind of “inversion” I keep mentioning, for which I have no reason to be shameful. In addition, the same entire Orthodoxy so many are happy to demonise, have come out and stated in several ways already that the dreaded mesira is NOT a part of the principles true Judaism functions. To that reality, you are a contingent of blind , tendentious, but vociferous “commentators”. There have also been admissions by the same Rabbis of lack of knowledge as per their obligations in terms of communication with non-Jewish authorities. This means that the “in house” system has been functioning ONLY in certain respects in a less than perfect manner, but only in as far as the perception from outside of some not perfectly oiled practices within some of the Jewish institutions. Here we must accept, whether you like it or not, the comparatively limited, isolated character of these manifestations of imperfections. What you people do is venting a “class action” irrational detraction of the ENTIRE Orthodox Rabbinical community AS WELL as the community itself and its “way of life”. Bad grammar is but a symbol of ignorance which, very often, not so strangely, is blatantly obvious in substance as well. This does not mean that proper grammar may not express inproper ideas, just like yours. Nothing to be ashamed of, just mindful…..
It takes great courage and personal sacrifice for members of close knit communities to break ranks and reach out to the CASA Units in the Police to report child sex offences.
On average it takes over 20 years for victims to decide they are strong enough in themselves to tackle the lawyers, police and legal systems about a perpetrator.
The Australian Royal Commission has a dedicated team that is very supportive for anyone who has information about past sexual assaults on children in institutions, schools, clubs, religious activites. Their phone number is 1800 099 340.
it is incredible that our orthodox rabbi’s and schools, not only allowed this to happen but then tried to cover it all up.
one would hope that those responsible will be held to account, but inevitably this wont happen.
I guess as long as these rabbis and institutions accept that they deserve no more respect than the catholic church and other disreputable organisations there is little more that can be done.
so much for religious integrity
I agree. And listening and then reading the transcripts I am pleased to see the support is not only overwhelming for change but know without the work of these brave men and women none of this would happen
Mention has been made frequently of the online bloggers who sit to insult the victims. What cowards they are but it seems they and those entrusted with our kids are now being called to account
Here we go again, but at least Manny’s gone where he’s most needed, I can only think of Bourkina Fasso. If only he would understand just a tiny itzy bitzy Hungarian…..
Betya he’ll say that life in Australia has been made a misery by the Orthodox Rabbinate,not to mention the Flood St. Mikve, Bondi. I reckon I would also deserve just a passing mention….Pity I am also overseas right now.
Anyways,all yourse critical supporters of Chabad and Yeshivot, anxious to bash them with the best of intentions, time to come out and give it your best.