Rabbi Kluwgant resigns from the Rabbinical Council of Victoria
Following his appearance at the Royal Commission, Rabbi Meir Kluwgant, immediate past president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV), has resigned from the Executive Committee of the RCV and all other leadership positions.
The Rabbinical Council of Victoria has accepted his resignation.
Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant
The organisation has issued a statement declaring: “We call upon others, rabbis and lay-leaders alike, who were implicated in the testimony presented at the Royal Commission to follow suit and take ultimate responsibility for their actions.
The RCV recognises Rabbi Kluwgant’s dedicated contribution to the RCV and other communal organisations over many years and in particular his work in helping to foster proper methods of dealing with allegations of child sexual abuse and the RCV is pained at this unfortunate development.
These past weeks have been traumatic and difficult for the Jewish community and many of its institutions. The Executive Committee of the RCV and its members were deeply distressed by the general revelations of the Royal Commission – the pain, suffering and treatment of the victims and their families and the indefensible behaviour and attitudes of some of our colleagues. The RCV will not resile from its duty toward the vulnerable members of our community.
In the aftermath of the Royal Commission the RCV membership recognises that the practices and policies to counter child abuse, as well as the education of our rabbis, needs to be even further strengthened. The RCV further recognises that it should and will use this opportunity to improve its membership criteria and to introduce better forms of accountability and governance of our members.
The RCV looks forward to the findings of the Commission and to any recommendations that will help it to continue to properly and effectively assert its role as the representative body for all rabbis and their communities throughout Victoria.
Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick, president of the RCV, added “The RCV uses this opportunity to once again confirm its long-standing policies concerning the obligation to report information regarding child abuse to the police and other relevant authorities and the obligation to support victims and their families – as expressed most recently in the statements made on behalf of the RCV at the Royal Commission last Thursday.”
Rabbi Kluwgant resigned yesterday from the Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia of which he was president and from Melbourne’s Jewish Care.
Rabbi Kluwgant made mistakes and he resigned from his honorary and paid positions.
Will Rabbi Glick resigned in similar fashion.
Will Rabbi Tzvi Telsner and Rabbi Pinchus Feldman do the same honorable thing, or will they cling to power and hope the call for their dismissal does not eventuate.
I see that David Werdiger is asking for the democratic replacement of the committee at the Yeshivah will that happen?.
mazle tov /sheachyanu
ben
the word “mazle” does not exist either !!!