Synagogue’s views differ from its Rabbi’s
July 29, 2011 by
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The Board of Management of Southern Sydney Synagogue would like to clarify that the views allegedly expressed by Rabbi Yossi Feldman concerning the reporting of sexual offenders to the police, as reported in the Australian Jewish News (July 28 edition), do not reflect the views of the Board of the synagogue.
We note that Rabbis and Rabbinical organisations throughout Australia have made clear that sexual abuse is abhorrent. Furthermore the Board of Southern Sydney Synagogue unreservedly endorses the position recently articulated by the Organisation of Rabbis of Australia and its affiliates as to the positive obligation, according to both halachic and secular law, to report any such offences to the secular authorities.
It is beyond the outreageous not only to state what Athol MOrris is stating , but to condone as being well said !
In his five paragraphs,Athol Morris starts by accepting that what is attributed to Rabbi Feldman are allegations, accepting himself the probability of the statement by the conditional “if the reporatge about Rabbi Feldman is correct…” and by the last paragraph,the same Athol Morris concludes beyond questioning any more that, under the same unchanged conditions of CONDITIONAL probability ,the allegations are already POSITIVELY implicit and,in conclusion Rabbi Feldman is , without any doubt being expressed, guilty before the law and also “insane”.
To concur, the so called deffender of Chilul Hashem also, based on the conditional “allegations” STILL concludes that Rabbi Feldman is implicitely guilty and explicitely “unfit” to hold honourable positions.
This is beyond hysteria, it is simply criminally absurd!!
I trust that JWIRE will print my opinion,in accordance with a balance presentation and obvious fairness to a member of our community who is being exposed to communal and personal judgements without the production of clear and unquestionable evidence !!
His alleged statements interfere with both mandatory reporting and immediate collection of forensic evidence by appropriately trained persons and if these statements can be verified by production of emails, he is unfit to hold a position in any educational institution in this country, whether it be a Jewish dayschool or accredited yeshiva (especially one receiving funding from “secular authorities”). Also, if these emails exist, they are a defence to any claim he tries to make.
Athol Morris – well said. You said it, nothing more to add.
Admin; youv’e done well to make this publicly known.
If the reportage of the statements of Rabbi Yosef Feldman (AJN (Net version) 28/7/11) is correct, not only should Feldman step down from any public position he holds, but he should be repudiated by any and all Jewish Communal organisations as a law-breaker.
Australian Law mandates – not requests, suggests or options, but mandates – the reporting to civil authorities for their investigation of any suggestion of sexual misconduct towards students in schools within Australia. There is no question of assessment by the Rabbinic authorities or anyone else. It is compulsory.
I do not consider this to be a harsh or oppressive law. It is not a law that discriminates against Jews. It is a just law, that protects the disempowered of all communities in Australia.
A failure to comply with the law of this country is a crime. As is incitement to do so. Feldman, in his reported statements is inciting people to commit a crime against this country. If Feldman seriously holds these views, he should be reviled by the whole Jewish Community as a criminal.
Implicit in Feldman’s position is the view that crimes against the state should only be dealt with by civil courts of the state after consideration by a Rabbinical authority. That sort of insanity promotes a lack of faith in the Australian justice system and leads ultimately to a lack of state protection for us as Jews within that system.