Waks lists issues for new board
The results have been announced of the first ever elections of Melbourne’s Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Schools Limited and the Chabad Institutions of Victoria Limited.Child sexual abuse advocate Manny Waks has called on the new boards to severe their associations with some of those named in Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Waks wrote: “On behalf of some of Yeshivah Melbourne’s victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, I welcome the conclusion of the formal election process at the Yeshivah Centre Melbourne.
Manny Waks
We believe it is imperative that the new boards of Chabad Institutions of Victoria Limited and Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Schools Limited act decisively and expeditiously to address those issues emanating from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Report into Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi, so that the community can truly move forward from this stain.
In particular we note the findings of the Royal Commission in respect of Yeshivah Melbourne that:
a. “The leadership did not create an environment conducive to the communication of information about child sexual abuse. If anything, the mixed messages are likely to have produced inaction.”
b. “There was a marked absence of supportive leadership for survivors of child sexual abuse and their families within Yeshivah Melbourne. Halachic principles were stridently – even if incorrectly applied. Criticism of those that spoke out was forceful.”
c. “If the Yeshivah Melbourne, the Committee of Management and Rabbi Telsner had shown leadership, survivors of child sexual abuse and their families and supporters might have received a very different response from the members of the Yeshivah Melbourne community.”
Rabbi Zvi Telsner at the Royal Commission
As the Community is already aware, following the release of the findings of the Royal Commission, the Rabbinic Council of Australia and New Zealand, Rabbinical Council of Victoria and Rabbinical Council of New South Wales, released a public statement, calling on:
“those who did not fulfil their legal responsibility to protect children should step down from public positions, and that those who denigrated victims have lost their moral right to serve.”
Accordingly, and consistent with our previous public statements, we ask that the new boards of the Yeshivah Centre take immediate and decisive actions to end their association
all of whom were in positions of leadership, and either did not fulfil their legal responsibility to protect children and/or engaged in conduct that denigrated victims, their families and supporters.
We also believe that the new boards need to address issues relating to other members of the Yeshivah community who denigrated victims, their families and/or supporters.”
A spokesperson for the Yeshivah Centre told J-Wire: “The board have just been elected, I will put the questions to them, however, as they haven’t met yet, I do not believe that there will be an immediate response.”
These results represent a combined tally of the votes cast electronically and tallied by the Australian Election Company (77.4% of members) together with those cast at the AGM last night (5.7% of members).
YBRSL currently has 615 members. 511 votes were cast in this election which is a participation rate of 83%. This means that the outcome is truly representative of the will of the members. The new board will clearly have a mandate to take our schools into the future.
The successful candidates are:
Rabbi E Greenbaum
Dr Debbie Herbst
Mrs Devora Rochel Herszberg
Rabbi Y Johnson
Dr Shana Reuben
The full make up of the Board is;
Vocational Rabbis:
Rabbi CT Groner
Rabbi E Greenbaum
Rabbi Y Johnson
Accountant / Business Person: Daniel Houseman
Lawyer: Chaim Kingsley
Board Members:
Ayala Becker
Dr Debbie Herbst
Mrs Devora Rochel Herszberg
Dr Shana Reuben
The results of the first ever election of Chabad Institutions of Victoria Limited were also announced
These results represent a combined tally of the votes cast electronically and tallied by the Australian Election Company (81.3% of members) together with those cast at the AGM last night (6% of members).
CIVL currently has 465 members. 406 votes were cast in this election which is a participation rate of 87.3%. This means that the outcome is truly representative of the will of the members. The new board will clearly have a mandate to take our Chabad community into the future.
I wish the successful candidates Hazlocho Rabboh and thank all candidates for putting themselves forward and engaging in a rigorous election process. No doubt, those candidates who were not successful will find a way to contribute and remain involved.
The successful candidates are:
Mr Avi Althaus
Mr Yossi Gestetner
Mr Saul Spigler
Mrs Harriet (Chana) Warlow Shill
The full makeup of the Board is
Vocational Rabbis:
Rabbi CT Groner
Rabbi CD Wilhelm
To be advised
Accountant / Business Person: Yankel Wajsbort
Lawyer: Mrs Harriet (Chana) Warlow Shill
Board Members:
Yisroel Paltiel
Avi Althaus
Yossi Gestetner
Saul Spigler
Manny Waks has done great service to Australia in exposing child rape and other abuse in education and religious institutions within the Hebrew community.
His testimony adds further information to the wider investigation into Christian and other institutions who have had evil dealings with children.