A RABBI condemned by Jewish leaders for his comments regarding child sex abuse “hype” and the need for pedophiles to receive greater leniency has resigned from the board of Sydney, Australia’s Yeshiva Centre.
This happened just days after controversially receiving an award from Chabad.
Rabbi Yosef Feldman, a rabbinical director at the Yeshiva Centre in Bondi and son of the ultra-orthodox Chabad movement’s spiritual head in NSW, also told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he did not know it was illegal for a man to touch a child’s genitals when he had to deal with an abuse complaint in 2002.
Nor did he seem to know that it was immoral - something he has yet to admit.
His evidence to the royal commission provoked a firestorm in the Jewish community, with the Council of Orthodox Synagogues of Australia yesterday adding its voice to those calling for Rabbi Feldman to end his pastoral and community involvement.
Call to strip rabbi of all powers
Today the Yeshiva Centre said Rabbi Feldman had resigned his position as a director on its Board of Management, including his administrative responsibilities.
“The Yeshiva Centre thanks Rabbi Yosef Feldman for his years of selfless dedication to the Centre,” it said in a statement. “The Yeshiva Centre reiterates its staunch commitment to protect victims of abuse including full compliance with authorities and legal procedures.”
Yeshiva spokesman Rabbi Eli Feldman, the brother of Rabbi Yosef Feldman, told The Australian that the resignation did not preclude Rabbi Yosef Feldman from any future paid or unpaid role with the Yeshiva Centre and its associated entities, paid or unpaid.
Of course not! The last position he resigned from in controversy, rehired him as soon as the controversy died down. Smoke and mirrors. No genuine acknowledgement of guilt.
Rabbi Yosef Feldman previously resigned a position as president of the NSW Rabbinical Council amid controversy about some of his email comments relating to child sexual abuse.
He resumed the position a short time later.
In a statement released today, Rabbi Yosef Feldman said he apologised to anyone “who may have been embarrassed or ashamed by my views, words, understandings, recordings or emails about child sexual abuse or any other matter.”
“I have dedicated my life to doing whatever I can to protect and assist all people in need including those who have suffered from any form of abuse, especially children, and it pains me greatly that words that I have expressed have upset victims and their families,” he said.
“In the future I will be more careful with my words, so that they are only a source of pride to the Jewish and General community.
In other words, he will stop speaking the truth and start lying right from the start.
“I commit to undertake formal training and education on how to identify, handle and report abuse allegations.”
Chabad in Melbourne gave Rabbi Avrohom Glick and Rabbi Yosef Feldman aliyot this past Shabbat, even though both have been exposed at the Australian Royal Commission investigating child sex abuse as people who allegedly covered up child sex abuse, enabled it and harassed alleged victims.
Feldman, in fact, told the commission that he wasn't sure if an adult male touching a child's genitals was criminal and if it needed to be reported to police. (He later clarified this by saying there are different types of touch.)
Feldman also admitted that he had never familiarized himself with Australian law on mandatory reporters and child sex abuse, even though he was a mandatory reporter who was in charge of a yeshiva in which children were molested under his watch. But he got an aliyah after that testimony nonetheless.
The Herald Sun reports:
A JEWISH victim of child sexual abuse was forced to sit and watch at the weekend as Rabbis accused of a widespread cover-up were granted religious honours.
The victim, known only as AVB, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse today that the honours were granted during a shul service at Yeshivah Synagogue.
He said both Rabbi Abraham Glick and Rabbi Yosef Feldman were given the honours in front of the congregation.
Rabbi Glick is yet to give evidence to the commission but has been blamed for failing to handle complaints of child abuse appropriately.
The former Yeshivah College principal still holds one of the most senior positions at the school despite reports he didn’t pass on numerous alleged incidents of sexual abuse to authorities while in charge between 1986 and 2007.
He was in charge of the school when convicted paedophile Rabbi David Kramer was hurriedly shipped to the US after complaints were made by parents alleging serious sexual misconduct in the early 1990s.
This is what happens when your 'religion' becomes your idol and takes your eyes off God. It's true of the Catholic church more-so than any other institution.
Rabbi Feldman sparked widespread criticism yesterday when he made a shocking defence of paedophiles, saying some should be left alone if they have not offended for several decades.
Rabbi Feldman said he didn’t agree that paedophiles who had repented and not reoffended risked jail time if they were prosecuted.
While the men were granted the honours at the weekend victims of abuse have complained that they have been shunned from receiving them since going public with their stories.
AVB said he and his family had been bullied, harrased and vilified for trying to rid the ultra-orthodox Chabad commuity of the sexual abuse scourge.
He said one Rabbi had even referred to him as a ‘moser’, the most offensive term for Jews, referring to one who breaks the rule of Mesirah, informing on Jews to secular authorities.
“We are being victimised. We’re being judged,” he said.
“The foundation is rotten to its core."
“I often wonder whether I made the right decision coming forward.
“I know I need to do what I need to do if we’re going to change things.”
Comparing the child sexual abuse crisis to the Holocaust AVB said Jews needed to learn from the wrongs of the past.
“We will never forget (the Holocaust). That is always etched in our history so it shall never happen again,” he said. “The holocaust was the murder of Jews."
“We’ve heard evidence from multiple rabbis that the perpetration of abuse is a kin to murder."
“We need to accept and hold up that the murdering of children through sexual abuse by our own is also a crime."
“Those individuals need to be, I’m not sure if the word is banished, but they need to be held in that regard as having perpetrated that murder.”
AVB, who was molested by Yeshivah employees Daniel Hayman and David Cyrprys in Melbourne and Sydney, said abuse perpetrated on him was wholly avoidable.
And he said the Yeshivah community continued to rally around his abusers.
Yesterday, Rabbi Feldman, a close friend of Daniel Hayman, admitted being angry when he was charged fearing he would end up in jail.
“Is it just a situation where we punish someone for what they did 40 years ago even though they’ve changed totally? They’re not a threat to society and everything else,” he said.
“Of course according to law you’re supposed to, I never said it shouldn’t be done according to law.
“But I’m certainly not happy about it. I’ve said this again and again. I don't know why this is an issue.”…
Astonishing!
This happened just days after controversially receiving an award from Chabad.
Rabbi Yosef Feldman, a rabbinical director at the Yeshiva Centre in Bondi and son of the ultra-orthodox Chabad movement’s spiritual head in NSW, also told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he did not know it was illegal for a man to touch a child’s genitals when he had to deal with an abuse complaint in 2002.
Nor did he seem to know that it was immoral - something he has yet to admit.
 |
| Rabbi Yosef Feldman |
Call to strip rabbi of all powers
Today the Yeshiva Centre said Rabbi Feldman had resigned his position as a director on its Board of Management, including his administrative responsibilities.
“The Yeshiva Centre thanks Rabbi Yosef Feldman for his years of selfless dedication to the Centre,” it said in a statement. “The Yeshiva Centre reiterates its staunch commitment to protect victims of abuse including full compliance with authorities and legal procedures.”
Yeshiva spokesman Rabbi Eli Feldman, the brother of Rabbi Yosef Feldman, told The Australian that the resignation did not preclude Rabbi Yosef Feldman from any future paid or unpaid role with the Yeshiva Centre and its associated entities, paid or unpaid.
Of course not! The last position he resigned from in controversy, rehired him as soon as the controversy died down. Smoke and mirrors. No genuine acknowledgement of guilt.
Rabbi Yosef Feldman previously resigned a position as president of the NSW Rabbinical Council amid controversy about some of his email comments relating to child sexual abuse.
He resumed the position a short time later.
In a statement released today, Rabbi Yosef Feldman said he apologised to anyone “who may have been embarrassed or ashamed by my views, words, understandings, recordings or emails about child sexual abuse or any other matter.”
“I have dedicated my life to doing whatever I can to protect and assist all people in need including those who have suffered from any form of abuse, especially children, and it pains me greatly that words that I have expressed have upset victims and their families,” he said.
“In the future I will be more careful with my words, so that they are only a source of pride to the Jewish and General community.
In other words, he will stop speaking the truth and start lying right from the start.
“I commit to undertake formal training and education on how to identify, handle and report abuse allegations.”
Chabad Gave Torah Honors Last Shabbat To Rabbis Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Coverups
Chabad in Melbourne gave Rabbi Avrohom Glick and Rabbi Yosef Feldman aliyot this past Shabbat, even though both have been exposed at the Australian Royal Commission investigating child sex abuse as people who allegedly covered up child sex abuse, enabled it and harassed alleged victims.
 |
| Rabbi Yossef Feldman |
 |
| Rabbi Avrohom Glick |
Feldman also admitted that he had never familiarized himself with Australian law on mandatory reporters and child sex abuse, even though he was a mandatory reporter who was in charge of a yeshiva in which children were molested under his watch. But he got an aliyah after that testimony nonetheless.
The Herald Sun reports:
A JEWISH victim of child sexual abuse was forced to sit and watch at the weekend as Rabbis accused of a widespread cover-up were granted religious honours.
The victim, known only as AVB, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse today that the honours were granted during a shul service at Yeshivah Synagogue.
He said both Rabbi Abraham Glick and Rabbi Yosef Feldman were given the honours in front of the congregation.
Rabbi Glick is yet to give evidence to the commission but has been blamed for failing to handle complaints of child abuse appropriately.
The former Yeshivah College principal still holds one of the most senior positions at the school despite reports he didn’t pass on numerous alleged incidents of sexual abuse to authorities while in charge between 1986 and 2007.
He was in charge of the school when convicted paedophile Rabbi David Kramer was hurriedly shipped to the US after complaints were made by parents alleging serious sexual misconduct in the early 1990s.
This is what happens when your 'religion' becomes your idol and takes your eyes off God. It's true of the Catholic church more-so than any other institution.
Rabbi Feldman sparked widespread criticism yesterday when he made a shocking defence of paedophiles, saying some should be left alone if they have not offended for several decades.
Rabbi Feldman said he didn’t agree that paedophiles who had repented and not reoffended risked jail time if they were prosecuted.
While the men were granted the honours at the weekend victims of abuse have complained that they have been shunned from receiving them since going public with their stories.
AVB said he and his family had been bullied, harrased and vilified for trying to rid the ultra-orthodox Chabad commuity of the sexual abuse scourge.
He said one Rabbi had even referred to him as a ‘moser’, the most offensive term for Jews, referring to one who breaks the rule of Mesirah, informing on Jews to secular authorities.
“We are being victimised. We’re being judged,” he said.
“The foundation is rotten to its core."
“I often wonder whether I made the right decision coming forward.
“I know I need to do what I need to do if we’re going to change things.”
Comparing the child sexual abuse crisis to the Holocaust AVB said Jews needed to learn from the wrongs of the past.
“We will never forget (the Holocaust). That is always etched in our history so it shall never happen again,” he said. “The holocaust was the murder of Jews."
“We’ve heard evidence from multiple rabbis that the perpetration of abuse is a kin to murder."
“We need to accept and hold up that the murdering of children through sexual abuse by our own is also a crime."
“Those individuals need to be, I’m not sure if the word is banished, but they need to be held in that regard as having perpetrated that murder.”
AVB, who was molested by Yeshivah employees Daniel Hayman and David Cyrprys in Melbourne and Sydney, said abuse perpetrated on him was wholly avoidable.
And he said the Yeshivah community continued to rally around his abusers.
Yesterday, Rabbi Feldman, a close friend of Daniel Hayman, admitted being angry when he was charged fearing he would end up in jail.
“Is it just a situation where we punish someone for what they did 40 years ago even though they’ve changed totally? They’re not a threat to society and everything else,” he said.
“Of course according to law you’re supposed to, I never said it shouldn’t be done according to law.
“But I’m certainly not happy about it. I’ve said this again and again. I don't know why this is an issue.”…
Astonishing!
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