On the Royal Commission in Melbourne on child abuse

To be honest, the whole thing has long made me sick in my stomach. I don’t have the time to watch it live. Maybe I will read the full transcripts later, but I’m likely to get upset for multiple reasons.

I am glad that the importance of the issue is at the forefront and one can only hope that those who haven’t reported in the past would not hesitate to do so in the future and out a lurking sick criminal.

Unfortunately there will always be pedophiles. Medicine may one day have something to curb the sub human tendencies of offenders. I don’t know. But having observed them at close quarters, they actually live in a world of self-denial and delusion. They are a danger and I’m not at all convinced that after a prison sentence they are even capable of suppressing abominable tendencies they seem to have been born with.

I’d also hope that despite the natural urge, people aren’t focussed on triumphalism or expressing it. I have seen that, and whilst I understand why this has occurred I don’t see it as a positive development.

The key is the future and how communities learn from past mistakes huge and smaller. Education of children and educators and Rabbis more is the key.

It is ironic that the whole Din of Mesira was based on the concept that old time courts were biased or anti Semitic or amoral. I could understand that today with respect to a court in Saudi Arabia or Iran or even the UN etc but in a Malchus shel Chesed like eg Australia, it is nonsensical and indeed a chillul Hashem to be lectured or even need to be advised on basic morality by אומות העולם given we have to behave at a higher level. There is a מצווה of והלכת בדרכיו and we have been given a wake up call to be moral beacons as opposed to shtetl oriented subterfuges.

I may write no more than this. It’s too upsetting, really, in so many different ways. I’ve always tried to be fair: you make enemies on both sides as a result. I’m not a person who has a burning need for mountains of friends but I don’t want to enter a snake pit either.

Author: pitputim

I've enjoyed being a computer science professor in Melbourne, Australia, as well as band leader/singer for the Schnapps Band over many years. My high schooling was in Chabad and I continued at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh in Israel and later in life at Machon L'Hora'ah, Yeshivas Halichos Olam.

12 thoughts on “On the Royal Commission in Melbourne on child abuse”

  1. Down over here Brooklyn ir hakodesh, it is interesting to read some of the reports and testimony.I found almost unbelievable the testimony that a 12 year old maidel had reported the alleged conduct of a guy who had already been known to have a “kuppa shel sheratzim”.She as an out of towner was staying by this couple .This was “dismissed” as “fantasies” to the parents??
    How naive can you be?

    Like

    Reply

  2. “I’m not a person who has a burning need for mountains of friends but I don’t want to enter a snake pit either.” Euphamism for “I don’t want to get involved”?

    At the end of the day Rabbis Moshe Gutnick and Feldman both said unequivocally that there is no mesirah, that rabbis do NOT need to be consulted and that victims should immediately go to the police, both for themselves and to stop it happening to others. Reports on the internet say that Rabbi P Feldman and Necham Bendet have personally apologised to Manny. Rabbi Yossi Feldman who is making a fool of himself just by slouching through his testimony, let alone what he is saying, said that one of Rabbi Groner’s last words were that he made a big mistake with Kramer.

    Like

    Reply

    1. No, a euphemism for I had been involved and can’t stomach any of it as it upsets me too much. I can’t vouch for what you stated as I have not seen transcripts or watched it.

      Like

      Reply

      1. With respect, then how does Manny and the other victims feel? And then after being molested are called moserim, shunned by the community and then abused personally by prominent Rabbonim and leaders of the community.

        AVC testified that her husband had been molested by two different molesters and their family is now again being screwed, by the community.

        From my comment above which ended up appearing as a banner

        At the end of the day Rabbis Moshe Gutnick and Feldman both said unequivocally that there is no mesirah, that rabbis do NOT need to be consulted and that victims should immediately go to the police, both for themselves and to stop it happening to others. Reports on the internet say that Rabbi P Feldman and Necham Bendet have personally apologised to Manny. Rabbi Yossi Feldman who is making a fool of himself just by slouching through his testimony, in addition to what he is saying, said that one of Rabbi Groner’s last words were that he made a big mistake with Kramer. After seeing Rabbi Y Feldman’s testimony, I have no idea what he thinks.

        Like

        Reply

        1. I’m not sure that because there are victims this should imply that I’m going to have to give a blow by blow commentary. As I said the whole thing sickens me.

          Like

          Reply

  4. Steven said:

    At the end of the day Rabbis Moshe Gutnick and Feldman both said unequivocally that there is no mesirah, that rabbis do NOT need to be consulted and that victims should immediately go to the police, both for themselves and to stop it happening to others.

    http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/02/06/rabbi-feared-friend-would-be-jailed

    Rabbi Yosef Feldman wrote to a senior judge of Jewish court, Sydney Beth Din, in 2011 to object to a statement it was going to release about child sex abuse, fearing it would have implications for his friend, David Cyprys.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Pingback: On the Royal Commission | pitputim

Leave a comment