NEW YORK
The Jewish Press
Posted 10/3/2005
By Editorial Board
Readers of the Jewish Press will recall our recent series of editorials and articles concerning the Rabbinical Council of America`s expulsion of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler from its membership rolls. Separate and apart from what we called the "inappropriate process" employed by the RCA in this matter — which as another editorial this week points out, continues to this day — we explored the extraordinary lengths to which The Jewish Week and the Forward went, in order to construct a story of rabbinic abuse when they had no real evidence. Thus, we noted the use of such reportorial devices as "unnamed sources," "informed sources" "sources close to the investigation," "persons who have seen the (investigative) report" "persons who have spoken to the accusers" and the like. Indeed, one quote cited by The Jewish Week was that although there was no specific evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Rabbi Tendler, "where there is smoke there is fire." In addition, accusers were either unnamed or where named, their accusations were palpably not credible and disproven.
Sadly, the RCA was not up to the challenge presented by these publications and allowed itself to be stampeded into abandoning halachic propriety and victimizing the rabbi in order to avoid being labelled as "soft" on sexual abuse. Unfortunately, last week, The Jewish Week was at it again. This time it mounted what appears to be an effort to bulldoze the RCA into targeting another member of the RCA who is alleged by some to have penned an article critical of the Gaza disengagement under the pseudonym, "S.A. Halevy."