Haredi Beit Din in Case of Alleged London Rabbi Sex Abuser Begins

By Shmarya Rosenberg
Failed Messiah
January 31, 2013

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2013/01/haredi-beit-din-on-alleged-london-rabbi-sex-abuser-begins-567.html

Rabbi Chaim Halpern

Beit Din In Case Of Alleged London Rabbi Clergy Abuser Begins

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

According to a Behadrei Haredim report, the beit din (religious court) called to investigate allegations that Rabbi Chaim Halpern has arrived in London. It met this morning to deal with administrative matters and will begin hearing Halpern's case tomorrow.

The dayanim (rabbi-judges) are: Rabbi Sariel Rosenberg, of Rabbi Nissim Karelitz's Beit Din Tzedek (Badatz) of Bnei Brak; Rabbi Yisroel Berger, who was sent by Rabbi Ephraim Nussbaum of Badatz Ahvas Shalom and Beit Din Hayashor Vehatov in Jerusalem; and Rabbi Avraham Baruch Rosenberg of Monsey, New York who heads the Badatz Toras Chaim-Vizhnitz Monsey USA and who also heads another beit din there, Machon Le'Hora'ah.

Rabbi David Cohen, Rabbi of the large Sephardic community in London, rabbi of the North Hendon Adath Yisroel Synagogue, was appointed as a special assistant to the Beis Din to screen those who want to testify and determine the procedures for the hearings, which are expected to continue for another week. After the beit din finishes hearing testimony it will meet in a series of hearings to decide the case.

A decision is expected to be handed down in late February or early March.

Haredi rabbinic leaders have refused to allow alleged victims of Halpren, who is accused of clergy sexual abuse, to cooperate with police.

The rabbinic head of the UOHC (Kedassia) Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, who caught on hidden camera telling an alleged victim of child sexual abuse that it was forbidden to report the crime to police, allegedly saw and heard evidence – including a recording of Halpern – that proved Halpern's guilt. Padwa at first appeared to be trying to remove Halpern from all his positions of power in the Jewish community. But Padwa quickly backtracked. Through it all, Padwa allegedly told Halpern's victim's that it was forbidden to report Halpern to police or cooperate with police in any way.