Aussie Rabbi: Paedophile Victims Might Have Consented to Abuse
By Anne Lu
Rabbi Baruch Dov Lesches is sorry after saying that some of an alleged paedophile's victims from a Sydney Jewish school might have consented to the affair. The former senior rabbi was recorded in a phone conversation, saying that it's best not to report the sexual abuses to the authorities. Lesches was a senior leader at a Yeshiva centre in Sydney in the 1980s when a man has allegedly sexually abused at least four boys. He was apparently told of the crime, but he opted not to report it to the authorities, even claiming that some victims might have given their consent. Fairfax Media has obtained a legally recorded telephone conversation between the rabbi and a person familiar with the series of alleged child rapes and molestations. Lesches has been heard in the phone call to counselling the alleged paedophile after learning that he had sexually abused a boy ten years younger than him. He said in the conversation that he had told the man that he and the boy would be forced out of the Yeshiva community if he could not control his urges. The Jewish leader never informed police of the abuse, but told the other person that he did not know the abuser ignored his warning and went to sexually abuse at least three other boys in the late 1980s. Shocking Statements What was even more shocking was that Lesches suggested that the victim, aged 11 at the time of the abuse, might have been willing. "We are speaking about very young boys," he is heard on the recorded call as saying. "Everybody says about the other one that 'he agreed to this.'" He defended his remark by saying that some non-Jewish boys, whom he called as "goyims," began acting or thinking sexually from as early as five years old. Teenagers from poor backgrounds also had "nothing else to do in life, only thinking 24 hours about sex" with each other, members of their own families, and even "dogs." He also warned the other person in the conversation that reporting the crime to the police so many years after the incidents would destroy both the victims and their children, saying, "If you start to do something about it will not be productive and not be good for nobody." According to Fairfax Media, Lesches, who now lives in the U.S., did not respond to their questions. However, he claims that he was not contacted at all. In the apology he issued, which was obtained by Jewish online news site J-Wire, claims that he wasn't aware that the victim was a minor, saying he thought both the perpetrator and the boy were 21 years old. Public Apology "I would like to apologise for statements made in a private telephone conversation that caused pain to the greater public. I deeply regret the incident," Lesches said in a statement. "I would like to make my position absolutely clear: Without any reservation, I endorse the rabbinical rulings encouraging victims of abuse to report to the police," he said, adding that he was saddened that the audio clip released by the media was already edited, and that the reporter did not even call him to verify the facts. "As I clearly told the caller in a subsequent phone conversation: I had no knowledge of the alleged charges claimed to have occurred some twenty-five years ago and discussed in the news port. In the conversation, I was discussing a separate incident where I was under the impression that both alleged parties were similar in age, twenty-one years old, a fact noted by Fairfax at the end of the audio clip. I was never informed of any allegations regarding minors prior to this call." "In retrospect I am shocked to hear of these allegations, because I often entrusted my own ypung children to the care of the alleged perpetrator, without hesitation. I would never have done so had I known of the allegations." The abuser, who admitted guilt to some of his victims in February, was sent overseas. He was appointed to the board of an Australian company involved in providing educational materials for Jewish students, as per Fairfax Media. His family are also apparently big financial supporters of the New York Monsey ultra-orthodox community led by Lesches. Lesches is the third identified senior Jewish leader who knew about the abuse in the '80s, but did not contact the authorities. Meanwhile, the Rabbinical Council of Victoria has distanced itself from the comments made by Lesches as heard on the phone conversation. RCV President Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant said that the approach of many senior orthodox Jewish figures in the community is malicious in nature and incorrect. He added that the group promotes the reporting of abuse to authorities and that it will "renounce any suggestions or individuals who take a contrary position on this matter." Contact: editor@ibtimes.com
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