New Yeshivah Will Cover Claims

Australian Jewish News
May 13, 2016

https://www.jewishnews.net.au/new-yeshivah-will-cover-claims/53836

The Yeshivah Centre.

THE leadership of the Yeshivah Centre has reassured victims of child sexual abuse that its new structure will not be used to deflect legal claims against the school for historical cases of child sexual abuse.

A victim contacted The AJN concerned that when the new structure of the Yeshivah Centre and school is in place that victims would be left to sue a redundant company that had no assets.

But Yeshivah has reassured all victims that would not happen.

“The assets will be transferred to the new companies and the new companies will indemnify the old associations for past debts,” a Yeshivah spokesperson said in a statement.

The victim noted that on average, victims take more 20 years to disclose their abuse.

“We know that there were at least two predators (and allegations against others) who were allowed unfettered access to children at Yeshivah during the 1990s,” the victim said.

“We are only now getting into the time period where more victims are starting to come forward and one would expect Yeshivah and individual administrators to face dozens of civil claims over the next decade.”

The victim did question the school’s ability to meet its financial liabilities if victims file civil suits.

“It’s difficult to see how Yeshivah could survive financially if it were to unequivocally commit to meeting liabilities to victims.”

Following the Royal Commission into Institution Responses to Child Sexual Abuse the Committee of Management of the Yeshivah Centre stepped down and was replaced by an Interim Committee of Management (ICOM).

At that time, the ICOM and Yeshivah trustees engaged a Governance Review Panel to propose a new structure for the centre and its organisations.

The proposed structure, which will see the centre split into two organisations with one overarching body, has now been sent to lawyers appointed by the trustees and is expected to be adopted, and implemented, this month.