INITED STATES
Algemeiner
by Eric Aiken
Recently, 300 rabbis signed a statement condemning child sexual abuse in the Orthodox community and calling on their colleagues to make Orthodox institutions safe for children. Most of the individuals appear to be affiliated with either the Orthodox Union (OU), the National Council of Young Israel, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) or Yeshiva University (YU).
The statement condemns cover-ups protecting Orthodox child molesters; ignoring, shaming or punishing of victims who cry out for help; and the rabbinic demands that victims not report their abuser to the police. It calls for Orthodox institutions to implement child-safety procedures; allow victims to pursue justice; and demands that members of Orthodox communities be informed when a child sex predator moves in.
Yet, hypocritically, this statement is signed by many of the very same rabbis who cover up Orthodox child molesters, ignore victims’ reports of abuse and harass victims and their families who speak out — or demand that they remain silent about their abuse and abuser.
Although this statement wasn’t issued by the RCA, almost everything contained in it has been copied nearly verbatim from four previous RCA child-protection resolutions that date back 23 years. None of those resolutions have ever been implemented or enforced. Significantly, only 300 members of the RCA, which boasts more than 1,000 Rabbis, were willing to sign this latest statement.
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