Commission woes
The Australian Jewish News
Editorial
31 March 2017
THE first Royal Commission hearings in February 2015 forced a massive clean-up of the Yeshivah community in Melbourne and Yeshiva Centre in Bondi, but clearly there’s still some dust on the shelves.
Rabbi Pinchus Feldman from the Yeshiva Centre in Sydney embarrassed the community.
He said that during his preparation for the Royal Commission he saw that Yeshiva Synagogue was deficient when it came to child protection policies and procedures.
“As recent as yesterday, we have decided that we will engage a consultant to make sure that the policies and procedures that we had for the youth activities will be applied also for the synagogue, with any changes that need to be made,” Rabbi Feldman said.
The Royal Commission first investigated Yeshiva in Sydney in February 2015, but apparently it wasn’t until March 22, 2017 – more than two years later, the night before another Royal Commission hearing – that Rabbi Feldman and the Yeshiva Synagogue board had their epiphany. Where were they for 700+ days since the last Royal Commission? Wasn’t it obvious after the 2015 hearings that they needed to improve all their policies?
You could actually see heads drop in the room when Rabbi Feldman gave his testimony.
It was the depressing reality of the Yeshiva Centre in Sydney.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse ... it did.
Rabbi Feldman was the only representative to face the Royal Commission last week from the Yeshiva Centre, which includes Chabad Youth.
And importantly, the Royal Commission specifically said that the purpose of the hearing was to enquire into “the current policies and procedures... in relation to child protection”. So when Rabbi Feldman was asked about details of Chabad Youth’s child protection policies people were in shock when he said, “I can’t really tell you any details.”
Rabbi Feldman said he delegated that responsibility to Rabbi Elimelech Levy and, despite the clear purpose of the Royal Commission, we can only assume Rabbi Feldman chose not to read up on them before the hearing.
He had nowhere to turn and when it was finally put to him, “You’ve completely dropped the ball here, haven’t you Rabbi Feldman?”, he simply said “I accept.”
While Rabbi Feldman floundered, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner from Yeshivah in Melbourne seemed to take questions in his stride. But anyone that has taken a fleeting interest in this saga knows that his answers were far from satisfactory.
In 2015 Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Telsner resigned as the head rabbi of the Yeshivah Centre, however he is still being paid his salary. When Rabbi Groner was asked why Rabbi Telsner is still paid, he said, as if he was merely an interested onlooker, that “apparently” the Chabad Institutions of Victoria Limited (CIVL) board is dealing with it. Rabbi Groner, as a member of the CIVL board, should surely be across this issue.
Rabbi Groner then went on to say that the CIVL board hasn’t discussed whether or not Rabbi Telsner would have a future leadership role in the Yeshivah community. Considering the CIVL board recently said that resolving the Rabbi Telsner issue is a “matter of priority”, it was concerning that Rabbi Groner appeared to have no idea what was happening on his own board.
Minutes later, Rabbi Groner seemed to have been wearing his blinkers again when he said that he as not aware of any victims of child sexual abuse, or their families, who are being shunned.
But as The AJN reveals just this week, on March 13 a victim’s wife wrote about this very topic to the Yeshivah Centre’s board, of which Rabbi Groner is a member. “The attitudes and disposition of those who caused the issues for myself and my family which were articulated at the Royal Commission, remain unaltered,” the victim’s wife wrote.
“If anything, with the passing of time, certain individuals, including those in ongoing positions of leadership and authority at Yeshivah, appear to have become more resolute in their feeling of animosity towards my family and this is apparent each time I walk past them.”
When Rabbi Groner said that he wasn’t aware victims are still being shunned, he was either being untruthful, had chosen to dismiss the comments from a victim’s wife or simply was unaware of the letter.
Any of those three options begs questions for a man in his position.
The issue is whether he should be in that position.
In recent weeks, The AJN has made clear where it stands. Insofar as he represents the old, tarnished guard, and in so far as he simply isn’t across the issues he should be across, Rabbi Groner has to go. Yes, he may have avoided the mainstream media headlines because he didn’t appear as incompetent as Rabbi Feldman, but nonetheless, his answers were no better.
Rabbi Pinchus Feldman from the Yeshiva Centre in Sydney embarrassed the community.
He said that during his preparation for the Royal Commission he saw that Yeshiva Synagogue was deficient when it came to child protection policies and procedures.
“As recent as yesterday, we have decided that we will engage a consultant to make sure that the policies and procedures that we had for the youth activities will be applied also for the synagogue, with any changes that need to be made,” Rabbi Feldman said.
The Royal Commission first investigated Yeshiva in Sydney in February 2015, but apparently it wasn’t until March 22, 2017 – more than two years later, the night before another Royal Commission hearing – that Rabbi Feldman and the Yeshiva Synagogue board had their epiphany. Where were they for 700+ days since the last Royal Commission? Wasn’t it obvious after the 2015 hearings that they needed to improve all their policies?
You could actually see heads drop in the room when Rabbi Feldman gave his testimony.
It was the depressing reality of the Yeshiva Centre in Sydney.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse ... it did.
Rabbi Feldman was the only representative to face the Royal Commission last week from the Yeshiva Centre, which includes Chabad Youth.
And importantly, the Royal Commission specifically said that the purpose of the hearing was to enquire into “the current policies and procedures... in relation to child protection”. So when Rabbi Feldman was asked about details of Chabad Youth’s child protection policies people were in shock when he said, “I can’t really tell you any details.”
Rabbi Feldman said he delegated that responsibility to Rabbi Elimelech Levy and, despite the clear purpose of the Royal Commission, we can only assume Rabbi Feldman chose not to read up on them before the hearing.
He had nowhere to turn and when it was finally put to him, “You’ve completely dropped the ball here, haven’t you Rabbi Feldman?”, he simply said “I accept.”
While Rabbi Feldman floundered, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner from Yeshivah in Melbourne seemed to take questions in his stride. But anyone that has taken a fleeting interest in this saga knows that his answers were far from satisfactory.
In 2015 Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Telsner resigned as the head rabbi of the Yeshivah Centre, however he is still being paid his salary. When Rabbi Groner was asked why Rabbi Telsner is still paid, he said, as if he was merely an interested onlooker, that “apparently” the Chabad Institutions of Victoria Limited (CIVL) board is dealing with it. Rabbi Groner, as a member of the CIVL board, should surely be across this issue.
Rabbi Groner then went on to say that the CIVL board hasn’t discussed whether or not Rabbi Telsner would have a future leadership role in the Yeshivah community. Considering the CIVL board recently said that resolving the Rabbi Telsner issue is a “matter of priority”, it was concerning that Rabbi Groner appeared to have no idea what was happening on his own board.
Minutes later, Rabbi Groner seemed to have been wearing his blinkers again when he said that he as not aware of any victims of child sexual abuse, or their families, who are being shunned.
But as The AJN reveals just this week, on March 13 a victim’s wife wrote about this very topic to the Yeshivah Centre’s board, of which Rabbi Groner is a member. “The attitudes and disposition of those who caused the issues for myself and my family which were articulated at the Royal Commission, remain unaltered,” the victim’s wife wrote.
“If anything, with the passing of time, certain individuals, including those in ongoing positions of leadership and authority at Yeshivah, appear to have become more resolute in their feeling of animosity towards my family and this is apparent each time I walk past them.”
When Rabbi Groner said that he wasn’t aware victims are still being shunned, he was either being untruthful, had chosen to dismiss the comments from a victim’s wife or simply was unaware of the letter.
Any of those three options begs questions for a man in his position.
The issue is whether he should be in that position.
In recent weeks, The AJN has made clear where it stands. Insofar as he represents the old, tarnished guard, and in so far as he simply isn’t across the issues he should be across, Rabbi Groner has to go. Yes, he may have avoided the mainstream media headlines because he didn’t appear as incompetent as Rabbi Feldman, but nonetheless, his answers were no better.
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