Commissioning the truth
Human Headline
Derryn Hinch
18 February 2015

THE CATHOLICS COPPED IT. In the beginning, to give this an ironical biblical tone, it was the Catholic Church that attracted most attention over child sex abuse and officials cover-ups.
And for good reason. When I first drew attention to the Church ignorance and connivance it concerned a Catholic priest who had already done a year in jail for the rape of a ten-year-old girl but was still an ordained priest running martial arts classes and a country camp for vulnerable kids.
The church let Father Michael Glennon be and many of those karate kids and aboriginal youngsters at his Lancefield camp became his next victims.
That was back in 1985. In the next two decades the Catholic Church covered itself in shame through cover-ups and moving paedophile priests to new parishes – new hunting grounds.
People like George Pell ( a former flatmate of Victoria’s worst paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale) covered up, bullied, and ‘ dollared to death’ victims of rockspider priests.
Eventually, we had the Victorian Government parliamentary inquiry into child sexual abuse and that led to Prime Minister Gillard announcing one of the most important Royal Commissions in our history: an inquiry into the abuse and cover-ups of abuse in our institutions.
Suddenly, other churches and other bodies were in the spotlight. Salvation Army homes and Jewish colleges.
As some of us knew: it wasn’t just the guys in gaudy robes and pointy hats in the Catholic faith that treated victims with callous indifference.
Salvation Army majors and Jewish rabbis
It wasn’t just the George Pells (and the Anglicans’ Peter Hollingworth) who put the blame and the onus on the children. It was Salvation Army majors and Jewish rabbis.
The evidence given in the past few days to the Royal Commission by witnesses in what I simplify as ‘the Manny Waks case’ shows the arrogance and ignorance of so many Jewish leaders.
And the evidence dragged out of some rabbinical leaders brings back dark memories of how some of us were mocked and threatened and slandered after a brave Manny Waks went to The Age and to me at 3AW.
For a better understanding of what happened after Waks bravely went public about sexual abuse and cover-ups at Melbourne’s Yeshivah College you should read some of the painful blogs by Waks and his father Zephaniah.
That family, which included three victims, suffered persecution and cruelty from a people who should know more about persecution and suffering and cruelty than any other race or religion in the world.
At least some of those rabbis in authority, men whose word has been law, have had the belated decency to resign some (but not all) positions of authority.
I tried to cover some of it again last year on HinchTube in this interview with Waks Jr.
Overseas must not be ignored
In an open letter of thanks to the Australian Government for setting up and funding the Royal Commission, Zephaniah Waks wrote on Facebook:
‘While the main focus of our hearing was on actions in Australia, and long-overdue resignations etc here have already started, ramifications overseas must not be ignored: similar communities in the USA & Israel are gasping with envy at what is happening over here’.
I’ll leave you for now with parts of a letter Waks and his son received from an overseas victim. He refers to one Yeshivah College victim who was identified at the hearing only as AVR.
‘Dear Zephaniah and Manny,
I know you must be getting endless messages from strangers telling you that you are heroes. You must hear it so often it might begin to lose its meaning. But I want you both to know that you have contributed to my healing in such a huge way without even knowing it and I will forever be grateful. You are both my personal heroes. In every sense of the word.
I was molested as a child. I recently went public about my abuse. I lost dozens of friends. Some of whom I have known my whole life. I grew up ultra-orthodox and although I wish I could go back and be a part of my community, I no longer feel safe there being so open about my abuse. I feel judged and ashamed.
I hurt so much. Flashbacks. Nightmares. Night terrors. Addiction. Bulimia. I struggle to survive every single day.
Deep sense of hope
But watching the Royal Commission these past few weeks brought me such healing and gave me a deep sense of hope. It was the most beautiful thing in the world to see these people be publicly held accountable.
Even though some of the rabbis who testified didn't quite tell the truth that was OK. Because WE all know the truth. When Glick said he didn't remember AVR I cried. Because of course he remembers him... of course he does. AVR matters. We all matter. The Royal Commission affirmed that for me. It affirmed for me that there are good people in this world. People who are willing to do whatever it takes to pursue justice and truth. It affirmed for me that I matter. My pain is real. I am not crazy or dirty or broken or bad. I am just a person who had a terrible thing happen to me when I was little. It's not my fault.
Thank you Zephaniah and Manny. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you."
Sadly, that letter could have been sent to a victim’s father of the Catholic faith or the Salvation Army or the Anglicans.
And for good reason. When I first drew attention to the Church ignorance and connivance it concerned a Catholic priest who had already done a year in jail for the rape of a ten-year-old girl but was still an ordained priest running martial arts classes and a country camp for vulnerable kids.
The church let Father Michael Glennon be and many of those karate kids and aboriginal youngsters at his Lancefield camp became his next victims.
That was back in 1985. In the next two decades the Catholic Church covered itself in shame through cover-ups and moving paedophile priests to new parishes – new hunting grounds.
People like George Pell ( a former flatmate of Victoria’s worst paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale) covered up, bullied, and ‘ dollared to death’ victims of rockspider priests.
Eventually, we had the Victorian Government parliamentary inquiry into child sexual abuse and that led to Prime Minister Gillard announcing one of the most important Royal Commissions in our history: an inquiry into the abuse and cover-ups of abuse in our institutions.
Suddenly, other churches and other bodies were in the spotlight. Salvation Army homes and Jewish colleges.
As some of us knew: it wasn’t just the guys in gaudy robes and pointy hats in the Catholic faith that treated victims with callous indifference.
Salvation Army majors and Jewish rabbis
It wasn’t just the George Pells (and the Anglicans’ Peter Hollingworth) who put the blame and the onus on the children. It was Salvation Army majors and Jewish rabbis.
The evidence given in the past few days to the Royal Commission by witnesses in what I simplify as ‘the Manny Waks case’ shows the arrogance and ignorance of so many Jewish leaders.
And the evidence dragged out of some rabbinical leaders brings back dark memories of how some of us were mocked and threatened and slandered after a brave Manny Waks went to The Age and to me at 3AW.
For a better understanding of what happened after Waks bravely went public about sexual abuse and cover-ups at Melbourne’s Yeshivah College you should read some of the painful blogs by Waks and his father Zephaniah.
That family, which included three victims, suffered persecution and cruelty from a people who should know more about persecution and suffering and cruelty than any other race or religion in the world.
At least some of those rabbis in authority, men whose word has been law, have had the belated decency to resign some (but not all) positions of authority.
I tried to cover some of it again last year on HinchTube in this interview with Waks Jr.
Overseas must not be ignored
In an open letter of thanks to the Australian Government for setting up and funding the Royal Commission, Zephaniah Waks wrote on Facebook:
‘While the main focus of our hearing was on actions in Australia, and long-overdue resignations etc here have already started, ramifications overseas must not be ignored: similar communities in the USA & Israel are gasping with envy at what is happening over here’.
I’ll leave you for now with parts of a letter Waks and his son received from an overseas victim. He refers to one Yeshivah College victim who was identified at the hearing only as AVR.
‘Dear Zephaniah and Manny,
I know you must be getting endless messages from strangers telling you that you are heroes. You must hear it so often it might begin to lose its meaning. But I want you both to know that you have contributed to my healing in such a huge way without even knowing it and I will forever be grateful. You are both my personal heroes. In every sense of the word.
I was molested as a child. I recently went public about my abuse. I lost dozens of friends. Some of whom I have known my whole life. I grew up ultra-orthodox and although I wish I could go back and be a part of my community, I no longer feel safe there being so open about my abuse. I feel judged and ashamed.
I hurt so much. Flashbacks. Nightmares. Night terrors. Addiction. Bulimia. I struggle to survive every single day.
Deep sense of hope
But watching the Royal Commission these past few weeks brought me such healing and gave me a deep sense of hope. It was the most beautiful thing in the world to see these people be publicly held accountable.
Even though some of the rabbis who testified didn't quite tell the truth that was OK. Because WE all know the truth. When Glick said he didn't remember AVR I cried. Because of course he remembers him... of course he does. AVR matters. We all matter. The Royal Commission affirmed that for me. It affirmed for me that there are good people in this world. People who are willing to do whatever it takes to pursue justice and truth. It affirmed for me that I matter. My pain is real. I am not crazy or dirty or broken or bad. I am just a person who had a terrible thing happen to me when I was little. It's not my fault.
Thank you Zephaniah and Manny. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you."
Sadly, that letter could have been sent to a victim’s father of the Catholic faith or the Salvation Army or the Anglicans.

Boy, when Jesus said ‘ suffer little children…’ did they all take it the wrong way.
DH
Originally published at Human Headlines.
DH
Originally published at Human Headlines.