Media Release: Royal Commission public hearing into Yeshiva(h) Centres in Melbourne and Sydney
Manny Waks
22 March 2017
On Thursday 23 March 2017, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold a public hearing in Sydney into the Chabad-run Yeshiva(h) Centres in both Melbourne and Sydney (Case Study 53). This hearing is a follow-up to the previous two-week public hearing in Melbourne in February 2015 (Case Study 22). The hearing will be live-streamed via the Royal Commission website from 10am (AEST).
Numerous witnesses have been called to give evidence at the hearing, including the respective Yeshiva(h) leaderships in both cities, as well as other Jewish community officials. While no victims/survivors will attend as witnesses, several of us have made written submissions to the Commission and will be present at the hearing.
A number of victims/survivors from both institutions have raised the same issues with the Commission, which must be addressed by Yeshiva(h) Melbourne and Sydney in order to move forward:
Yeshivah Melbourne
The Royal Commission report into Case Study 22 found that Yeshivah Melbourne, the Committee of Management and Rabbi Telsner 'did not create an environment conducive to the communication of information about child sexual abuse...(which) likely...produced inaction'. Further, it found that 'had (they) shown leadership, survivors of sexual abuse and their families and supporters might have received a very different response from the members of the Yeshivah Melbourne community'.
Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner was a member of the Yeshivah leadership for many years, including during the period in which victims/survivors and their families were being harassed and shunned. In response to the first public hearing, the Yeshivah leadership claimed to have implemented a 'new' governance structure. Yet Rabbi Groner has been installed on the Board for life. This conflicts with representations made to the community that each of the Trustees would resign. Rabbi Groner is the son of founder and long-time Yeshivah director, the late Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, who was found by the Royal Commission to have 'failed in his obligation to the students of Yeshivah'. On a personal level, Rabbi Groner declined my request to meet with him during the period of intimidation by the Yeshivah leadership and community. (He did meet me after the public hearing with the rest of his siblings to apologise as the children of the late Rabbi Groner, but not to address his personal failings).
As Yeshivah General Manager and a member of the Board of Trustees, Ms Nechama Bendet was a key figure in the day to day response of Yeshivah to the child sexual abuse scandal between 2011-2015. Evidence presented during the previous public hearing highlighted some of Ms Bendet's significant failures. Currently Ms Bendet is the Yeshivah Director of Development.
At least one Yeshivah victim/survivor has requested personal apologies from Rabbi Groner and Ms Bendet under the Yeshivah Redress Scheme but has been unable to obtain a response. It is our view that Rabbi Groner and Ms. Bendet are unfit to play any role in the Yeshivah Centre leadership. Their involvement continues to cause trauma to some victims/survivors who consider them responsible, together with others, for the response of Yeshivah to child sexual abuse and the abhorrent treatment of victims/survivors and their families.
While Yeshivah claim that Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Telsner resigned from his position as Head Rabbi in 2015, it is clear that he continues to act in this role for all intents and purposes. The Australian Jewish News (AJN) will publish a disturbing story relating to this issue on Thursday morning, which should be of concern to the entire community [UPDATE: The AJN published an article titled Telsner still being paid 'regular salary]. With Rabbi Telsner's history and the findings of the Royal Commission into his conduct, Yeshivah must ensure that he ceases to act in any leadership capacity on its premises or on behalf of its community, whether officially or unofficialy. His involvement continues to cause trauma to some victims/survivors.
Finally, victims/survivors have drawn the Royal Commission's attention to numerous incidents which have occurred since the first public hearing and which the current Board have failed to adequately address. These demonstrate, in the view of some victims, that Yeshivah has not responded appropriately to the first public hearing and remains an unsafe environment.
Yeshivah Sydney
Victims/survivors will be writing to the Governor General to request that Rabbi Pinchus Feldman be stripped of his Order of Australia Medal (OAM). Rabbi Feldman received this award in 2002 for service to the Jewish community, particularly through the development of spiritual, educational and welfare facilities. We now know what was happening in some of these facilities. It is our view, that Rabbi Feldman is unfit to serve in any communal or rabbinic leadership positions and must immediately stand down from all such roles.
While we had hoped that one appearance before the Royal Commission would have been enough for Yeshiva(h) to get the message and respond appropriately, unfortunately another public hearing has been necessary. We hope that the broader Jewish community and its leadership will now get more involved in holding these institutions to account and ensure that they can never repeat the terrible damage that they have done to so many within our community - indeed to our entire community.
This media release is on behalf of numerous Yeshiva(h) victims/survivors of child sexual abuse.
Numerous witnesses have been called to give evidence at the hearing, including the respective Yeshiva(h) leaderships in both cities, as well as other Jewish community officials. While no victims/survivors will attend as witnesses, several of us have made written submissions to the Commission and will be present at the hearing.
A number of victims/survivors from both institutions have raised the same issues with the Commission, which must be addressed by Yeshiva(h) Melbourne and Sydney in order to move forward:
Yeshivah Melbourne
The Royal Commission report into Case Study 22 found that Yeshivah Melbourne, the Committee of Management and Rabbi Telsner 'did not create an environment conducive to the communication of information about child sexual abuse...(which) likely...produced inaction'. Further, it found that 'had (they) shown leadership, survivors of sexual abuse and their families and supporters might have received a very different response from the members of the Yeshivah Melbourne community'.
Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner was a member of the Yeshivah leadership for many years, including during the period in which victims/survivors and their families were being harassed and shunned. In response to the first public hearing, the Yeshivah leadership claimed to have implemented a 'new' governance structure. Yet Rabbi Groner has been installed on the Board for life. This conflicts with representations made to the community that each of the Trustees would resign. Rabbi Groner is the son of founder and long-time Yeshivah director, the late Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, who was found by the Royal Commission to have 'failed in his obligation to the students of Yeshivah'. On a personal level, Rabbi Groner declined my request to meet with him during the period of intimidation by the Yeshivah leadership and community. (He did meet me after the public hearing with the rest of his siblings to apologise as the children of the late Rabbi Groner, but not to address his personal failings).
As Yeshivah General Manager and a member of the Board of Trustees, Ms Nechama Bendet was a key figure in the day to day response of Yeshivah to the child sexual abuse scandal between 2011-2015. Evidence presented during the previous public hearing highlighted some of Ms Bendet's significant failures. Currently Ms Bendet is the Yeshivah Director of Development.
At least one Yeshivah victim/survivor has requested personal apologies from Rabbi Groner and Ms Bendet under the Yeshivah Redress Scheme but has been unable to obtain a response. It is our view that Rabbi Groner and Ms. Bendet are unfit to play any role in the Yeshivah Centre leadership. Their involvement continues to cause trauma to some victims/survivors who consider them responsible, together with others, for the response of Yeshivah to child sexual abuse and the abhorrent treatment of victims/survivors and their families.
While Yeshivah claim that Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Telsner resigned from his position as Head Rabbi in 2015, it is clear that he continues to act in this role for all intents and purposes. The Australian Jewish News (AJN) will publish a disturbing story relating to this issue on Thursday morning, which should be of concern to the entire community [UPDATE: The AJN published an article titled Telsner still being paid 'regular salary]. With Rabbi Telsner's history and the findings of the Royal Commission into his conduct, Yeshivah must ensure that he ceases to act in any leadership capacity on its premises or on behalf of its community, whether officially or unofficialy. His involvement continues to cause trauma to some victims/survivors.
Finally, victims/survivors have drawn the Royal Commission's attention to numerous incidents which have occurred since the first public hearing and which the current Board have failed to adequately address. These demonstrate, in the view of some victims, that Yeshivah has not responded appropriately to the first public hearing and remains an unsafe environment.
Yeshivah Sydney
Victims/survivors will be writing to the Governor General to request that Rabbi Pinchus Feldman be stripped of his Order of Australia Medal (OAM). Rabbi Feldman received this award in 2002 for service to the Jewish community, particularly through the development of spiritual, educational and welfare facilities. We now know what was happening in some of these facilities. It is our view, that Rabbi Feldman is unfit to serve in any communal or rabbinic leadership positions and must immediately stand down from all such roles.
While we had hoped that one appearance before the Royal Commission would have been enough for Yeshiva(h) to get the message and respond appropriately, unfortunately another public hearing has been necessary. We hope that the broader Jewish community and its leadership will now get more involved in holding these institutions to account and ensure that they can never repeat the terrible damage that they have done to so many within our community - indeed to our entire community.
This media release is on behalf of numerous Yeshiva(h) victims/survivors of child sexual abuse.