Rabbi Menachem Wolf statement
9 February 2015
My brother was molested.
there was nothing i could do about it. i was a baby.
but i still need to say sorry. sorry that in the last five years as victims began to speak openly i chose to remain a part of the silent majority. a silent majority that were all upset and angry with our leadership but not bothered/strong enough to stand up and make noise publicly. part of a silent majority which had within its midst people who chose to play the man not the ball on this issue.
i also need to say sorry for not using my title and colleagueship. although not a member of any union or rabbinic body in Australia, i have friends and relationships with people who are. i could have spoken to other rabbis and made a hoo hah about the statements made not being enough or going far enough. i could have spoken to them about me feelings that the role of the rabbinate is to be objective and call out communal and institutional misdemeanours and errors of judgment.
but i didn't. as a result i let my brother and many other victims down. the social support they needed was not available.
yesterday was the first time i spoke to my brother about what happened to him. it was only in the last few years that we as a family became aware something happened to my brother. but i always felt awkward and uncomfortable to bring it up with him if he wasn't going to bring it up. but i was wrong to wait for him- as if i need to wait for a victim to cry out before i will listen.
and so i apologies in public (and have of course spoken privately) because i want you to think about your silence. i want you to think about whether you were caught up worrying about reputations more than victims. i know most of you feel what has happened was wrong and how the leadership dealt with it was wrong, but how public have you been in voicing your care and love, disdain and abhorrence. have you reached out to a victim to provide a moment of support? have you demanded a change in governance or leadership?
please don't judge me or this post- don't even bother sharing your opinion with me, it's not important right now. just consider the message.
Originally published at Facebook.
there was nothing i could do about it. i was a baby.
but i still need to say sorry. sorry that in the last five years as victims began to speak openly i chose to remain a part of the silent majority. a silent majority that were all upset and angry with our leadership but not bothered/strong enough to stand up and make noise publicly. part of a silent majority which had within its midst people who chose to play the man not the ball on this issue.
i also need to say sorry for not using my title and colleagueship. although not a member of any union or rabbinic body in Australia, i have friends and relationships with people who are. i could have spoken to other rabbis and made a hoo hah about the statements made not being enough or going far enough. i could have spoken to them about me feelings that the role of the rabbinate is to be objective and call out communal and institutional misdemeanours and errors of judgment.
but i didn't. as a result i let my brother and many other victims down. the social support they needed was not available.
yesterday was the first time i spoke to my brother about what happened to him. it was only in the last few years that we as a family became aware something happened to my brother. but i always felt awkward and uncomfortable to bring it up with him if he wasn't going to bring it up. but i was wrong to wait for him- as if i need to wait for a victim to cry out before i will listen.
and so i apologies in public (and have of course spoken privately) because i want you to think about your silence. i want you to think about whether you were caught up worrying about reputations more than victims. i know most of you feel what has happened was wrong and how the leadership dealt with it was wrong, but how public have you been in voicing your care and love, disdain and abhorrence. have you reached out to a victim to provide a moment of support? have you demanded a change in governance or leadership?
please don't judge me or this post- don't even bother sharing your opinion with me, it's not important right now. just consider the message.
Originally published at Facebook.