Statement by Rabbinical Council of Victoria
12 February 2015
This statement is issued on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV).
During the course of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse conducted this month we have been greatly disturbed at what could be perceived as a misrepresentation and/or misinterpretation of the attitude of the Victorian Rabbinate in general towards the issue of reporting and dealing with child sexual abuse.
We wish to state quite unequivocally for the record:
1. The RCV has, since 2010, publicly reiterated, on numerous occasions and through numerous forums, the Jewish Halachic position that any prohibition of mesira (reporting to the civil authorities) and arkaot (adjudication in civil courts) does not apply in cases of child sexual abuse and that there is an actual obligation to report any allegations of child abuse directly to the police and relevant authorities.
2. The RCV is completely committed to such ruling and will continue to publicise such advice to the community as often as deemed necessary to ensure the message reaches and is heeded by all members of the Jewish Community.
3. The RCV understands that members of the rabbinate may have been inadequately prepared to deal with the area of child sexual abuse. In this regard the RCV has instigated and continues to conduct training and professional development courses and programmes for is members, in conjunction with appropriate communal services and organisations, to ensure that members of the rabbinate are amply and professionally equipped to properly and responsibly respond to and deal with reports of child abuse and to offer effective, compassionate and empathetic counselling and support to victims.
4. The RCV states unequivocally that the above mentioned measures and issues are now supported across the entire range of its membership and are not just confined to younger and more progressive members - as may have been incorrectly implied during the course of the Commission’s hearings.
5. The RCV apologises unreservedly for any part any of its members, past or present, may have played in the angst, frustration or hurt that may have resulted for victims in their attempts to report and seek justice for the actions perpetrated against them and roundly condemns any form of harassment experienced by anyone as a result of presenting evidence of child sexual abuse to police or relevant authorities.
6. The RCV trusts that the Commission’s findings will initiate recommendations aimed at addressing the shortcomings of the past in institutional reactions to allegations of abuse, assist and encourage victims of abuse to come forward without apprehension or trepidation and will aid in bringing perpetrators to justice. The RCV pledges to continue to co-operate and work towards these goals to the very best of its ability.
Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick
President, Rabbinical Council of Victoria Inc.
Originally published at Rabbinical Council of Victoria.
During the course of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse conducted this month we have been greatly disturbed at what could be perceived as a misrepresentation and/or misinterpretation of the attitude of the Victorian Rabbinate in general towards the issue of reporting and dealing with child sexual abuse.
We wish to state quite unequivocally for the record:
1. The RCV has, since 2010, publicly reiterated, on numerous occasions and through numerous forums, the Jewish Halachic position that any prohibition of mesira (reporting to the civil authorities) and arkaot (adjudication in civil courts) does not apply in cases of child sexual abuse and that there is an actual obligation to report any allegations of child abuse directly to the police and relevant authorities.
2. The RCV is completely committed to such ruling and will continue to publicise such advice to the community as often as deemed necessary to ensure the message reaches and is heeded by all members of the Jewish Community.
3. The RCV understands that members of the rabbinate may have been inadequately prepared to deal with the area of child sexual abuse. In this regard the RCV has instigated and continues to conduct training and professional development courses and programmes for is members, in conjunction with appropriate communal services and organisations, to ensure that members of the rabbinate are amply and professionally equipped to properly and responsibly respond to and deal with reports of child abuse and to offer effective, compassionate and empathetic counselling and support to victims.
4. The RCV states unequivocally that the above mentioned measures and issues are now supported across the entire range of its membership and are not just confined to younger and more progressive members - as may have been incorrectly implied during the course of the Commission’s hearings.
5. The RCV apologises unreservedly for any part any of its members, past or present, may have played in the angst, frustration or hurt that may have resulted for victims in their attempts to report and seek justice for the actions perpetrated against them and roundly condemns any form of harassment experienced by anyone as a result of presenting evidence of child sexual abuse to police or relevant authorities.
6. The RCV trusts that the Commission’s findings will initiate recommendations aimed at addressing the shortcomings of the past in institutional reactions to allegations of abuse, assist and encourage victims of abuse to come forward without apprehension or trepidation and will aid in bringing perpetrators to justice. The RCV pledges to continue to co-operate and work towards these goals to the very best of its ability.
Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick
President, Rabbinical Council of Victoria Inc.
Originally published at Rabbinical Council of Victoria.