Due to the controversy that has arisen from the Dom Lucre “documentary” titled The Tunnels, in which I featured, I would like to formally clarify my position:

First up, below is an unedited email correspondence between a Ms Mable Norton (on behalf of Lauren Witzke from Truth & Light Media) and myself. Below that I will make further clarifications.

Mable Norton (17/1):
Hello, I am writing a paper on abuse and came across your story. I was wondering if you would be willing to speak with me for my story?

Me (17/1):
Hi, for which publication?

Mable (17/1):
I am working with a small team to produce an independent research paper with an accompanying video on the subject. It would be released on social media and YouTube. The team had previously helped release the documentary "Died Suddenly" which was a resounding success.
If willing, I could connect you with my boss and she could give you more of or all of the information you are looking for.
I am her grunt :)

Me (18/1):
Thanks Mable.
I’m just limiting my activities regarding this issue, which has consumed my life since 2011. So I’m just trying to be more selective.
I’m also preparing for the impending court case against my first abuser, which will take place in Melbourne in March (he was recently extradited from the US). My second abuser has already been convicted and served his time.
I’d just like to request a little more detail, happy for you to both send me the link to the documentary you referenced and to connect me with your boss.

Mable (18/1):
Thank you so much. I understand completely.
Here is our website https://tlmglobalproductions.com/
This is my boss, Lauren [REDACTED]
Thank you again, Manny.
God bless

Mable (20/1):
Hey, Manny. Sorry, I know you are probably busy, and you have other things going on.
I am re-sending this to you in hopes that you considered meeting with us.
Thank you again :)

Me (20/1):
Hi Mable,
Happy to set up a teleconference to discuss this further.
I’m quite flexible, the earlier in the day, the better for me (so ideally your morning/my afternoon).
Feel free to suggest some options.
Regards,
Manny

Mable (20/1):
Thank you, Manny!
How would Monday morning work for you? 9:30 New York time? We can be a little flexible of course. And just to be sure, you have zoom, right? That is typically what we use for this sort of thing.
Thank you, again, Manny!

Me (21/1):
Sounds good!
Are in NY? Just trying to work out the time difference. Please give me a time in Israel and we’ll speak then.
And yes, Zoom is fine.

Me (22/1):
Hi Mable,
I’m back home and will be ready in 20-30 minutes. I’ll send you a message when I’m ready.
I just wanted to mention that I wasn’t really expecting the interview to take place today, which explains why I wasn’t really prepared for it. I wrote that I was happy to have a teleconference today to further discuss this (see my email below).
Nevertheless, I’m comfortable proceeding, so I’ll speak to Lauren soon.
Manny

Mable (22/1):
Ah, Lauren told me - I’m so embarrassed! I’m sorry for not having been more articulate. Lauren said another 30 minutes and then she’ll send the link. Thank you so much, and again I apologize I was traveling, but there’s no excuse for me to be so absent minded.

Me (31/1):
Mable,
Someone sent me the link to your story, which featured me, and having just watched it, I’m still recovering from the shock.

You approached me on completely false pretences - you claimed that it was to share my personal, difficult story of child sexual abuse and to provide guidance and support for those in similar situations. That’s the basis on which I agreed to participate.

Once we concluded our interview, you briefly asked me about the recent events in 770. I made it clear to you that I have no idea about any child abuse allegations but that what transpired suggested lawlessness, which leads to increased vulnerability for children. And while you briefly covered my story, you didn’t cover anything at all regarding the advice I gave for the benefit of other victims/survivors - you’re basically insinuating in your shoddy documentary that I support your bizarre theory. So I’d like to make it clear, I absolutely reject this insinuation.

I’m bitterly disappointed as I should’ve listened to my gut instinct, which was to deny the interview. I merely wanted to assist other survivors by sharing my story and knowledge, not to be used as an endorsement for your unfounded conspiracies.

The tunnels in 770 being systematically used for child abductions? You didn’t provide an ounce of evidence for this ludicrous claim. Finding a high chair and a soiled mattress in the tunnels doesn’t prove a thing!

You lied to me in your claim regarding the aim of the documentary; it wasn’t about child sexual abuse, my story and/or to assist other victims/survivors. Rather, it was focused entirely on the recent Chabad 770 story (which I agree is a major issue) and you tried to use me to make it sound more credible.

You and your network need to take a hard look at yourselves. You have zero credibility.

Shame on you all!

Sincerely,
Manny

​For anyone who watched the unedited interview, which lasted for over an hour and consisted of many questions, at the very end of the interview Lauren stated that she had one final question. That was the first time anything about the 770 Eastern Parkway Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters scandal came up. This was a deliberate attempt to mislead me regarding the focus of this “documentary” – I was told that it was about the issue of child sexual abuse, which would focus on my personal story, and, as a long-time, prominent victims’ advocate, to provide advice to other victims/survivors. I was never told that this was a story about the tunnels of the Chabad Headquarters or that it was going to be a part of a Dom Lucre "documentary". I had never heard of Dom until a random person sent me the link to the "documentary". They effectively misled me and I feel that they did so for the purpose of gaining credibility for their false narrative.

To be clear, The Tunnels is not a documentary, it is certainly not journalism and it is not based on reality – rather, it is a conspiracy theory. There is absolutely no evidence to support Dom’s outrageous and baseless claims.

And as I said in the interview in response to Lauren’s question regarding what transpired at the Chabad Headquarters, I believe that the lawlessness that was recently exhibited within that institution is an added vulnerability for children. The Chabad leadership should’ve been aware that the tunnels were being built and should’ve taken steps against those involved. And if they weren’t aware of the tunnels, that’s at least just as concerning, as it would suggest that they have no idea was is occurring within their own institutions. Having re-listened to my response to Lauren, I’m proud of what I said and fully stand by it.

This “documentary” seems to benefit primarily Dom himself. It certainly does not help victims/survivors of child sexual abuse or the broader community – it diverts attention from facts and reality, which is far from what Dom portrays.

I accept some responsibility for this debacle, as I should've done my due diligence. I'll ensure to learn from this experience.

Click here to purchase my memoir, Who gave you permission?.

For the past six months or so, VoiCSA has been dealing with serious allegations of child sexual abuse and the response to it by Cheder Levi Yitzchok, an ultra-Orthodox Chabad school based in Melbourne.

Around a month ago, The Age published an article titled ​Parents told the best protection is prayer after school child-sex abuse claims. Several days ago, it published another article titled ​Students expelled after parents refuse to keep quiet on child sex abuse claims.

In response to this ongoing latest child sexual abuse scandal, the Cheder's Founder and Principal, Mr Eliezer Kornhauser, published an Open Letter to the community. VoiCSA has responded by publishing our own Open Letter. Please see both letters below.

TO MY JEWISH COMMUNITY: YOU TAUGHT ME TO THINK
GABRIELLA PEARL KATZ

To my Jewish community,

I have grown up in a community which has nurtured and nourished me. A community that has provided me with all the tools to question my existence and to pursue a life of meaning, purpose, and happiness. Truly, I attribute my intellect and my love for learning to my Jewish education at Mount Scopus Memorial College (MSMC) and more generally the Jewish based values I hold dear. Indeed, the presupposition of the Talmudic approach to life is that rigorous inquiry and rationality is better than an unquestioning and submissive existence. To be mindless is to lose touch with the heart of the Talmud, one of the greatest examples of critical thinking. However, while the community has taught me lessons of deep thinking and bold action, I have felt disillusioned by members and leaders who have persistently failed to live by those values when it matters most.

The plethora of sexual misconduct and grooming allegations, substantiated by an external review, which came to light in December 2021 against a former senior teacher at MSMC were deeply shocking and disturbing. It should have been a watershed moment for our community. Why does it feel like not much has changed and that things are back to ‘normal’? More specifically, why does it feel like this devastating experience has not informed or changed our community’s understanding of child safety and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA)? Where was the discourse in Jewish media outlets? Where was the provision of counselling for students? Where was the open discussion and transparency from community leaders? I fear that the lack of discourse and questioning of the allegations at MSMC evidenced that our community wanted to sweep it under the rug. Recent allegations against an 88-year-old caretaker at Caulfield Hebrew Shule (CHC) remind us that the problems surrounding CSA in our community are far from solved.

The Royal Commission public hearing into Australian Jewish institutions that were involved in repeat instances of CSA, cover-ups as well as intimidation of victims has certainly led to ground-breaking and ongoing changes within the Jewish community. But nearly seven years later issues of CSA are pervasive. We are so quick to criticise the Ultra-Orthodox community for the way they have previously responded to CSA that we have become incapable of recognising it in our own backyard. It is easier to blame a section of the Jewish community when they are ‘other’, or not part of what you understand to be your community. However, when the MSMC and CHC allegations surfaced, the members who condemned and were disgusted by the abuse that occurred at Yeshiva disappeared into thin air, nowhere to be seen. There was no public show of support for the victims. There were no opinion piece articles. There were no social media posts. The truth is that CSA must be recognised no matter where it occurs. But it appears to only concern my Jewish community when it happens in Orthodox or Ultra-Orthodox settings. Where are the people critically condemning such gross misconduct wherever it happens, completely and with no qualifications?
 
I have spoken with many people whose personal connection to a community, a family, and a shule has completely blindsided them from properly grappling with the fact that members of this community can be sexual predators. Indeed, I can understand that many may struggle reconciling their personal relationships and the tight-knit nature of our community with such gross allegations. But personal feelings ought not trump the absolute denunciation of such gross misconduct and breach of human and children’s rights. We must stop protecting predators by invoking values of personal loyalty at the expense of vulnerable and victimised young people. It seems that basic human rights are not really an indisputable standard in our community. That is, the right of a female to freely and safely attend shule. The right of a female to feel free to attend high school without worrying that she will be a victim of a predator. The community’s response to the allegations felt like a deliberate choice to choose a ‘side’ over a principle.

To the reader of this letter: what questions were raised for you after reading ‘Students accused senior teacher of misconduct at prestigious Melbourne school’ in The Age, published December 31, 2021? Did you just accept the article as it was, like reading the football scores after a match? Perhaps you thought that what you read sounded terrible but that it was fixed with the solutions outlined in the article. Maybe you contemplated that you are missing many pieces of information? Nevertheless, I was disappointed by the reluctance of individuals to rigorously inquire into what had just unfolded. It felt like no one was grappling with the key questions: Which other staff noticed that the school environment was not conducive to child safety? What culture normalised such behaviour that it went unchecked for 20 plus years?
These are some questions that should have been asked. The reluctance by individuals to question has left me feeling ostracised and I cannot help but think that members of this community really don’t care.

When you are in a position of privilege, having received top-notch education, access to plenty of financial resources, and you live in a community like the one I was raised in, you have a duty to remove your blinkers and see such a relationship in its true colours. When you have the skills and resources to subject events to critical analysis, you are morally responsible and accountable for the blinkers you choose to wear. We must not fool ourselves. What I fear is that my community has failed to recognise what happened at MSMC and CHC was part of a broader pattern. A pattern whereby male predators go unchecked for years, enabled by poor child safety policy enforcement, by unquestioning and ill-educated staff and where victims are not empowered or encouraged to disclose abuse. The damaging outcome is that silence can be a form of survival for many victims who have not come forward. It is little wonder why victims wait decades to come forward, or I am sure for many, decide to not report their abuse, harassment, or assault at all.

Indeed, the fact that grotesque predatory behaviour happens in our community does not mean that it should not be labelled for what it is. Justice must not remain elusive for the aggrieved because the perpetrator is a member of a community you feel attached to.

An edited version of this article first appeared in The Australian Jewish News.

VoiCSA notes with grave concern the joint statement issued on 31 January 2022 by the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) and Blake Street Hebrew Congregation (BSHC) (below) regarding the child protection policies of BSHC.

The statement refers to a letter which the JCCV apparently wrote to BSHC in December questioning the quality of BSHC’s Child Protection Policy. The JCCV appears to have then forwarded that letter to The Age, who referred to it in an article on 31 December 2021.

In a stunning reversal of its initial position, the JCCV now claims the letter was 'written in error'. It now asserts that 'BSHC has a strong child protection policy in place'. Similarly, BSHC states that 'having again reviewed our Child Protection Policy and procedures, we are able to confirm that they are of the highest quality'. Neither the JCCV nor BSHC provide any evidence of the Policy having been independently reviewed by experts in the field and it is unclear on what basis they now claim the policy is 'strong'.

In December, VoiCSA engaged an independent consultancy firm with expertise in child protection to audit BSHC’s full suite of Child Protection documents. The audit (below), conducted by Ms Andrea O'Byrne (formerly the Deputy Regional Director with the Department of Human Services when the Victorian Child Safe standards were developed), found that BSHC’s documents only 'partially met' each of the seven Child Safe Standards and identified numerous areas of concern.

Late last year, multiple allegations of serious misconduct were made against former Mount Scopus Memorial College long-time director of student development, Mr Jared Alford, who VoiCSA understands is a member of BSHC and had been engaged as a volunteer at the synagogue. The allegations relate to his conduct while employed at Mount Scopus and independent of his involvement with BSHC.  

VoiCSA wrote to BSHC on two occasions in December (below) and reminded them of their obligations in connection with the allegations, including under Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme and the recently introduced Failure to Protect offence.

VoiCSA also highlighted potential historical breaches by BSHC of the Child Safe Standards, which may not have had a Child Protection Policy in place until September 2021, despite this being mandated since 2016. VoiCSA also noted the absence of a policy specifically dealing with Persons of Concern and the real possibility of victims/survivors or their families having to face the accused in synagogue. We suggested that BSHC may benefit from engaging an independent and internationally recognised organisation such as Child Wise to assist with compliance with the Standards, which are set to become more onerous in July 2022.

The report commissioned by VoiCSA also includes Incident Recommendations (below), which describes what would be a best practice response by BSHC in the situation. Disappointingly, the response to date has been completely inadequate. We specifically note that Ms O'Byrne has stated that BSHC 'have not created a child safe environment to sufficiently encourage safe disclosure of past or current allegations from any incident involving any congregant'.

Please see the additional material below.