One of the ironies of the Penn State scandal is the embarrasing spectacle of a Jewish writer trying to show the superiority of Judaism by the misdeeds of non-Jews. He condemns certain non-Jews - who while acting according to their legal obligations - failed to act on the highest moral level. This article unfortunately failed to note that in fact the widespread response of Jewish rabbis and communities in dealing with abuse is not only not in accord with the secular law - but it is not in accord with the halacha and is morally bankrupt.
I find it embarrassing as an observant Jew to acknowledge the shameful fact that in contrast to our rabbinical leadership - the Penn State trustees acted in accord with the highest moral standards in order to protect children and ensure that the college should be an example of moral leadership. They showed real moral courage by firing the extremely popular football coach and the popular president of the university - simply for failing to do what was right. In fact we need to understand that the Torah imperatives for these situations are those of the Penn State trustees - protect the children, to provide moral leadership - and accept full responsiblity to do everything possible to help others.
So even though our Sages (Eicha Rabba 2:9) say if someone says that there is wisdom amongst the goyim you can believe it but not if they say there is Torah - in this case it is appropriate to acknowledge in this abuse case that the goyim of Penn State have shown us what the Torah truly expects us to do.
When Paterno realized that the Penn State administration was not dealing with the situation (or perhaps covering it up), what should he have done? Was he under any further obligation? Even if he was under no legal obligation, is there a difference between the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law”?
The Torah states: “Do not stand idly on your brother’s blood” (Leviticus 19:16). This is an imperative to get involved when a situation goes awry. The Almighty created the world as a workshop for self-perfection. No matter what our station in life, no matter what our innate abilities, the Almighty puts us in a particular situation in order that we make the right choice – no matter how uncomfortable or how politically inexpedient.[...]
The Torah says that if you have a chance to fix something in the world – whether stopping your colleague from an illegal act, or helping to feed starving children – and you do not act, then you ultimately bear responsibility. Perhaps, for that reason alone, the firing of Joe Paterno was justified.
http://www.mfy.org/wp-content/uploads/articles/mh3-18-01.pdf
ReplyDeleteElly Kleinman, the hero of the Agudah, Artscroll and the new CEO at BMG, is known in the business world as Martin Kleinman.
"In October 2005, ACSS, Americare, Martin Kleinman, and their employee Diane Ahearn entered into a $1.2 million settlement agreement resolving allegations against them for their role in subjecting 17 mentally-disabled residents of the Leben Home for Adults to unnecessary prostate surgeries.
Leben Home had contracted with ACSS and Americare to perform home health and nursing care services at the facility. Diane Ahearn, an ACSS employee and "medical director" at Leben Home, took responsibility for
scheduling home health aides, acting as a liaison between LebenHome and home health aides, and acting as a liaison between nurses and doctors providing care to residents. Ahearn scheduled appointments for residents with the doctor performing the unnecessary surgeries, and signed transfer forms for residents sent "to other facilities, including Parkway Hospital, where the unnecessary surgeries were performed."
As reported in The New York Times:
"Inquiry Finds Mentally Ill Patients Endured 'Assembly Line' Surgery
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY and SARAH KERSHAW
Published: March 18, 2001
"Leben Home, a for-profit facility with about 360 mentally ill residents, remains open, despite a decades-old history of unsanitary conditions, state sanctions and even macabre incidents. In 1993, for example, a decomposed body was found to have been wedged behind a basement freezer for a year."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/opinion/cohen-the-last-jew-in-zagare.html
ReplyDeleteOff topic but the self-hating Jewish NY Times columnist Roger Cohen writes here that he descends from a Soloveitchik from Zagare, Lita, the birthplace of R' Yisroel Salanter.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20111026/NEWS03/110260361/New-Square-man-accused-murder-try-arrested-charge-violating-court-order
ReplyDeleteThe hypocrisy in Skver is incredible. The Rebbe's hoiz bucher who is on trial for burning down the house and trying to murder a critic of the Rebbe was arrested again while out on bail. His lawyer is the modern orthodox menuvol Kenneth Gribetz who was disbarred for 10 years after a scandal. Skver used to ba'red Gribetz all the time that he is a lowlife who took cases against Skver. Now they hire him to defend the Rebbe's shick yingle rotzchim.
http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2011/10/child-abuse-in-ultra-orthodox-yeshivas.html
ReplyDeleteMoishe Lazer Blum is supposed to be a mumche in bedikas toyloim but that's not all he's known for
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletewhat should concern us is who fired Joe Paterno and the president, it was the board of directors (the CEO of U.S. steel led the news conference), the money people fired the educators. That will never happen in klal yisroel, ever, at least in the present day version of it. It would require a lot of "torah v'gedulah b'mokum echud" plus guts.............
My guess is that Aish HaTorah decided to use the Paterno case as a useful opportunity to publicly state its opinion on what the Torah approach to reporting child sexual abuse to authorities ought to be. By doing do, they are informing the many people who visit their site that the authentic Jewish response to sexual abuse is *not* to protect the institution under whose watch the abuse occurred but rather to protect the victim(s). I think this is positive. By talking about a case that doesn't involve any Jews, Aish can lay down its views on this matter without using examples from our own community, because doing so would expose them to being accused of airing the tzibbur's dirty laundry, engaging in lashon hara, etc. I agree this is cowardly, but I see the logic behind it.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that a lot of people who read the Aish site are not "up to date" on all of the back-and-forth that is going on in the tzibbur regarding this topic. In fact, I imagine that those who run the Aish site see newly minted BTs and potential BTs-to-be as their target audience, regardless of how many FFBs may visit the site. As such, I think one can argue that Aish.com might not be the proper forum for an article that takes a hard-headed, take-no-prisoners, introspective look at the tzibbur's ills.
Everyone at Penn State will be facing civil, if not criminal, suits.
ReplyDeleteIn anticipation, Paterno transferred title of his home to his wife months ago (see NYT).
The Board fired them now because they as well will be sued and believe that this action might help their position.
To say they did it on moral grounds is absurd. It was a business decision.
Yeshivas have less to fear when it comes to being sued, given the fact that they have greater opportunities to cover up and are uncollectable
Dovid said...
ReplyDeleteEveryone at Penn State will be facing civil, if not criminal, suits.
In anticipation, Paterno transferred title of his home to his wife months ago (see NYT).
The Board fired them now because they as well will be sued and believe that this action might help their position.
To say they did it on moral grounds is absurd. It was a business decision.
Yeshivas have less to fear when it comes to being sued, given the fact that they have greater opportunities to cover up and are uncollectable
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Jews are different and it is not just the circumstances which causes goyim to act more morally in these situations.
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Maharal (Netzach Yisroel 14) I have already explained with clear proofs that the soul is the dominate factor in the nature of the Jew. For example, being stiff necked is one of the bad qualities that Jews have. Practically speaking that means that Jews refuse to accept chastisement and will not listen to corrective advise. This is in fact because they are not essential materialistic. Only something which is materialistic is readily altered. Consequently Jews are very resistant to change and will not accept the advice of others. Furthermore the (Beitza 25b) states that they are the most aggressive and pushy people. That is because they have the power associated with being the defining figure that is separate and distinct from the readily altered material. In contrast the non Jews readily change their ways and readily accept correction. The Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin 11:5) therefore explains that Yonah did not want to go on a mission to Nineveh because he knew that this people would readily repent after hearing his chastisement. This would reflect badly on the Jews who stubbornly resisted repenting…
I don't think an article accepted by aish.org goes through such a heavy editorial process that we can deduce from it an official Aish haTorah position. Moreover: This is Mr Linder's first contribution to the site; it looks like a guest submission.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I am unsurprised that a kiruv organization doesn't want to carry a mia culpa about how the frum community runs. Too many people violate R' Noach Weinberg's advice, "Do not judge Judaism by the Jews." This is going to be doubly true of an organization that thinks that kiruv is supposed to be marketing more than education.