Jewish Week by Rabbi Heshie Billet, a former president of the Rabbinical Council of
America, is spiritual leader of the Young Israel of Woodmere. [see letter from Rabbi Efrem Goldberg]
The time for serious vigilance of child abuse in the Modern Orthodox
Jewish community is long overdue. It is time that lay and religious
communal leaders have zero tolerance for child abusers and cease to
cover up, enable, or protect them.
In recent years, both in Israel and in America, our community has
learned many painful lessons on this topic, and institutions that have
owned up to mistakes made in the past and seek ways to create policies
that would avoid repeating these mistakes have made some progress. But
we have not done enough. The progress made has been insufficient. [...]
In defiance of Takanah's warnings, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, head of
Yeshivot Bnei Akiva (YBA), the network of Bnei Akiva yeshivas in Israel,
engaged Rabbi Elon to teach in his boys' yeshiva, Ohr Etzion, and
rehired him after Rabbi Elon's conviction.
Psychologist and others have observed that this case highlights the
danger of charismatic figures, and a failure of the Israeli rabbinate.
Followers caught in the allure of such individuals surrender their
freedom of choice. We call groups like this a cult. Furthermore, besides
the broader Takanah panel, most of the Israeli rabbinate has chosen to
remain silent on this case. Rabbi Druckman has gone a step further by
enabling Rabbi Elon to teach in a boys’ school, which could potentially
have tragic consequences. [...]
In the U.S., parents of a boy in Lakewood, NJ pressed charges of sexual
molestation against Rabbi Yosef Kolko. Rabbi Yisrael Belsky, the
Orthodox Union’s halachic authority for kashrut, publicly accused those
parents of “mesirah,” the crime of turning a Jew over to secular
authorities. As a result, the complainants were driven out of Lakewood. A
few months ago Rabbi Kolko confessed to his crimes. Nevertheless, Rabbi
Belsky continues to condemn the complainants as “mosrim.” His position
is contrary to the OU's position and that of its rabbinic arm, the
Rabbinical Council of America, that child abuse must be reported to the
secular authorities.
The OU has refused to publicly rebuke or take any action against Rabbi
Belsky. It is time that the OU publicly condemn his defiance of the
rules of the RCA and the OU. Principles must trump kashrut revenues in a
major Orthodox organization’s order of priorities. The existence of the
Takanah Forum in Israel is refreshing. Nothing like it exists yet in
the United States, though still our community has made some progress in
recent years.[...]
Never heard of this Billet dude.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is supposed to be significant?!
DeleteSure. When some non-entity attacks a Godol HaDor such as HaRav Belsky shlita, it is something you sigh and chuckle at rather take seriously.
Deletethat is exactly my reaction to your comment
DeleteAt least the feeling is mutual. :-)
DeleteIt is good that we can both chuckle at this.
Spilling blood of the elderly and accessory to murder of children, nothing much to chuckle at, especially if you claim him being a godol.
DeleteThat is your misfortune. Rabbi H Billet is the Rav of the largest shul in the FIVE TOWN areas with an open house to a Yeshivish, Sefardic, Young Marrieds, Israeli, etc. minyonim also. A large congregation and a Rav with a normative voice for Torah observance.
DeleteLooks like the only way for people to make a change is 'voting with their feet'.
ReplyDeleteSo stop buying OU certified kosher products.
DeleteROTFLMAO
Problem with that is you will eventually not buy any Kosher certified products, because the problem can and does exist everywhere.
DeleteMove to a farm and make your own food.
DeleteThe issue of Rabbi Belsky goes far beyond the issue of mesira/molestation. There is the question of motzi shem ra. He publicly claimed the accusers (the father? the boy?) was himself guilty of molestation. Unless Rabbi Belsky can back up this claim, the OU should fire him. To my knowledge the OU has not asked Rabbi Belsky to explain himself. By not doing so, the OU has tarnished its own reputation.
ReplyDeleteben dov
1honestlyfrum.blogspot.com
For all the cohorts that remain silent, shma minah denichei lehu. It is like a beis din chotzif with blood on their hands. He should be considered ovar ubotel she'avar alav haklach, at best. He gave a hechsher on Atliz that sold neveilos utreifos, bought it for his family which is nogea bedavar, hirshia es hatzadik vehitzdik es horosho, mevayesh Tamid chochom godol berabim, hichriv mishpacha shleimah beyisrael, yorad lachayav spilling his blood with impunity, and Rosh Hashana memashmesh ubo. This whole saga is awfully bloody and no relief in sight. The only one shedding tears is mishnah of beikvosei demeshuche kanei sofrim tisrach, and how.
ReplyDeleteNobody publicly condemned Scheinberg - he was on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah! It seems like the higher up you go, the more immune you become from any criticism.
ReplyDeleteRav Belsky is a Tzaddik at The End of The Day He is The only One who Will Go To Bat for a Yochid
ReplyDeleteSpilling the blood of a whole family, especially when turning tables 180*, no big tzidkes there. Eretz al techasi damam.
ReplyDeleteRabbi belsky is not just a rov talmud chochom posek or rosh hayeshiva he is one of our gedolim living today.Whether you all agree or not with rabbi belsky is not the issue.What is the issue is the way you all talk about rabbi belsky.If you would know what the gemorah and seforim bring down what happens to people who defame a talmud chochom let alone a godol,you would all run to ask mechilah.I pity you all. A kesivah vchasimah tovah.
ReplyDeleteThe case with Belsky and the OU is similar to the lanner case where the OU also refused to take action untill it was too late. Here we have a case where Kolko admits guilt- an halachicly important staement - and Belsky refuses to admit his error which led to the suffering of a famliy whose child was abused. And people still refuse censor him. How sad.
ReplyDeleteTeaneck Jew
If you would know what the gemorah and seforim bring down what happens to people who defame a talmud chochom, Huh? Now which Talmid chacham exactly are you referring to? The SHOCHAT mamesh or the NISHCHAT & co. driven out of lakewood. I also heard of an expression, what goes around comes around. That goes for both, laymen and gedoylim, aka al tishpechu dam... vechsinu es domoy. Spilling blood of innocent helpless children, not even the Arei Miklat can conceive. There is no slicha or mechila for such. Leolam yapil es atzmo letoch kivshon haesh veal yichlom pnei chavero barabim, that goes on grown ups as well. We need to hear charata before yemei harachamim. Avinu malkenu chamol al olelenu vetapenu.
ReplyDelete