Letters to the Editor- 7-23

Posted
Issue of July 23, 2010/ 12 Av 5770

Not the way we do thing

To the Editor: Your front-page headline "Witness tampering charged in abuse case: Beth Medrash Govoha implicated" (July 9, 2010) cries out for clarification. The accompanying article is sorely inadequate in its attempt to attribute to the Yeshiva implication in such a crime. According to the article the source of the “implication” is the anonymously distributed flier accusing the father of a victim of “going to the police without going to a Beis Din, and without the Haskama of any rabbi…even after he was approached by prominent members of Beth Medrash Govoha.” The article’s analysis of the actions by the “prominent members of Beth Medrash Govoha” as being associated with witness tampering reflects a fundamental lack of understanding as to the nature of rabbis’ responsibility in communal affairs. There is a story told of a suspected Jewish murderer hiding in the shul of the town of Satmar in the years preceding the Holocaust. The Satmar Rav zt”l was asked what to do. “Ruf der Politzei” (call the police) he answered. By contacting the Rav first, all confusion, acrimony and community divisiveness was thereby avoided from the outset. Persons affected by events such as what happened in Lakewood should first consult with a competent Rav, a lawyer and a mental health professional prior to calling the police. The responsibility of the Rav is to teach and provide guidance. Each case is different and needs careful, sensitive evaluation as it impacts diversely on the lives of all the individuals involved, and sometimes on the community as a whole. To ignore the Torah’s authoritative and time-honored Halachic process of including Rabbonim in such matters is to invite just the sort of communal discord and invective as we have witnessed here. May our own communities and those of all mankind be spared from further cases of alleged abuse. We are all davening for the ultimate Geulah Shleima. Rabbi Rephael Skaist Far Rockaway

Not enough

To the Editor:

Kudos to Rabbi Aaron Kotler for his letter condemning "intimidation in any form or format" of those who report childhood sexual abuse to the police (Letters to the Editor; July 16, 2010). However, absent a formal pronouncement from BMG's rabbinic leadership - to wit, Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon and Rabbi Malkiel Kotler - that all incidences of childhood sexual abuse must be reported directly to the police, Aaron's letter does little to deal with a devastating problem in Lakewood's yeshiva community. Ben Hirsch Brooklyn, NY Ben Hirsch is president of SFJ (www.sfjny.org), an organization that advocates on behalf of victims of abuse.

Don't be so humble ...

To the Editor: For what it's worth, in my humble opinion, your paper's the best Jewish one out there. I don't get it because I'm in Boston, but I read your online reports. Your coverage of child abuse, the Tropper saga, and most recently the Hersh controversy gave the readers the facts, but sifted through the propaganda issued by interested parties. It is excellent and responsible reporting; so many other papers would do well to take a leaf from your book. Kol hakavod! Baruch Pelta Boston