Accused Pedophile, Newly Released On Bail Pending Trial, Gets Honor In Chabad Synagogue

"We believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to adhere to their religious beliefs and practices, but questions must be asked. Importantly, how is it that Mr Hayman was given this honour on the day he was released from prison – and within the same institution that the offences were alleged to have been committed and in light of the allegations that the leadership were themselves involved in a cover-up? It is also astounding that so many members of this congregation felt that it was befitting Mr Hayman to be their conduit to God through this prayer service."

Tzedek, the Australian anti-child-sex-abuse organization, writes:

Daniel “Gug” Hayman leads Yeshiva prayer service upon release from prison

6 November 2013

This morning Tzedek received an anonymous phone call from a concerned member of the Sydney [Chabad] Yeshiva community stating that last night Daniel “Gug” Hayman, soon after his release on bail, went to Sydney’s [Chabad] Yeshiva Centre and led the evening services (as a cantor) in their main synagogue. We have now been able to confirm this with a Yeshiva congregant who was present during these services. Apparently Mr Hayman led the second, smaller service.

It should be noted that Mr Hayman recently lost his mother and there is a special prayer (Kaddish) that mourners are required to say during services for one year (and on other special occasions). However, there is no obligation to lead the services – this is only a custom within mainly the ultra-Orthodox community. There is also no obligation for these prayers to be conducted in a synagogue – they may be conducted anywhere where there are ten Jews (a Minyan).

We believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to adhere to their religious beliefs and practices, but questions must be asked. Importantly, how is it that Mr Hayman was given this honour on the day he was released from prison – and within the same institution that the offences were alleged to have been committed and in light of the allegations that the leadership were themselves involved in a cover-up? It is also astounding that so many members of this congregation felt that it was befitting Mr Hayman to be their conduit to God through this prayer service.

It is reasonable to assume that if someone was alleged to have committed other serious crimes (e.g. serious assaults, especially against multiple innocent and defenceless victims), that he would be an unwelcome guest at Yeshiva – certainly not seen fit to lead a prayer service.

Allowing Mr Hayman to proceed in a way that indicates business as usual sends out a very poor message to the victims and to the community.

There are many within the Yeshiva community who want to see sustainable change in terms of how their community addresses the issue of child sexual abuse. For this to occur, they must take action. In this case, they need to hold the leadership to account for their words and deeds.

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Comments

[dh]

Revolting.

[ah-pee-chorus]

They've gone absolutely insane down under. I thought chabad here was immoral enough but there it seems to have reached a whole other level of batshit crazy.

[David]

Frumma always honor pedophiles and other crooks.

[Edith]

He is an ovel. His custom is to doven at the omed with a minyan so he can say kaddish. Anyone who has been through this for a year will tell you it's not much of an honour. I see no problem letting him doven in a shule as a chazan and say kaddish, especially since he hasn't been convicted yet. You don't have to give him an aliyah or talk to him. Are you saying you shouldn't let him in the shule at all? Or sell him kosher meat? And then where do you stop, if he stole $1 million? $100,000?

[Aussie]

Gug has now been booted and is banned from entering yeshivah....
order came from gabby amzaleck president of the synagogue....

[S M L]

"...It is also astounding ..."

Unfortunately no, it isn't at all. It's just what one would expect.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

. I see no problem letting him doven in a shule as a chazan and say kaddish, especially since he hasn't been convicted yet.

no, edith. he neither 'has to' lead the service, nor do they have to allow him.
all he really has to do is recite qadish. there are limits in halakha as to who qualifies to be a shaliach tzibbur.
this type of characters doesn't add honour to a shul.

[Edith]

The Chabad minhag is that an ovel dovens at the omed, irrespective of his character etc, so it is not a great honour, as everyone does it, and especially if he makes a second minyan outside in the foyer. Yom Noraim is different.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

The Chabad minhag is that an

to be kind to them, I will only say that they are 'original'.

[Reese]

Come on now, is anyone surprised by this? Everyone knows Lubavitch rabbis are notorious for giving aliyahs, etc... to sex offenders, and then throwing out anyone who objects!

[Jeff]

Yet when they invite the college kids for Shabbat and begin their indoctrination, they somehow never get around to telling them about this sort of thing.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

>>>"He is an ovel. His custom is to doven at the omed with a minyan so he can say kaddish. Anyone who has been through this for a year will tell you it's not much of an honour. I see no problem letting him doven in a shule as a chazan and say kaddish, especially since he hasn't been convicted yet. You don't have to give him an aliyah or talk to him. Are you saying you shouldn't let him in the shule at all? Or sell him kosher meat? And then where do you stop, if he stole $1 million? $100,000?"<<<

Edith –

There is something called halakha, Jewish law. It does not recognize the Chabad "minhag" (custom) you cite and which is in any case a very recent addition, meaning it has no ancient roots or provenance.

Anyone who leads prayers according to Jewish law must be fit to do so according to halakha's definition.

Gug Hayman is in a category of a person accused of committing heinous sex offenses against children and those accusations halakhicly are considered to have raglayim l'davar – credibility.

A person with that status cannot lead prayers, ovel (mourner) or not.

Can he be in the synagogue (under supervision) and answer kaddish? Probably yes.

Can he recite kaddish? Perhaps – but most likely only if others are also reciting it and all of them recite it together.

But he certainly cannot lead prayers – especially in the building where his alleged crimes allegedly took place.

[dh]

I once asked our local Chabad rabbi, a terrific charismatic guy prone to temper tantrums, whether something was halakha or rabbinic. He started hollering, "What's the difference?!" At 6'4", all red in the face and pounding the table, I was scared into silence. All that could be heard was the crisp snap of my wallet closing.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

"a terrific charismatic guy prone to temper tantrums" - that a job requirement for shluchim? seems to be such a common trait.

APC, your pithy assessment says it all.

[Aussie]

But he certainly cannot lead prayers – especially in the building where his alleged crimes allegedly took place.

Posted by: Shmarya Rosenberg | November 06, 2013 at 12:30 PM
-----------

This is not true.....There has never been any claim that the offenses took place at the Yeshivah center....
He is currently facing charges for offenses that happened at camps....

But watch this space as there are more charges to come....))

[Yosef ben Matitya]

dh | November 06, 2013 at 12:41 PM

I find nothing in this episode to be terrific. As to charismatic, never good to attribute this 'quality' to chabad, scientologists, or polygamist Mormons. (other Mormons, I don't know except for disliking Romney.)

[Yosef ben Matitya]

He is currently facing charges for offenses that happened at camps....

Aussie, even if it was at a camp, a community camp for all intents and purposes, is an extension of the shul.

[Aussie]

@Yosef....

I was just correcting a point so that it would not be seen that the offenses took place in the shuel....

But like I said....There is more to come Not only in regards to victims but in relation to the cover up....so watch this space.....

[dh]

YbM @ 3:11, You're right. Why can't I see that... still? Yikes.

Don't get me started on the Morons, even the non-polygamist. They have the highest rate of spousal abuse (somewhere in the low 70%) in the US and they do recognize that. Their united solution is to pray about it.

[Aussie]

Seems Gug WAS a shadchin.....

http://www.myshidduch.net/2013/11/warning-about-shadchan.html