Chabad Child Sex Abuse Victim Condemns "Unaccountable And Immoral" Chabad Leadership

"…Since the Yeshivah leadership has clearly not acted to address the issue of accountability in any way, shape or form, it is our duty as a community to act. This is NOT about being against the Yeshivah (and/or the Chabad) community. It is about unaccountable and immoral leadership. And until there is some accountability and justice, they ought to be condemned.…"

 

A message from Tzedek Founder & CEO Manny Waks

27 November 2013

I would like to clarify several important points.

As many of you would be aware, I was sexually abused as a child while a student at Melbourne’s Yeshivah College and a member of the Yeshivah community.

After been found guilty by a jury of five counts of rape against one former Yeshivah student, David Cyprys finally (and reluctantly) admitted guilt to some of the heinous crimes he committed against many other children, including me. According to the plea deal, Cyprys committed his crimes against me during 1989-1990. I was 13yo-14yo at the time.

As the second last of his many known victims, this should never have happened. While Cyprys himself is the one to blame for perpetrating his unspeakable crimes against many innocent children, the Yeshivah leadership bears a great deal of responsibility. They were informed, repeatedly, throughout the 1980s, of the allegations that he had abused other children. Yet they did not take any adequate steps to protect the children under their care. All of this is indisputable.

The reason that I am noting all of this is to clearly explain my position regarding Yeshivah. Unfortunately I (and Tzedek) have been called “anti-Yeshivah” and even “anti-Orthodox”, and as someone who has “a vendetta against Yeshivah and/or Orthodox Jewry”. This includes by the current Yeshivah leadership. I have also been accused by some of wanting to bring Yeshivah down. It is clear that the Yeshivah leadership is in damage control/survival mode (as are those who were in various positions along the way, as well as some of their friends and relatives) and are resorting to desperate tactics. In some ways this is understandable.

Let me state unequivocally; these accusations against me (and Tzedek) are completely false. I appreciate many wonderful things about both Orthodox Judaism in general, as well as the Yeshivah Centre and its schools and programmes.

While I have been disappointed by, what I feel to be, the relative inaction by the broader Yeshivah community, I know that there are many good people within that community who are supportive of ridding the community of abuse and genuinely want to see change from the previously held perspectives. But those who want change need to understand that this will only happen if action is taken. Indeed, there are some members who are working towards that change. But more needs to be done, and by more people. I believe that this will happen, but it takes time for major change to occur. So, to clarify, I do not believe that the Yeshivah community is full of people who support paedophilia, the ongoing cover-ups or some of the unsavoury behaviour by the Yeshivah leadership.

My major grievances are directed solely at the Yeshivah leadership, past and present. They failed then, and are failing now.

How does it make sense that the Yeshivah leadership that was in place during much of the abuse and cover-ups, and among other things:

• was directly responsible for shipping off a perpetrator (former Yeshivah teacher David Kramer), who went on to re-offend overseas (please read the powerful Victim Impact Statement written by one of Kramer’s victims and read out by me in court on their behalf);
• despite the many allegations that were brought to their attention, allowed Cyprys to remain in charge of security until the mid-2000s;
• despite the many allegations that were brought to their attention, allowed Cyprys to attend Chabad Summer Camps;
• despite the many allegations against Cyprys, placed a student in his care whom he repeatedly abused;
• asked a victim to leave the school for daring to speak out and take action regarding his abuse by Cyprys;
• was publicly criticised by Victoria Police in court for not cooperating with them in these investigations; and
• includes a senior member whose testimony was described by the Magistrate as being “unfathomable”;

is basically the same leadership that is in place today?

And despite all of this, they remain completely unaccountable. Many of them are in the same positions of authority. Under their watch, students were brutally raped and molested. They were touched inappropriately. Many innocent children were violated under their watch. I and many others. Indeed, many members of the Yeshivah leadership were instrumental in the cover-ups, and in enabling paedophiles to continue to have access to children.

In my personal case, had the Yeshivah leadership ensured to take action once the first known allegations about David Cyprys were brought to their attention around 1984, and then again a few years later, by numerous victims and/or their families, then I probably would not have suffered the fate of so many of Cyprys’ other victims.

Where is the accountability? Where is the transparency? Where is the justice?

It is important to note that on numerous occasions, before they were in the firing line (after my story, which simply stated the facts, featured in The Age), I reached out to the Yeshivah Centre leadership – both personally and through intermediaries. They outrightly rejected those gestures of good will. To be clear, the offer was to talk in private and in strict confidence – not to turn it into a public affair. I even offered to sign a confidentiality agreement. They simply were not interested.

And while the Yeshivah leadership issued an apology on 24 July 2013, it is important to note that this disingenuous apology, among other things:

• was issued on the day of Kramer’s sentencing when Yeshivah was backed into a corner by the outcome of a criminal court case, rather than their own moral compass (they were aware of the abuse and had no reason to await sentencing);
• was claimed to be the second apology when in fact the first “apology” (dated 20 August 2012) was for ‘any historical wrongs that may have occurred’ (emphasis added) despite their knowledge of the abuses and cover-ups;
• was issued in the name of the newly-appointed Yeshivah College Principal (not by the Yeshivah Centre) who is new to Melbourne;
• claimed Yeshivah will offer support and counselling to victims who feel they need it without advising how such victims could access the counselling or reaching out directly to any known victims that we are in contact with (or to Tzedek, the organisation in direct contact with many of these victims); and
• stated that Yeshivah now had best practices and policies in place but did not address the cultural change needed to ensure victims and their families were supported rather than harassed and ostracised.

Since the Yeshivah leadership has clearly not acted to address the issue of accountability in any way, shape or form, it is our duty as a community to act. This is NOT about being against the Yeshivah (and/or the Chabad) community. It is about unaccountable and immoral leadership. And until there is some accountability and justice, they ought to be condemned. That is: the leadership, not the entire community.

So no, I am not “anti-Yeshivah”, I am not “anti-Orthodox”, and I certainly do not have a “vendetta against Yeshivah and/or Orthodox Jewry”. It is also completely unwarranted to make such false accusations against Tzedek. I can honestly say in good conscience that I did everything that I could to work with Yeshivah to try to resolve this serious matter (including approaching a senior Yeshivah official on several occasions in the 1990s and 2000s). I am merely seeking accountability and justice. On behalf of myself and so many other victims. And I will not stop until this is achieved. And neither should our community.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite members of the Yeshivah community who would like to have an honest discussion about any of this – or child sexual abuse more broadly – to contact me.

On Chanukah eve – the Festival of Lights – we will continue to shine a light where darkness has prevailed for far too long.

Happy Chanukah!

Recent Chabad Child Sex Abuse Posts:

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Alleged Chabad Molester Arrested In Beverly Hills

Can Children Be Better Protected At Chabad's Yeshivah Centre?

Latest Chabad Child Sex Abuse Scandal Deepens

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Comments

[Edith]

Not one child was asked if they are ok, if they were molested, offered councelling, or received a letter from Yeshivah recently. Yeshivah could have easily added their own letter to past students in Rabbi Kramer's class when the police sent out the leters. Pretty ironic seeing a police letter inside a Yeshivah envelope with nothing from Yeshivah. They were all told not to discuss it with anyone. I am still waiting.....

PS Sending out emails to parents offering councelling to the kids is not counted.

[Avi]

Is Rabbi Telsner still in situ? Even after that arbitration appeal roasting?

[dh]

Just bring 'em down, already.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Happy Thanksgiving to all on FM.

[Nobody]

I don't know if Mr. Waggess (no insult; one who understands will understand) reads FM or not, but there are a few key lessons to learn for anyone who comes from any kind of respectable tradition, whether Yemenite, Mizrahi, Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Kavkaz/Buchari, etc.

This is what we get when we dishonour our fathers' Torah and traditions by abandoning them in favour of sanctifying debased, degenerate cults and joining them.

Those erevRabbanim wearing black-and-white, topped with a Borsalino or other Euro-peon style hat (and not because the headgear is stylish, it's become a religious obligation), misleading their victimised flocks into ignorant degeneracy. When one of the pious fools realises he (sometimes she) was abused, molested, or otherwise grievously harmed spiritually, emotionally and physically, of course it is the victim who is a "moser", troublemaker, "michallel shem shamayim", of course.

Mr. Waggess, how much do you know of Maaritz (Mori Yihya Tzalech), for example, as opposed to, say "baal hatanya"?

To trade more than 2000 years of solid, deep, successful Torah living for perverse, quite modern quasi-Sabbatean/Frankist degeneracy-spawned cult - and we are supposed to be surprised at what goes on behind not-so-closed doors?

Just something to think about...

[RWisler]

BRAVO "Nobody" -- a great analysis of the idolatry that IS Judaism since the rise of chassidim and the "yeshivish" equivelent. Worship of the so-called "gedolim".

[S M L]

I attended an erev-Shabbat service at my daughter's Reform synagogue last week, a service at which a choir of children, including one of my granddaughters, from their large religious school sang. There was a beautiful spirit of community between the Rabbi and his assistant Rabbis, the children and the rest of the congregants. Even I who am resolutely non-religious was moved by the feeling in the room yet the black hats (of all varieties) look down on such worship and on non-ultra-orthodox Jewry generally while buggering the children in their own schools and shirking responsibility. There's a great deal more tikkun olam emanating from that Reform temple (Beth Elohim, in Wellesley, MA) than there is from the entire mass of Hasidim and other Haredim as far as I'm concerned. I sincerely hope Manny Waks nails their corrupt hides to a tree by the time he's done. They deserve that.

[Aussie]

Manny really hit the nail on the head here....
Had Groner or for that matter Feldman and M Gutnick in Sydney done the right thing when they first were informed then both Yeshivah in Sydney and Melbourne would not be in the mess they in today....

[Edith]

......and more importantly Manny and others would not have been molested.

[Jeff]

>>Even I who am resolutely non-religious was moved by the feeling in the room yet the black hats (of all varieties) look down on such worship and on non-ultra-orthodox Jewry generally while buggering the children in their own schools and shirking responsibility. There's a great deal more tikkun olam emanating from that Reform temple (Beth Elohim, in Wellesley, MA) than there is from the entire mass of Hasidim and other Haredim as far as I'm concerned.

Posted by: S M L | November 27, 2013 at 03:58 PM

Yes, but they ignore all of the important mitzvot - they daven without a mechitzah, use cholov stam dairy products and, horror of horrors, engage in mixed dancing. Apikorsim!