A Pedophile Who Repents Should Likely Not Be Reported To Police, Senior Chabad Rabbi Says

Rabbi Yosef Feldman also said rabbinical organizations issuing statements to the media in support of abuse victims might prompt “fake victims” to go to police, and proven victims to exaggerate their stories.

Above: Rabbi Yosef Feldman

As I noted in a previous report about this Feldman claim, because pedophiles have an extremely high recidivism rate and are rarely "cured" or even properly controlled and managed through therapy, castration drugs and close supervision, what Feldman is calling for will just cause more children to be raped and abused. The key point here is that there is no way to really know if a "former" pedophile has really stopped abusing kids. There's no 24/7 close monitoring possible (except in prison) and no way to keep pedophiles completely away from kids.

However, as the Guardian reports, Feldman still advocated this bizarre position yesterday during Australia's Royal Commission hearing:

A victim of child sex abuse should not necessarily go to police if the perpetrator has not offended for decades and the abuser has repented to God, a senior Jewish leader has told a royal commission.

Rabbi Yosef Feldman also said rabbinical organisations issuing statements to the media in support of abuse victims might prompt “fake victims” to go to police, and proven victims to exaggerate their stories.

The royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, before Melbourne’s county court, is investigating abuse within the Orthodox Yeshivah organisations and their communities in Sydney and Melbourne for the first time.

“There should be a lot more leniency on people who have shown that they haven’t offended in the last 20 years or decades, and they’ve had psychological analyses ... and if they have done repentance,” Feldman said on Monday.

“Even for victims, knowing repentance is a big thing, they would understand how repentance is the main point. They should respect that specifically – if they [the perpetrators] have repented and if they have [paedophilic] tendencies, and don’t act on that.”

The commission also heard that less than 24 hours after Feldman issued a statement on behalf of the Rabbinical Council of New South Wales in 2011 encouraging victims to report abuse to police, he emailed a senior rabbi within Yeshivah to say he was concerned an alleged perpetrator and friend under investigation by police, David Cyprys, was being treated unfairly “for no good reason”.

He was rigorously challenged on that course of action by counsel assisting the commission, Maria Gerace, who put it to Feldman that the email was evidence that the statement he issued on behalf of the rabbinical council was not genuine.

“Not more than 24 hours before, you had issued your own statement saying that you unequivocally supported allegations being reported to police,” Gerace said. “And as soon it has practical effect for someone you know, you raise a complaint.

“Your concern is only for Cyprys, not the victims there.”

Feldman responded: “I think it’s unfair, the way I’m being questioned.”

But Gerace pressed Feldman on why he issued the council statement while he was simultaneously questioning the legitimacy of abuse claims.

Feldman said: “The only reason we [the council] got involved is because we were being criticised about why we weren’t coming out with a public statement.”

“I have no problem coming to the Jewish community, but to go to media I think it’s bad for the Jews.”

The statement said victims should go to police because that was what secular law dictated, he said.

“That’s what needs to be done, unfortunately, because that’s the law,” he said. “But if the law could be changed ... but since it is the law we have to follow the law.”

Feldman told the commission he believed “too much hype” about child sex abuse encouraged false allegations.

“By saying everyone can go report [abuse] could encourage even real victims to exaggerate, and that’s not good,” Feldman said. “My opinion is the less the media is involved, the better it is to protect the victims.”

The commission also heard he contacted the victim of another perpetrator and Yeshivah teaching assistant, Daniel “Gug” Hayman, and asked the victim whether he would be “happy” if Hayman ended up in jail. Both Hayman and Cyprys were convicted for their crimes.

Throughout his evidence Feldman appeared nervous, tapping his foot on the floor and speaking too loudly into the microphone. He was consistently asked to move back from the microphone, and to focus on the questions.

Last week, Feldman told the commission that while he was the director of a Yeshivah college, he was unaware of mandatory reporting laws around child sex abuse in NSW, and that he did not feel he needed training because “sex abuse is not common”.

The hearings continue.

Related Posts:

Pedophiles Who repent Deserve Leniency, Top Chabad Rabbi Says.

All Rabbi Yosef Feldman Posts.

All Royal Commission Posts.

Comments

[another aussie]

He is not a senior chabad rabbi. He is the son of Chabad Shliach rabbi pinchas feldman. He runs the smicha program which has a handful of students. He is the rabbi of a small modern orthodox shul is the Sydney suburb of Illawarra. I don't think any Chabadniks consider him a leader. All Chabadniks I speak to in syd are mortified by his opinions.

[another aussie]

Furthermore, the only reason he got onto the rabbinical council was because of his position at Illawarra and district hebrew Cong (in syd they revolve the presidency of the council by letting everyone have a turn. It happened to be his turn when the waks story went public).

Do you really think after watching the guy that he's a leader with any sort of following?

[jancsibacsi]

This feldman should be banished from living among civilized people,a person who can say he doesnt know that touching childrens genitals is wrong does not belong in a civilized world,he belongs in a jungle were he would have to fend for himself.

[Alter Kocker]

Sure, why not? While we are at it, let's forgive all the murderers who repent, lets forgive all of the theives who repent, let's not forget all of the terrorists who repent, and let's not forget all of the anti-semites who now love Jews. The list goes on and on. And while we are at it, rabbi, let all those who repent, come and live with you.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>“I have no problem coming to the Jewish
>community, but to go to media I think
>it’s bad for the Jews.”

And yet he had no hesitation in sending correspondence to the media stating that brave survivor Manny Waks is a “phony victim” in 2011. This is clear mozi shem rah. And the Rabbi claims he did not remember his smear until the email was pointed out to him recently? Anyone believe that? Has he even tried to do proper teshuvah as he described it? No. He did not contact Manny Waks personally. He only made a public apology at the Royal Commission because he was publicly caught in his disgusting conduct and had no alternative. This enabler and protector of pedophiles must go. He should never hold a position of power or authority again.

[ha rav raisun]

feldman you cunt. a rabbis backside at best

[nachos ( the original one)]

Jack:
Is this the face of orthodox Judaism?

[Veridicus]

Most of what is commonly believed about pedophilia is based on the presumption that all child/older person sexually expressed relationships are intrinsically pervasively harmful. But is this supposed harm intrinsic to the interaction, or does it instead result from the social hysteria that occurs when such a relationship is discovered? There are no legitimate data supporting intrinsic harmfulness, and no credible pathway or mechanism for such harm has been demonstrated. For further discussion, see http://www.shfri.net/mech/mech.cgi

There are indeed some people who trick or force children into unwanted sexual interactions. But there are vast differences between consensual sexually expressed child/older person relationships and unilateral "child sexual abuse" by an older person. For a scientific journal discussion of these distinctions as they apply to boys, go to http://www.boyandro.info

[No way]

Every time this man opens his mouth, he changes feet.What a chillul Hashem. What he is doing will hurt Chabad down downunder immeasurably. There is so many good people in Chabad who are going to be ostracised and tarnished just because. The only cause of action is for the 'old guard' who treat Chabad as a family business, to step aside and allow the organisation to rebuild with new G-D fearing men and women. Alas it ain't gonna happen......

[Joe Field]

Veridicus

You scumbag, stop promoting NAMBLA's position. A child doesn’t have the ability to consent.

[noname]

@No way
"There is so many good people in Chabad who are going to be ostracised and tarnished just because"

As well they should. Where are they now - if they want to be distanced from this freakoid, they should announce that to the world. Surely they know "shtika k'hodaya.." Surely they've read what he said about touching genitals. As long as they don't condemn him they should CERTAINLY be ostracized as well.

[Kishka]

Pure Feldman made one mistake.

He understood CHABAD DOWN UNDER to mean below the belt!

Just a small misunderstanding.