Rabbis And Sex Offenders

Given the choice between a correct moral action and an action that protects "the community" or "the yeshiva" or "the rabbi" from possible shame and prosecution, most rabbis choose…

…to protect their own.

Here's the most recent example from today's Jewish Week:

…In an announcement during services last Shabbat morning at Congregation Rinat Yisrael, Rabbi Yosef Adler said that additional youngsters are believed to have been victims. He urged parents to speak to their children and, if they have information, to come forward to the authorities.

The rabbi, who is also rosh yeshiva of the Talmudical Academy of Bergen County (TABC), a boys' high school, said that the more youngsters who come forward, the greater their collective credibility would be in the event of a trial.

Rabbi Adler told The Jewish Week on Tuesday that he and his rabbinic colleagues at the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County had discussed the case, but that as far as he knew, he was the only rabbi to date to speak out and encourage cooperation with the police.…

This is not simply a haredi problem. The rabbis of Bergen County, New Jersey are primarily Modern Orthodox.

The Case of Adam Melzer.

[Hat Tip: JWB.]