“Rav Bina would single out specific kids in class and say things like, ‘You look at porn and you will for the rest of your life. You told me that; I know what you do. Get out, pack your bags." Such students were told by the rabbi they were being sent to cherem (a form of censure or excommunication) and had to transfer to a yeshiva in the south of the country, in the isolated community of Mitzpeh Ramon, often without their parents being notified. One former Netiv Aryeh teacher described the environment of the yeshiva as one of “constant emotional abuse” during the four years he was there. He said he was one of a number of teachers forced by Rav Bina to go to one of the school therapists, and that the sessions were not kept confidential.
Rabbi Aharon Bina
Rabbi Aharon Bina is a sadistic man.
According to The Jewish Week, Bina, who is the rosh yeshiva of Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem's Old City, verbally and emotionally abuses students.
I knew about most of these allegations for years.
I didn't post them because no one who made the claims would use their real name.
I also didn't post it because the blogger mentioned in the article did not grasp the difference between a day school and a yeshiva, and in a very childish way he thought he had every right to do whatever he wanted within reason after yeshiva class hours.
But that is not the way yeshivas work.
That said, Rabbi Bina clearly has a major problem and he should not be teaching.
Unfortunately, the Modern Orthodox establishment appears to be circling their wagons to protect Bina:
Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side, says that “whoever Rav Bina is, and whatever his way of teaching and reacting may be, it is well known in the community that he is, on the whole, a person who deeply loves his students and cares very much about their development.
“He may be guilty at times of what I would consider ‘tough love’ and talks freely, perhaps going overboard and embarrassing people, but all of the situations I am aware of are where he cares deeply about the students and wants to keep them on the straight path.”
Rabbi Lookstein, whose son was a student of Rav Bina two decades ago, said he can think of no other Israeli rebbe who is flown in to the U.S. to officiate at as many weddings of former students as Rav Bina, an indication of the devotion and affection his students and their families have for him.
“I know from personal knowledge that he teaches students to be baalei chesed [kind people], to give of themselves to the community and to individuals,” Rabbi Lookstein said. “That’s the Rav Bina I know, and if sometimes his speech is too quick and too strong, he’s a human being who can make mistakes. And that is the essence of the man.”
Asked about the critical statements some former students of Rav Bina have made, Rabbi Lookstein said, “I’m not familiar with blogs,” adding, “When I talked to him recently, he said he was spoken to by a professional from another institution and that he has tried very hard to avoid this kind of speech.”
Yeshiva University, which sends students to Bina's yeshiva, claims to have checked out Bina:
“We asked pointed, tough questions,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Jewish Week after declining to be interviewed in person, “and received what we judged to be straight answers. We learned that changes had been made and that specific programs and procedures had been put in place to not only monitor the situation but to ensure the safety of all the students.”
Goldberg did not respond to The Jewish Week’s request for details about the nature of the review or the changes that were put in place.
[An alleged victim] and his mother say they were never questioned about his encounter or how the yeshiva dealt with the complaint.
Goldberg said that since the 2010 meeting with Rav Bina, neither he nor YU staff members in Israel have heard of any new grievances. He added that were they to learn of “a credible new complaint, we would certainly look into it immediately and respond appropriately.”
The Jewish Week goes on to list incidents that took place after YU's review.
Rabbi Avraham Lipskier, who used to be the rosh yeshiva of Chabad's Tiferes Bachurim ba'al teshuva yeshiva in Morristown, New Jersey behaved much the way Rabbi Bina allegedly does.
Lipskier is a sadistic prick who beat his children, slapped and punched students, was verbally and emotionally abusive, used cult techniques to try to 'snap' students who were too independent (he tried this on me but I caught him and he admitted it), and who quite literally had pet students who he had spy on other students. Lots of Chabad emissaries knew Lipskier was trouble but nothing was done to stop him. Years later he was thrown out of the yeshiva by the head Chabad emissary in New Jersey, Rabbi Herson, because Lipskier was a messianist.
Just like with Bina, many students loved Lipskier. But there was a sizable minority who hated him.
You can read the entire Jewish Week exposé here.
[Hat Tips: Shish, critical minyan.]