[SOURCE]
It goes to show that religious people are more inclined to be concerned with their own reputation than the safety of the children entrusted to them.  In a previous blog I covered the way that some in the Melbourne Jewish community have attempted to keep all this hush hush.
From 1984 to 1991 this low life allegedly used his position to gain access to children and abuse them. Â It’s a story we see again and again in all walks of life, from the scouts to the catholics to schools and now, like a great big pelican dropping, the Jewish community.
And what do you think the community does?  You’d hope that they would ring the police, but alas, the ”high-standing members of the Jewish community” did nothing.
”They failed to act in any way to protect children and the matter has been swept under the carpet,” Senior Constable Metcher told Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Why would that be? Â Why, years and years after the events, after all that has gone before in other religious based schools and institutions, would you continue to employ a person with such a history?
Asked on what she based this, Senior Constable Metcher said: ”Based on the lies told to police and information that has been twisted and covered up.”
And when the truth starts to bubble to the surface this so-called community lies, twists and covers it up? Â How disgusting.
Is the well-being of the children of so little importance to the ‘high-standing members of the Jewish community’ that the reputation of a school should prevent them from taking proper action to deal with these things.
In the previous blog I quote the head of the JCCV:
“If there is sexual abuse, victims must be encouraged to make reports and must not be made to feel that they’re going to be ostracised or punished in any way whatsoever,†Mr Searle said.
That’s right, he wants the victims to be encouraged to make reports. Â Of course, what he should also have been doing is making sure that those with the knowledge, those in positions of authority, should have been fully co-operative with the investigation.
Everyone that covered this up should be held accountable, the high-standing should hang their heads in shame and resign.  Their names should be spread across the community as collaborators to the alleged offender and they should no longer enjoy the trust of their community.  They are now in the league of low-lifes too.
This is a truly shameful situation. Those who were complicit in covering up the abuse need to be punished under the law. Only pity Rabbi Chaim Groner, headmaster at the time the abuse occured, has since died. His involvement in not reporting the abuse to the police is disgraceful. Jail would have been most befitting for an individual as disgusting as him.
Mikey a correction. There is no “Rabbi Chaim Groner, principal at the time who has now died”.
You’ve merged a series of facts into one lump.
Just to clarify.
Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner was head of the community at the time. He has since passed away.
He was not, nor has he ever been the principal of the school.
His preference at the time, as leader of the community, was to deal with the issue internally.
There is much conjecture as to whether he would act differently were he alive today. Hard to know really, since he isn’t.
Thus far though, other Rabbi’s from the same community have not stepped forward with information. So this does not bode well for them.
Bruce,
I disagree with your opening remark, as it is an unfair generalisation. You have lumped everyone into one category by saying “religious people”.
Not fair to do that with any group. “black people”, “catholic people”, “gay people”.
As you already know, there are good and bad amongst us. Those who try and do right and those who persistently fail to do right.
Please note that there are many religious people who have spoken up, granted not nearly enough, but action is happening in the Jewish community because of decent and brave religious and non religious amongst us.
They all deserve our support, because this is a really tough road.
I do, however agree with you on your later remark, that the JCCV should be calling on leaders/those in positions of authority to step forward as well, not ONLY victims.
Thanks Malki, I said “religious people are more inclined to be concerned with their own reputation than the safety of the children entrusted to them.”. Sure, religious people are speaking up, and yet, here you are concerned with the reputation of religious people.
Generalisations abound, I admit it. I have little respect for religious belief.
Malki, you are correct. I did mean Rabbi Yitzhok Groner in my comment above. Yes, I was referring to his decision to deal with the allegation of abuse “internally” rather than immediately report the claim to the police. I find his actions completely reprehensible.
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