The Rabbi Says " Sorry"

J-Wire
June 24, 2013

http://www.jwire.com.au/news/the-rabbi-says-sorry/35271

Rabbi Baruch Lesches

Rabbi Baruch Dov Lesches has apologised for remarks reported by Fairfax Media intimating that young sexual assault victims may have been consenting.

In a prepared statement Rabbis Lesches says: ”

I would like to apologize for statements made in a private telephone conversation that caused pain to the greater public. I deeply regret the incident.

I would like to make my position absolutely clear: Without any reservation, I endorse the rabbinical rulings encouraging victims of abuse to report to the police.

I was saddened to see an edited audio clip released by the Australian media regarding a personal phone conversation I had with an alleged victim of child abuse. I am troubled by the unprofessional conduct of the reporter who did not call me to verify the facts. Had he called me, I’m sure the information I would have provided would have produced a dramatically different article.

As I clearly told the caller in a subsequent phone conversation: I had no knowledge of the alleged charges claimed to have occurred some twenty-five years ago and discussed in the news report. In the conversation, I was discussing a separate incident where I was under the impression that both alleged parties were similar in age, twenty-one years old, a fact noted by Fairfax at the end of the audio clip. I was never informed of any allegations regarding minors prior to this call.

In retrospect I am shocked to hear of these allegations, because I often entrusted my own young children to the care of the alleged perpetrator, without hesitation. I would never have done so had I known of the allegations.

I reiterate my apology, and am firmly committed to taking every effort to eradicate child abuse in all communities. If the caller had mentioned present abuse, I would have advised him to contact the proper legal authorities.

In my present community, where I am the Rabbi, there is no reticence to contact the police. We do not hide from or cover up criminal behavior. In our schools this is a known fact, and one of the reasons we, may G-d protect us, have to date not been afflicted with the evil disease of child sexual abuse.”

Baruch Dov Lesches

The Fairfax article clearly states that Rabbi Lesches counseled a sexual abuser who had” abused a boy a decade his junior”.

The incidents happened in the 1980s when Rabbi Lesches, who currently lives in the USA, was working at the Sydney Yeshiva.

In what Fairfax claims is a legally taped conversation Rabbi Lesches alleges that some victims agreed to sexual acts.

Rabbi Eli Feldman whose father was head of the Sydney Yeshiva at the time of the alleged assaults told J-Wire: “We are very open with the police and are are working with them. Rabbi Lesches has not been a member of our staff for over ten years.”

J-Wire understands that Fairfax did not speak directly with Rabbi Lesches.

The Rabbinical Council of Victori has added its voice to the recording.

In a media release, they said: “The Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) is appalled by, and unequivocally distances itself from, comments attributed to Rabbi Boruch Lesches as reported in The Age (23 June 2013). As stated on numerous occasions, the RCV encourages the reporting of all incidents of child sexual abuse to the police.

In recent years the RCV, in conjunction with the Jewish Taskforce Against Family Violence (JTAFV), has held numerous training sessions for its members and members of the Victorian Rabbinate in general; these sessions have been focussed on appropriate response to disclosures of all forms of abuse, including the reporting of child sexual abuse to the police.”

RCV President Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant said that any suggestion that the reported comments are “consistent with the approach of many senior

orthodox Jewish figures in the community” is malicious in nature and incorrect. “It is deeply regrettable and shocking that there still do exist some individuals out

there on the fringe in the religious leadership world who take positions contrary to the clearcut contemporary halachic (Jewish law) approach on the matter of child

sexual abuse.” “The RCV will continue to promote the reporting of abuse to the police and to renounce any suggestions or individuals who take a

contrary position on this matter,” said Rabbi Kluwgant.