Rabbi Yosef Feldman tells child abuse royal commission reformed paedophiles deserve leniency

By Peta Carlyon
ABC News
February 9, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/paedophiles-should-not-have-feel-like-scum-of-the-earth/6080474

Rabbi Feldman told the royal commission sinners did not deserve to be known "all around the world" for their crimes.

Paedophiles who are no longer abusing children should not have to spend their lives feeling like the "scum of the Earth", a senior rabbi has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Rabbi Yosef Feldman, a leader within the Sydney Yeshivah community, told the inquiry he was friends with convicted child abuser Daniel Hayman when he was arrested and charged in 2011.

He said he did not think it was fair that a member of the community should go to jail for an historical case of child abuse if they had already repented and received treatment.

"I would be asking for more leniency on people who have shown that they haven't offended in the last 20 years or decades ago, and have psychological analyses that this is the case," Rabbi Feldman said.

"Once someone is not a paedophile any more or is showing [he] is not acting wrongly any more, that should be considered in a very strong way.

The more lenient approach would show "when you do the right thing, you won't get mistreated badly and it's not the end of the world ... then you are not treated like a pariah, like a scum of the Earth".

Rabbi Feldman lashed out at the media, saying publicity about child sex abuse "encourages even people who may not be real victims or may want to be considered heroes" to go to the police.

"Like we have seen here in Melbourne, we had one rabbi who was ultimately vindicated, and I was very against too much of a public situation, like I see with the media also, they go out in a very public way, and also exaggerating, at times lying," he said.

"I'm worried about the effect of the hype of child abuse."

His lawyer told the commission Rabbi Feldman had received death threats since Friday's hearing, in which he said he did not understand it was illegal for an adult to touch a child's genitals.

Rabbi Feldman was asked about an apparent conflict between one of his public statements and a private email he sent in mid-2011.

The commission heard Rabbi Feldman had once written to the Sydney Beth Din (Jewish court) that convicted paedophile David Kramer's "life and family is being ruined now for no good reason."

In a sometimes heated exchange, he told counsel assisting the commission, Maria Gerace, he was entitled to his own opinions, and denied they were at odds with the rule of law.

He said he was concerned about miscarriages of justice occurring.

"It's obvious I care about people," he said.

"A rabbi cares mostly about people."

Rabbi Feldman told the commission, Jewish law dictated that "you have to be very careful about not embarrassing people" and "the less the media is involved the better".

He said sinners did not deserve to be known "all around the world" for their crimes.

"The publicity of someone being charged and the naming and shaming, it's already public," Rabbi Feldman said.

Ms Gerace responded that perhaps it would give more encouragement to others who were abused to come forward and face their perpetrators.

"I have thought about that and I have no problem with the general pronouncement," Rabbi Feldman said.

"But not at times when it seems like a PR process and it seems like when there's hype and then you join in the hype ... it's all false, that sort of thing.

"If the rabbis would come out at other times, at normal time, nothing to do with any hype, with society... saying this is a strong issue we should deal with, that is fantastic and the victims are the most important and we have to deal with that."

Rabbi Feldman said he did believe in secular law and reporting child abuse immediately.

"But not matters of a PR situation ... that's what brings about false charges and things of this nature," he said.