NEW YORK
Jewish Daily Forward

Editorial

True character, the man wrote, requires the courage to admit that, despite one’s best intentions, “I now recognize that I was wrong.” Imagine if every leader had the strength and the humility to write those words and to believe them, to acknowledge a mistake plainly and publicly, without embellishment or justification. Imagine if leaders simply apologized and took full responsibility for their mistakes, not as a calculated step toward vindication and further advancement, but because it was the right thing to do.

Norman Lamm’s July 1 letter announcing his retirement as chancellor of Yeshiva University contained that heartfelt admission and, by doing so, added back some luster to a legacy sadly tarnished by the abuse scandal that occurred at Modern Orthodoxy’s flagship educational institution under his watch. Ever since the Forward broke the news that former staff members at Y.U.’s Manhattan High School…