AUSTRALIA
The Age
January 29, 2015
Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie
The man’s extreme views were posted online in a discussion about Mesirah, the Jewish law that forbids a Jew from informing on another.
A Melbourne man wanted by police for questioning over an alleged sex offence at St Kilda’s Yeshivah centre wrote on an internet blog that it is acceptable to kill a Jew who reports another to secular authorities.
The man, who Fairfax Media has chosen to not to name, made his comments on an internet blog allegedly associated with prominent figures from Melbourne’s Orthodox Jewish community.
Fairfax Media has confirmed the man, who is a member of one of the St Kilda Yeshivah centre’s leading families and is presently overseas, is wanted for questioning by police in connection to an alleged sexual assault in the 1990s.
The man’s extreme views were posted in 2011 and were made as part of a discussion on an ancient Jewish rule known as Mesirah, under which a Jew is forbidden from informing on a fellow Jew. …
Outspoken Melbourne victims’ rights campaigner Manny Waks said on Thursday that the Royal Commission hearings would expose the extent of intimidation of several victims. He also hoped they would be a catalyst for a change in attitudes within the Orthodox Jewish community.
“It’s critical that the public and the Jewish community are fully informed of the victim intimidation that has gone on in recent years. Sadly it seems to be the norm within the Orthodox segment of our community, both in Australia and globally. I believe that a combination of pressure from both external and internal forces will be the catalyst for change,” Mr Waks said.
“The reality is, there are many other victims out there, and no doubt some of them have been intimidated into silence by virtue of what they have observed is happening within our community. Rabbis and other leaders are sending mixed messages. In some cases it is due to ignorance and in others it’s to protect Jewish institutions and the reputation of our community.”
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