Facing up to the past
Just a week into the Royal Commission hearings into the handling of child abuse allegations at Yeshivah in Melbourne and Yeshiva in Sydney and the evidence is already both harrowing and shocking.
True, much of what we are hearing now is not new to us. Over the past few years, the press has plastered claims of abuse and cover-up across their front pages; they have been the subject of a number of court cases, not to mention a TV documentary; and emails, blogging and social media sites have become battlegrounds where bitter accusations and counter-accusations seek to destroy reputations.
Nonethless, for all that we had already heard and already knew, the evidence presented by witnesses over the past few days has been no less disturbing or distressing – lives shattered, trust betrayed and, time and again, a blind eye turned to heinous crimes with individuals and institutions prioritising the welfare of perpetrators over that of their young victims.
Much of the evidence appears conclusive and damning with serious questions raised about the ongoing response of individual religious leaders and institutions when confronted with abuse.
Some failed to contact the authorities, some allowed or even facilitated the flight of perpetrators, one rabbi claimed a victim had merely dreamt or imagined the sexual assault endured, another rabbi didn’t realise touching a child’s genitals was illegal, that same rabbi argued against his colleagues issuing a statement urging victims to go to the police for fear of the impact it might have on his friend, the now convicted child abuser David Cyprys.
We have also heard tales of victims being bullied, of victims wanting to kill themselves and of their families being shunned and intimidated by former acquaintances and rabbis.
With a week still to go, much may still come out. But one thing is for certain.Those that are found to have acted inappropriately, to have failed the children in their care, to have obstructed the proper pursuit of justice, to have rejected the rule of Australian law or to have sought to prevent the truth coming to light must finally hold their hands up, take responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences.
To do otherwise would be to allow this sordid and shameful episode in our community’s history to continue, and this is not an option.
Over the past few years, there has been too much bad blood, too much in-fighting too much recrimination. The dirty laundry that some tried to conceal from the public gaze has spilled out into the full glare of the media spotlight bringing shame on our community.
Enough.
With the Royal Commission, Australian Jewry has reached a watershed moment – it is time to face up to and admit our past failings, to fully understand where errors were made and to resolve, as individuals and a community, never to commit them again.
It is a time to move forward. And we must not allow pride, obstinacy or denial to prevent us from seizing that opportunity.
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