I tried posting this at Cross Currents 4 hours ago, but it hasn’t appeared yet. I’m guessing it never will. It was in response to Adlerstein’s article.
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> It is time to bury the myth that there is a serious halachic barrier to going to authorities to deal with credible reports of such behavior.
Rabbi Adlerstein, them’s fighting words. The Agudah’s official policy, stated at a recent conference, is that one should “consult a rabbi before going to law enforcement authorities with suspicions of sexual abuse committed by community members.” See this article in the Forward for details: http://www.forward.com/articles/138131/#ixzz1NQNya8k0
Quote: “Rabbi David Zwiebel, Agudah’s executive vice president, told the conference that even mandated reporters… should consult a rabbi before going to the police.”
I commend you for your brave position and for your demand for a shift in communal attitude.
One hopes that your words also be unambiguously directed at those most responsible for cultivating this attitudeI asked Agudah to comment on this before I posted it. In particular, I wanted their response to the claim that mandated reporters have been instructed to speak to Rabbis before they go to the police. I hoped the organization would provide some clarification or rebuttal to this shocking, hard to believe, report.
Unfortunately, Agudah refused to comment, citing a policy of not providing comments for blogs under any circumstances.
Remember: If Cross Currents won't post your comment, I probably will. Send it to yourfavoriteblooger at gmail dot com .
Hedyot posted about this himself here.
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