What do we do with Rabbis who are Alleged and or Convicted Sex Offenders and their Smicha's (Ordination)?
The following is a repeat from March 5, 2005. Considering everything in the news today, I thought it was appropriate to republish it.
---------------------------------
I was recently having a conversation with someone regarding the topic of having a rabbi's ordination overturned/revolked.
I was told the only way that can happen in orthodox circles (RCA or Agudath Israel of America) is if the rabbi who gave the ordination takes it back.
There's a problem though; If the rabbi who gave an offender his smicha dies, then there is nothing anyone can do. I think about how rabbis can decide all sorts of things, but I don't understand why they haven't had a summit to change this practice? Do they care more about thier image, then they do about protecting innocent potential victims?
I either read somewhere or was told that Marc Gafni almost had has his ordination revoked. But right before that happened he gave it back to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. Gafni still has ordinations by other rabbis. My question is that with all the information that's available, why hasn't those other rabbis also revoked his ordination?
I've also been told it's highly unusual for a rabbi to revoke an ordination. I'm really confused with the Gafni case, why hasn't every Jewish news paper didn't pick it up? Wouldn't you think it would be headline news?
I also think about all the smicha's Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach has given. Off the top of my head I automatically think of Rabbi Hershy Worch, who was living in Chicago, and now resides in Istanbul, Turkey.
I heard that because Hershy Worch doesn't belong to any rabbinical organization, meaning there is nothing any can do.
So the Worch saga continues. He is still considered an orthodox rabbi. So the odds are he is continuing his Kiruv work (Jewish outreach), and practicing S & M form of Kabbalah. Luring more victims in.
If an orthodox rabbi is an alleged or convicted sex offender, they will remain being a rabbi. Think about it. If you can't revoke a smicha, and all you can do is kick someone out of a rabbinical association, then does it really make a difference what can you do? The alleged or convicted offender can continue using their title of rabbi to lure in innocent victims and continue offending.
Maybe everyone needs to contact the rabbinical associations (RCA or Agudath Israel of America) and see if public pressure will get them to change?
Click on the photos below to learn more about the following minyon of "Rabbis".
---------------------------------
I was recently having a conversation with someone regarding the topic of having a rabbi's ordination overturned/revolked.
I was told the only way that can happen in orthodox circles (RCA or Agudath Israel of America) is if the rabbi who gave the ordination takes it back.
There's a problem though; If the rabbi who gave an offender his smicha dies, then there is nothing anyone can do. I think about how rabbis can decide all sorts of things, but I don't understand why they haven't had a summit to change this practice? Do they care more about thier image, then they do about protecting innocent potential victims?
I either read somewhere or was told that Marc Gafni almost had has his ordination revoked. But right before that happened he gave it back to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. Gafni still has ordinations by other rabbis. My question is that with all the information that's available, why hasn't those other rabbis also revoked his ordination?
I've also been told it's highly unusual for a rabbi to revoke an ordination. I'm really confused with the Gafni case, why hasn't every Jewish news paper didn't pick it up? Wouldn't you think it would be headline news?
I also think about all the smicha's Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach has given. Off the top of my head I automatically think of Rabbi Hershy Worch, who was living in Chicago, and now resides in Istanbul, Turkey.
I heard that because Hershy Worch doesn't belong to any rabbinical organization, meaning there is nothing any can do.
So the Worch saga continues. He is still considered an orthodox rabbi. So the odds are he is continuing his Kiruv work (Jewish outreach), and practicing S & M form of Kabbalah. Luring more victims in.
If an orthodox rabbi is an alleged or convicted sex offender, they will remain being a rabbi. Think about it. If you can't revoke a smicha, and all you can do is kick someone out of a rabbinical association, then does it really make a difference what can you do? The alleged or convicted offender can continue using their title of rabbi to lure in innocent victims and continue offending.
Maybe everyone needs to contact the rabbinical associations (RCA or Agudath Israel of America) and see if public pressure will get them to change?
Click on the photos below to learn more about the following minyon of "Rabbis".
posted by Jewish Survivors at Friday, November 18, 2005
5 Comments:
why do you have only orthodox rabbis listed here?
I think it's because this letter is addressing how the orthodox community wants to ignore the issues at hand.
I'll be honest with you, I personally hold the Torah Observant rabbinical organizations at a higher standard then the other rabbinical groups. You would think they would want to be the leaders in revoking the ordinations of rabbis who are sexual predators instead of promoting them and making them principals of boys yeshivas or helping them to move on to another community.
The more I read the more outrage I feel. What will it take for the RCA, OU, Agudath Israel of America to make the necessary changes? When will they be more concerned about the safety of our children then if they are davening correctly, or if a chicken is kosher or not.
One problem is that most people think if someone has the title "rabbi" it means that they are respectable individuals.
I know for myself I made a mistake. I trusted a rabbi I met on line. Friends of mine in a Jewish chat room told me he was "kosher". I learned the hard way that he was not. He did not sexually abuse me, yet he did come on to me several times on the telephone. I felt flattered. I didn't know enough to know that it was a red flag.
As time went on, I learned about his extremely unethical behavior. I learned I was not the first, nor the last that would be manipulated by him.
There needs to be a warning system, a list of rabbis that are trustworthy or something.
It makes me sick that our systems is no better then the Catholic Church.
JWB wrote:
Carlebach had his smicha revoked.
Then what would the value of Worch's smicha be since he received his from Carlebach?
JWB ---
Who revoked Carlebach's smicha?
Post a Comment
<< Home