- ORTHODOX UNIONThe Orthodox Union is the world's largest Jewish resource, working to enhance, enrich and empower the Jewish experience.
- OU KOSHEROU Kosher certifies over 500,000 products in 83 countries, making it the undisputed world leader in kosher certification.
- NCSYNCSY instills a passion for Judaism in 35,000 teens each year in 40 states and over 200 cities in the US, Israel, Canada, Chile, and Argentina.
- SYNAGOGUE SERVICESThe OU Synagogue Services Department helps over 800 synagogues reach new levels of inspiration and achievement.
- IPAThe Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) is the OU's advocacy arm, protecting and promoting the values of the Orthodox Jewish community in the public square.
- Yachad/NJCDYachad champions the inclusion of over 5,000 individuals with disabilities in Jewish life.
- ISRAELOur "home away from home" in Jerusalem, the OU Israel Center, annually welcomes over 100,000 visitors and residents.
- JLICOn 15 college campuses, the OU's Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) program involves thousands of Jewish students in Torah learning and Jewish life.
- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTThe OU Community Engagement Department touches the members of our community with programs that enrich their daily lives.
- EDUCATIONThe OU Department of Day School and Educational Services crafts innovative strategies for Jewish educational institutions.
- OU PRESSOU Press publishes books of Jewish thought and prayer that educate, inspire, enrich and enlighten.
- JEWISH ACTIONJewish Action, the OU's quarterly family magazine, explores the people, ideas and trends that are integral to Jewish life today.
- ALUMNI CONNECTIONSAlumni Connections fosters a continuing relationship with thousands of NCSY graduates as they take their place in Jewish life.
- OU WEST COASTOU West Coast brings OU programming to Jewish communities in the western U.S. and Canada.
- SHABBAT SHALOMDelivers all you need for Shabbat—divrei Torah, stories, recipes—in one weekly email.
Your Community
Caulfield North 07 AU Change Location Dec 14, 2012 / 1 Tevet 5773 / Mikeitz 5:51 AM 8:37 PM Fri. 8:19 PMZmanim Calendar
OU Joins the RCA in Applauding Guilty Verdict of Orthodox Jew for Child Molestation
Dec 10, 2012 – The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), the world’s largest organization of Orthodox rabbis is encouraged by the process that led to the conviction of Nechemyah Weberman, an Orthodox Jew who acted as an unlicensed counselor and was today found guilty for the sexual molestation of an adolescent girl. For many years the RCA has condemned the efforts of many parts of the Jewish community to cover up or ignore allegations of abuse, viewing these efforts as against Jewish law, illegal, and irresponsible to the welfare of victims and the greater community. The RCA strongly advocates, as a matter of Jewish law, the reporting of reasonable suspicions of child abuse to the civil authorities and full cooperation with the criminal justice system. The RCA decries any invocation of Jewish law or communal interests as tools in silencing victims or witnesses from reporting abuse or from receiving therapeutic and communal support and strongly condemn those members of the Jewish community who used such tactics in this case.
In light of the issues raised in this trial the RCA commits itself to increasing the training of its members who serve in all areas of the rabbinate, including pulpits, education, chaplaincy, and communal service, to know how to recognize, prevent, and respond appropriately to issues of child abuse. In addition, the RCA will help its members develop policies regarding prevention and response to issues of child abuse in their individual congregations and schools, as well as in their larger communities, and, where nonexistent, to support the creation of response teams that include mental health practitioners, law-enforcement personnel, and specially trained rabbis to respond to allegations of abuse and molestation.
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, president of the RCA, stated, “Weberman’s conviction is validation of our commitment to work with law enforcement to protect the innocent victims of our community and to hold their perpetrators accountable.” Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Vice President of the RCA and founder of JSafe: The Jewish Institute Supporting an Abuse Free Environment, added, “We, like other religious communities, have come a long way in recent years in recognizing and addressing issues of child abuse in our communities. We increasingly understand that our religious texts, traditions, and values must serve as resources of strength and support for members of our faith communities, not as roadblocks to their safety and security.”
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, president of the RCA, stated, “Weberman’s conviction is validation of our commitment to work with law enforcement to protect the innocent victims of our community and to hold their perpetrators accountable.” Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Vice President of the RCA and founder of JSafe: The Jewish Institute Supporting an Abuse Free Environment, added, “We, like other religious communities, have come a long way in recent years in recognizing and addressing issues of child abuse in our communities. We increasingly understand that our religious texts, traditions, and values must serve as resources of strength and support for members of our faith communities, not as roadblocks to their safety and security.”
We, the leadership of the Orthodox Union, join the Rabbinical Council of America in applauding this verdict. We are dedicated to combating the scourge of abuse in our community in every possible way, and are guided by the policies referred to in the above statement.
- Dr. Simcha Katz, President
- Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President
No comments:
Post a Comment