January 2, 2014
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4928
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Rabbi Chaim Druckman, one of
the most prominent Rabbis within the national religious movement, has
responded to Rabbi Mordechai Elon’s conviction on charges of sexually
assaulting minors, by employing him as a teacher in the Or Etzion
Yeshiva where he serves as the Rosh Yeshiva. This has sent shockwaves
through the religious Zionist community. It also poses a serious
challenge to the Bayit Yehudi political party.
Naftali Bennet, the head of
Bayit Yehudi, ran on a platform which highlighted religious reform. A
charismatic personality, he communicates well with secular Israelis and
has even succeeded in projecting himself as a trendy liberal. But until
now, either from inability or unwillingness, he has failed to confront
the tough issues of religious reform.
Bayit Yehudi cannot remain on
the sidelines in relation to such a fundamental issue as sexual
misconduct within the rabbinic community. If it does not respond
appropriately to this latest imbroglio, it will contribute to its own
demise.
It is not my intention to
provide a detailed analysis of the tragic Rabbi Mordechai Elon issue.
Rabbi Elon was one of the leading and most charismatic rabbis within the
religious Zionist movement. His weekly Torah television presentations
were widely popular. He was at one time head of the renowned Yeshivat
Hakotel, headed the Horev School and was considered a possible Chief
Rabbi. To this day he retains numerous followers who insist on his
innocence.
The Elon case was drawn to the
attention of Takana, a forum of prominent rabbis and respected religious
laymen established to deal with issues of sexual abuse from within the
national religious sector.
Shocked by the evidence
presented to them, Takana confronted Rabbi Elon who allegedly confessed
to a number of incidents which occurred in schools and hotels. Takana
sources claim he expressed contrition and undertook to move to Migdal in
northern Israel and to cease all public engagements.
However, Rabbi Elon
subsequently reneged on his commitment and resumed contact with young
people. As a result, Takana reported him to the authorities and he was
arrested. The court was only presented with two cases of many other
cases because most parents declined to press charges in order to protect
their children from public exposure.
Rabbi Elon was convicted on two
counts of sexual assault of a minor for which he received a suspended
15 month prison sentence and probation for three years. He was also
required to perform six months community service and pay a NIS 10,000
fine.
Following the verdict, Rabbi
Elon claimed that the allegations against him were false and displayed
no remorse. His fervent supporters went so far as to accuse Rabbi Aharon
Lichtenstein and Rabbi Dov Lior, rabbis from opposite ends of the
national religious spectrum, of conspiring with other rabbis to destroy
Rabbi Elon out of envy of his high public standing.
Rabbi Druckman also came to his
defense. An Israel Prize winner, former MK and cabinet minister, the
spiritual leader of the Bnei Akiva youth movement and head of its
network of yeshivot, he is one of the doyens of the religious Zionist
movement
But Rabbi Druckman did not
merely disagree with the findings of the court. He defiantly proclaimed
that Rabbi Elon would continue teaching at his yeshiva, Or Etzion.
It is noteworthy that he had
previously been questioned by the Attorney General for having defended
the convicted pedophile Zeev Kopolevitch, former head of Jerusalem’s
Netiv Meir Yeshiva High School who was convicted of indecent acts
against his students.
For Rabbi Druckman to defy the
findings of the courts and his own colleagues – even if he is personally
convinced of Rabbi Elon’s innocence – repudiates respect for the rule
of law and is unconscionable.
Indeed there are many who
question as to whether a person convicted of sexually abusing minors or
enabling others to do so, should retain the title “rabbi”. If the same
rabbis were found to be transgressing Shabbat or Kashrut, surely their
titles would be removed. Is sexual abuse of innocent children considered
a lesser affront to Judaism?
Rabbi Druckman’s behavior
demonstrates that a rabbi who is deeply respected for his learning and
piety is not necessarily qualified to deal with broad communal issues –
especially so if he lacks an understanding of worldly affairs.
Many have condemned Rabbi
Druckman’s decision to invite Rabbi Elon to continue teaching at his
state funded hesder yeshiva, describing the act as a Chillul Hashem
– a desecration of God’s name and urging him to reverse his decision. A
number of distressed parents who claim that their children were abused
have created a Facebook group “Supporters of the Victims of Rabbi Elon”
that states that “those who deny sexual violence, commit sexual
violence.” World Bnei Akiva Co-Chairman Daniel Goldmann has publicly
supported efforts to pressure Druckman to sever his relationship with
Elon. So far there has been no movement in this direction.
Sexual abuse in Jewish
religious institutions has emerged as one of the most tragic issues of
our generation. Fearing scandal, rabbis in the past were often inclined
not to report such cases to the authorities, thus enabling pedophiles to
continue preying on children as they moved on to other religious
educational institutions.
The question must also be asked
whether Takana itself did not err by failing to immediately report the
case to the authorities. Making an informal agreement with a man they
consider to be a sexual predator may have resulted in other children
being molested
As the political party claiming
to represent the religious-Zionist community, Bayit Yehudi cannot
simply bury its head in the sand and ignore this issue. It is obliged to
demand that Rabbi Druckman, who is considered the spiritual leader of
their youth movement, Bnei Akiva, distance himself from a convicted
sexual predator.
Yet, when pressed to comment in
a radio interview, Minister Naftali Bennett merely responded: “I think a
man convicted of this should not be teaching. Certainly not for a
period of time”. Really? Does Bennett believe that a person convicted of
sexually abusing minors should ever again be permitted access to them?
Only Bayit Yehudi MK Uri Orbach
responded appropriately, saying that convicted offenders “must not be
permitted to teach young people... And that first and foremost we have
to stand behind the victims.”
For many religious Zionists,
the Rabbi Druckman/Rabbi Elon issue is a litmus test of Bayit Yehudi’s
willingness to stand up and be counted. They are understandably asking
“How can a religious Zionist party seeking to promote Jewish values
remain silent when one of its leading rabbis adopts such an outrageous
stand and openly defies the rule of law?”
If Naftali Bennett cannot get
his act in order and display leadership on such an issue, there is
little hope that his party will fulfill its mandate to bring about the
religious reformation that he promised and Israel so desperately needs.
The writer’s website can be viewed at www.wordfromjerusalem.com.He may be contacted at ileibler@leibler.com
This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom
Some of my recent articles:
Haaretz Debases Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (December 26, 2013)
Crucial that Netanyahu Creates Coherent Settlement Policy (December 22, 2013)
Obama’s Munich Reverberates but Israel is no Czechoslovakia (December 11, 2013)
New Religious Leadership Needed (November 28, 2013)
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