Paris, France - French Principal Indicted for Failing to Report School Abuse Cases |
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Paris, France - The 55 year old principal of an Orthodox school in was indicted by a Paris judge on Thursday for failing to report sexual abuse in minors to the authorities, in an effort to protect the image of the Jewish community.
According to reports on French news site RTL.fr, (http://bit.ly/W7ok4g) several students at the Beth Hanna school claimed to having been touched inappropriately by a supervisor at the school. When parents brought their concerns to the principal, identified only as “Benjamin M.”, he did not inform authorities of the possible abuse, and is accused that he also tried to convince parents not to make their claims public so as not to dishonor the Jewish community.
The supervisor in question was indicted in November and eventually fired by the school.
One family decided to ignore the warnings of the principal to keep their silence and took the matter to the minors brigade of the Parisian police, which led to his subsequent indictment. Two parents were also taken into custody in relation to the alleged abuse but were released without being charged.
Beth Hanna, located in northeast Paris on Rue Petit, is reportedly the largest Lubavitch school in Europe with an enrollment of approximately 2,000 children.
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Read Comments (15) — Post Yours »
1
Feb 22, 2013 at 12:02 PM ProminantLawyer Says:Report as Inappropriate
The schools should maintain every effort of symbolance of rules and regulation. We cannot have this permeate the school. A gitten bis nechte voch.
2
Feb 22, 2013 at 12:05 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
I will never understand how a parent can remain silent when his/her child is abused. How do they sleep at night???
3
Feb 22, 2013 at 12:31 PM Butterfly Says:Report as Inappropriate
I wonder if this is the tip of the iceberg??
4
Feb 22, 2013 at 12:55 PM DavidCohen Says:Report as Inappropriate
If he was indeed aware of abuse, and if he did indeed fail to report (or encouraged others not to report), then he deserves jail time and worse. Hopefully this will be part of a bigger trend of locking up all mandatory reporters who fail to do so, be they teachers, Rabbonim, social workers, or anyone else. Anyone who helps to conceal abuse is guilty of enabling ongoing abuse, and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
5
Feb 22, 2013 at 01:32 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
What will the spinners say now?
6
Feb 22, 2013 at 02:57 PM LGinsburg Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ If he was indeed aware of abuse, and if he did indeed fail to report (or encouraged others not to report), then he deserves jail time and worse. Hopefully this will be part of a bigger trend of locking up all mandatory reporters who fail to do so, be they teachers, Rabbonim, social workers, or anyone else. Anyone who helps to conceal abuse is guilty of enabling ongoing abuse, and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. ”
Agreed. The problem here - NYS - is that clergy members are not mandated reporters. So, even if one witnesses the abuse, and happens to have the title Rabbi, that person isn't required by current NYS law to report - insane, but true. this is why a Rabbi in Upstate NY not only didn't lose his job, but wangled an additional contract from his congregation.
7
Feb 22, 2013 at 04:20 PM bewhiskered Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ What will the spinners say now? ”
“What will the spinners say now?”
Well, if they're going to spin, they're going to be ליובאוויטש spinners. It will, one way or the other, be interesting to see if they play the denial game. Time will tell.......
8
Feb 23, 2013 at 11:22 PM Yeshivah Life Says:Report as Inappropriate
Imagine you worked your life keeping up a school - I would like to see you hand your teachers over to civil authority.
What will happen if this principle puts down a member of his community reports them and hands them over the Goyshe authority. During the court session the alleged abuser might reveal many other things happening in the school or the community (not related to abuse) and lead to the school closing down and many other arrests.
9
Feb 24, 2013 at 01:00 AM stamm Says:Report as Inappropriate
it says here that the supervisor was fired from the school so i wouldnt say the principal was in denial or negligent. Although he should have reported all this maybe he did to the local frum authorities. we don't know if he took other precautions. (not trying to side with anyone here just to be reasonable)
10
Feb 24, 2013 at 07:23 AM Norden Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Imagine you worked your life keeping up a school - I would like to see you hand your teachers over to civil authority.
What will happen if this principle puts down a member of his community reports them and hands them over the Goyshe authority. During the court session the alleged abuser might reveal many other things happening in the school or the community (not related to abuse) and lead to the school closing down and many other arrests. ”
You have the gall to tell us that it is much crime more important to conceal because this "might reveal many other things happening in the school or the community (not related to abuse) & lead to the school closing down and many other arrests".
According to you, this sort of philosophy - maintaining prestige & profits versus maintaining dina malchusa & parental trust - is far more important than the moral & physical welfare of the pupils entrusted to the school.
If there are “many other things happening in the school or the community (not related to abuse)” what moral reason is there to compound the crime? If someone in your community was to murder your mother r”l would you cover for him/her? Do you mean that living in a kehilla infested with Jewish criminals is right and proper? What would your reaction be if your concealment of crime philosophy because this "might reveal many other things happening in the school or the community” was to be adopted by the goyim? They could get away with murder – possibly the murder of Jews c”v – because of that.
Unscrupulous scum such as you, Yeshivah Life #8, are the reason that orthodox yiddn have been typecast throughout the centuries
11
Feb 24, 2013 at 01:17 PM DavidCohen Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Imagine you worked your life keeping up a school - I would like to see you hand your teachers over to civil authority.
What will happen if this principle puts down a member of his community reports them and hands them over the Goyshe authority. During the court session the alleged abuser might reveal many other things happening in the school or the community (not related to abuse) and lead to the school closing down and many other arrests. ”
Misplaced priorities and utter stupidity. Schools exist for the benefit of children, not for the benefit of the school. Safety of always children comes first! As for what may come out during an investigation, well, there is a simple solution - don't steal, don't cover up abuse, don't commit fraud, don't break laws, and then you'll have nothing to worry about!
13
Feb 24, 2013 at 02:17 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Imagine you worked your life keeping up a school - I would like to see you hand your teachers over to civil authority.
What will happen if this principle puts down a member of his community reports them and hands them over the Goyshe authority. During the court session the alleged abuser might reveal many other things happening in the school or the community (not related to abuse) and lead to the school closing down and many other arrests. ”
if i worked my whole life keeping up a school,hmm? well, i've been teaching for 30 years and tragically i've encountered some with the same sick and warped priorities as you. no school is worth more then it's student physical and emotional welfare.if those who run it think it is,then the school should be shut down.
14
Feb 24, 2013 at 08:38 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Misplaced priorities and utter stupidity. Schools exist for the benefit of children, not for the benefit of the school. Safety of always children comes first! As for what may come out during an investigation, well, there is a simple solution - don't steal, don't cover up abuse, don't commit fraud, don't break laws, and then you'll have nothing to worry about! ”
"there is a simple solution - don't steal, don't cover up abuse, don't commit fraud, don't break laws"
If you are Religious I imagine that you and all others attending your school are millionares and pay 15,000 tuition per year for each of your ten children (just like public schools get).
Now your school does not need to commit fraud etc. because they are able to cover expenses through your tuition.
(In reality we are saving taxpayers billions of dollars by financing our own schools, and this is the only reason NYC is fighting so hard against tuition vouchers).
To answer #10,#11,#13:
Proof that Civil authorities are not the answer is-
At the END OF DAY there are no more victims of abuse in orthodox communities than in other communities in Brooklyn.
There are far better ways of dealing with abusers within our community.
The Rabbonim and Jewish leaders of the past 50 years are not all so stupid and naive.
15
Feb 25, 2013 at 03:07 AM Norden Says:Report as Inappropriate
"There are far better ways of dealing with abusers within our community."
How? Does דינא דמלכותא דינא no longer apply in yiddishkeit- except when it suits *you*?
16
Feb 25, 2013 at 09:27 AM DavidCohen Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ "there is a simple solution - don't steal, don't cover up abuse, don't commit fraud, don't break laws"
If you are Religious I imagine that you and all others attending your school are millionares and pay 15,000 tuition per year for each of your ten children (just like public schools get).
Now your school does not need to commit fraud etc. because they are able to cover expenses through your tuition.
(In reality we are saving taxpayers billions of dollars by financing our own schools, and this is the only reason NYC is fighting so hard against tuition vouchers).
To answer #10,#11,#13:
Proof that Civil authorities are not the answer is-
At the END OF DAY there are no more victims of abuse in orthodox communities than in other communities in Brooklyn.
There are far better ways of dealing with abusers within our community.
The Rabbonim and Jewish leaders of the past 50 years are not all so stupid and naive. ”
Are you seriously suggesting that we have to steal, commit fraud, and break laws, to educate our children? And having done so, what exactly are you going to teach them? Are they going to learn hilchas momenus? Are you going to teach them parshas mishpatim? Are you going to teach them to be ehrilich? Do you not see the hypocrisy in what you are suggesting? Justify it all you want, but this is textbook mitzvah haboah min haveriah.