Jerusalem – After Pressure, Rabbi Druckman Says Rabbis Need To Oppose Sex Offenders

    9

    Rabbi Haim DrukmanJerusalem – After heavy pressure from top donors, Rabbi Haim Druckman issued a statement Tuesday expressing the importance of standing up to sex offenders and predators, and on the side of their victims.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    Druckman has been strongly criticized for his failure to publicly condemn Rabbi Moti Elon and to apologize for having publicly supported him after he was convicted of sex offenses against a minor in 2013.

    Two donors to institutions connected with Druckman have cut off their funding due to his failure to publicly distance himself from Elon. Druckman made his comments in a letter to the heads of hesder yeshivas on Tuesday. They are due to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the subject of sexual abuse in educational frameworks and throughout the national-religious community.

    “This is an opportunity for me to express my position regarding our full obligation to confront sexual abuse and to stand on the side of those who are harmed, and to stand against those who do such harm, without a hint of hushing or covering it up,” Druckman wrote.

    “Unfortunately, I acknowledge that part of my activities in this realm gave a different and wrong impression because the steps I took were not properly understood,” he added

    “I am very saddened by this and especially if there are people who were offended by this,” he continued. He finished by saying that he very much appreciates those who work in the field of combating sexual abuse and helping those affected by it, saying that he felt a responsibility to give back to those working against abuse.

    He did not mention Elon by name.

    Elon was convicted in 2013 of two counts of sexual assault against a minor. Druckman, however, publicly criticized the conviction, and invited Elon to lecture at his yeshiva in Merkaz Shapira.

    After several years, Elon returned to public life, giving lessons and receiving students in private.

    In December 2018, new allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Elon, alleged to have occurred over the previous 12 months. The alleged victim brought audio and video evidence of Elon’s sexual abuse to Druckman, as well as to rabbis Yaakov Ariel and Shmuel Eliyahu.

    On the basis of the evidence, the three rabbis instructed Elon to stop teaching and all public activity, and to stop receiving youths in private.

    Despite calls for Druckman to publicly acknowledge he had erred in criticizing Elon’s conviction in 2013 and to apologize for the error, the rabbi has until now refused to do so.

    The letter published on Tuesday is the first real acknowledgment that he may have made mistakes in the way he dealt with Elon.

    Manny Waks, founder and director of the Kol V’Oz campaign group, rejected Druckman’s statement as insufficient however and described it as ‘a non-apology.”

    Waks notes that Elon is “a convicted child molester,” and that Druckman publicly defended him and invited him to teach at his institutions.

    “Druckman has effectively publicly endorsed Elon as a teacher and a leader. Druckman was very clear: the court wrongly convicted Moti Elon, said Waks.

    “It’s now clear Druckman was wrong, very wrong. And not for the first time, when he covered up for convicted pedophile Ze’ev Kopolovich,” he added in reference to Druckman’s failure to report the sexual abuse of students at the Nativ Meir yeshiva high school by then dean Kopolovich.

    “Druckman must publicly and unequivocally apologise, and must take responsibility for his actions,” concluded Waks.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    9 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    yamsar
    yamsar
    5 years ago

    Can we be mechalel Shabbos to save a victim, or is it only for the terrorist hilltop youth?

    Shlomo-1
    Shlomo-1
    5 years ago

    So, nu? Now you can explain how “the steps I took were not properly understood.”

    Secular
    Secular
    5 years ago

    Very sad.

    The problem is that often times these allegations (sometimes unproven) are used to batter and silence political opponents, and by association those who share their views. The seriousness of the charge alone without appropriate evidence is often sufficient to destroy the man.

    Think : Clarence Thomas , Brett Kavanaugh, Dominic Strauss Khan, Roy Moore , Duke Lacrosse team , just to name a few.

    It seems Rabbi Drukman may have been protesting the ‘show trial’ aspect of the original allegations, and viewed the original allegations and media circus with incredulity.

    Moti Elon big Talmid Chacham.

    Very sad.

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    5 years ago

    Denouncing child molesters ought not to even be up for discussion. Why is this even an issue? Obviously these people need to be detected and punished.

    qazxc
    qazxc
    5 years ago

    He was probably told if he continued to support sexual predators he would have to buy a black hat and join the Agudah.

    BoruchH
    BoruchH
    5 years ago

    Very obviously these sexual predators are not afraid of the government, either in Israel or in America.
    So we see a society that cannot protect its children isn’t worth existing.
    Abysmal failures.
    Government is a joke and a tragedy.

    BoruchH
    BoruchH
    5 years ago

    qazxc,
    Once one of these sexual predator, beasts is caught, convicted & executed, graphically ( NOT the phony ‘Death Sentence’ by lethal injection, hidden from the public) I think this will have a powerful effect.
    Do we really care about children?
    The power is in our hands.