233:. On 28 January 2015 Fairfax Media reported secret tape recordings and emails had been disclosed, which revealed that members of Australia's Orthodox Jewish community who assisted police investigations into alleged child sexual abuse were pressured to remain silent on the matter. Criminal barrister Alex Lewenberg was alleged to have been "disappointed", and to have berated a Jew who had been a victim of a Jewish sex offender and whom he subsequently regarded as a
249:
sacked. Waks told of his shock when he learned a few days later that Kramer was still working at the school. He again confronted Glick, who then claimed that Kramer had admitted his guilt "because he wanted to be caught", but that the school could not dismiss him because, as Glick claimed, Kramer was at risk of self-harm. Waks also told the
Commission that despite his anger, he felt constrained from going to the authorities:
299:
I am appalled by it obviously, because the concept of 'Mesirah' really, you can become a death target. Taken at its literal meaning, you become potentially a target who is legitimate to be murdered, because you've gone and cooperated with the authorities. Now, I've never felt threatened for my life,
248:
sect in
Melbourne, Australia, testified in front of the Royal Commission. He stated that following his discovery that one of his sons had been sexually abused by David Kramer, a teacher at their school, Yeshiva College, he confronted the school's principal, Abraham Glick and demanded that Kramer be
149:
Maimonides further explains: "It is forbidden to hand over a Jew to the heathen, neither his person nor his goods, even if he is wicked and a sinner, even if he causes distress and pain to fellow-Jews. Whoever hands over a Jew to the heathen has no part in the next world. It is permitted to kill a
285:
by going public about his abuse, he and his family had been ostracised by rabbinical leaders, shunned by his community and subjected to a sustained campaign of abuse, intimidation and threats, which eventually forced Waks to leave
Australia with his wife and children. He also testified about how
48:
law. This may not necessarily apply to reporting legitimate crimes to responsible authority, but it does apply to turning over a Jew to an abusive authority, or otherwise to a legitimate one who would punish the criminal in ways seen as excessive by the Jewish community. In any case, "excessive"
290:
I was in fact contacted by several considered community members, and they said to me that the anti-Semites are having a field day with my testimony and my publicity around this issue, and that if I cared about the community, I'd cease doing that straight
747:
226:
138:. Shulchan Aruch, however, states that Jews should testify against each other in the gentile court in cases where it is obvious that they would be covering up for each other.
728:
769:
229:
relating to an alleged long-running and systematic cover-up of child sexual abuse and the institutional protection of perpetrators at the exclusive
Melbourne boys' school
853:
937:
597:
273:
almost certainly always leads to shunning and intimidation within the Jewish community and would almost certainly damage marriage prospects of your children.
350:
102:
in that both prescribe death for the offender, at least in theory. According to some, in some circumstances the offender may be killed without warning.
44:) is the action in which one Jew reports the conduct of another Jew to a non-rabbinic authority in a manner and under the circumstances forbidden by
458:"The Kornbluh Riot: The Discontent Over Unfair Coronavirus Restrictions in Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox Communities is Boiling Over and Turning Inward"
690:
145:
Whoever adjudicates in a non-Jewish court ... is wicked and it is as though he has reviled, blasphemed and rebelled against the law of Moses.
308:
All Jewish institutions in
Australia should ensure that their complaint handling policies explicitly state that the halachic concepts of
646:
834:
253:
I thought this was absolutely outrageous, however if I reported this to the police I would be in breach of the Jewish principle of
835:"Many ultra-Orthodox rabbis view use of state courts, in Israel and in the Diaspora, as a violation of a principle of Jewish law"
281:, one of three children from the Waks family who were sexually abused by staff at Yeshiva College, testified that after breaking
748:"Criminal lawyer Alex Lewenberg guilty of professional misconduct after asking sex abuse victim not to dob in a 'fellow Yid'"
433:
980:
945:
322:
do not apply to the communication and reporting of allegations of child sexual abuse to police and other civil authorities.
605:
878:
man exposed child abuse in his tight-knit
Brooklyn community, he found himself the target of a criminal investigation.
225:
doctrine came under intense public scrutiny in
Australia in early 2015 as a result of evidence given to the
820:
230:
180:
in Haredi society ruled that reporting instances of sexual child abuse to the police is consistent with
295:
Counsel
Assisting the commission then asked Waks how he felt having been accused of being an informer:
917:
457:
331:
76:. A person who repeatedly violates this law by informing on his fellow Jews is considered subject to
975:
354:
304:
In
December 2017, the Commission's final report included a recommendation to Jewish institutions:
166:, there are many different opinions among 20th-century rabbis as to the extent and circumstances
664:
628:
423:
806:
709:
154:
wherever he is. It is even permitted to kill him before he has handed over (a fellow Jew)."
871:
8:
970:
729:"Jewish sex abuse victims pressured not to assist police, secret tapes and emails reveal"
193:
188:
concurred, stating that abuse cases should be reported in full to the civil authorities.
814:
788:
462:
429:
394:
210:
185:
119:
770:"Rabbi was allowed to keep teaching after admitting abuse of children, inquiry told"
898:
521:
875:
171:
111:
65:
353:. It has been used to dissuade Jewish auditors from reporting other Jews to the
880:
647:"Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Molester: "Logically, He Should Be Reported to Police""
398:
241:
tradition. Lewenberg was subsequently found guilty of professional misconduct.
206:
163:
135:
789:"Royal Commission hears Jewish school failed to deal with serial child abuser"
691:"UK Haredi chief caught telling alleged victim not to tell police about abuse"
964:
565:
Love Your
Neighbor and Yourself: A Jewish Approach to Modern Personal Ethics
286:
members of the Chabad community had pressured him to abandon his advocacy:
244:
In February 2015 Zephaniah Waks, an adherent of the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic
123:
490:
349:
has been cited as one of the main reasons for the gross underreporting of
508:
318:
278:
131:
580:
Sins of Omission: The Jewish Community's Reaction to Domestic Violence
807:"Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse"
629:"Leading haredi rabbi says sexual abuse should be reported to police"
198:
366:
899:"Informing on Others for Violating American Law: A Jewish Law View"
399:"Informing on Others for Violating American Law: A Jewish Law View"
335:
227:
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
300:
but it does highlight the severity in which this concept is held.
181:
854:"Ultra-Orthodox Shun Their Own for Reporting Child Sexual Abuse"
277:
Giving evidence to the Commission on the day before his father,
501:
483:
245:
127:
122:. The law was most likely instigated to ease Jewish life under
49:
punishment by non-Jews may be permissible if a precept of the
176:
98:
50:
45:
708:
Weiss, Dr. Ruchama; Breckman, Rabbi Levi (5 February 2009).
265:
prevented Chabad members from going to secular authorities:
338:
of Jews bringing legal issues to Israel's civil courts.
209:
leader to protect community members investigated for
727:Baker, Richard; McKenzie, Nick (28 January 2015).
130:rule. This law is discussed in Babylonian Talmud,
809:. Recommendation 16.30. 30 May 2017. p. 158.
351:sexual abuse cases in Brooklyn's Haredi community
110:The source of the ban comes from the Bava Kamma (
962:
520:Goldberg, Rabbi Monique Susskind (August 2009).
369:A similar practice that has been used by mafias.
577:
421:
851:
710:"Parents ignore child abuse at rabbi's advice"
726:
707:
688:
665:"Regarding Mesirah - Rabbi Herschel Shachter"
428:. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. pp. 100–.
393:
389:
387:
385:
383:
852:Otterman, Sharon; Rivera, Ray (9 May 2012).
417:
415:
81:
29:
552:, KTAV Publishing House, Inc., p. 101
380:
864:
595:
578:Goodman Kaufman, Carol (2 October 2003),
567:, Jewish Publication Society, p. 185
519:
412:
938:"Sex-Abuse Cover Ups: The Mesirah Mess"
786:
598:"Sex-Abuse Cover Ups: The Mesirah Mess"
56:The term for an individual who commits
963:
591:
589:
522:"Is it permitted to kill another Jew?"
845:
787:Donovan, Samantha (2 February 2015).
767:
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562:
547:
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586:
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69:
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768:Davey, Melissa (3 February 2015).
505:
487:
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918:"Mesirah: Two Contemporary Views"
891:
689:Miriam Shaviv (24 January 2013).
596:Hammerman, Joshua (5 June 2012).
269:At the very least, the breach of
157:
550:Halacha and Contemporary Society
425:Halacha and contemporary society
341:
170:is still valid in modern times.
827:
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720:
701:
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639:
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456:Rosen, Armin (8 October 2020).
556:
541:
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477:
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334:have issued writs calling for
201:investigation, the concept of
174:, a leading Israeli rabbi and
1:
944:. 5 June 2012. Archived from
373:
261:He added that the concept of
746:Cowie, Tom (24 March 2016).
216:
7:
981:Law enforcement terminology
884:, Nov. 10, 2014, pp. 44-55.
627:Sokol, Sam (5 March 2015).
360:
213:from police investigation.
10:
997:
733:The Sydney Morning Herald
582:, Basic Books, p. 76
563:Dorff, Elliot N. (2003),
548:Cohen, Alfred S. (1984),
332:Rabbinic courts in Israel
326:
105:
96:), which is analogous to
819:: CS1 maint: location (
526:The Schechter Institutes
422:Alfred S. Cohen (1984).
355:Internal Revenue Service
324:
302:
293:
275:
259:
147:
306:
297:
288:
279:Menachem (Manny) Waks
267:
251:
143:
538:Hoshen Mishpat 388:9
695:The Times of Israel
653:. 26 February 2015.
194:The Times of Israel
141:Maimonides states:
91:law of the informer
53:has been violated.
858:The New York Times
839:The Jerusalem Post
793:ABC Radio National
633:The Jerusalem Post
237:for breaking with
16:Jewish law concept
435:978-0-88125-042-8
395:Michael J. Broyde
211:child molestation
186:Hershel Schachter
120:Babylonian Talmud
118:) section of the
988:
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669:www.torahweb.org
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491:Bava Kamma 117a
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357:for tax fraud.
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231:Yeshiva College
219:
172:Chaim Kanievsky
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948:on 9 June 2012
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892:External links
890:
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881:The New Yorker
870:Rachel Aviv, "
863:
844:
841:. 22 May 2013.
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738:
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608:on 9 June 2012
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509:Bava Kamma 58a
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343:
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218:
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205:was used by a
164:Michael Broyde
159:
158:Current status
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136:Shulchan Aruch
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924:. 27 May 2013
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207:Haredi Jewish
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191:According to
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162:According to
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714:Jewish World
713:
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668:
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872:The Outcast
753:15 December
441:27 February
319:lashon hara
971:Jewish law
965:Categories
903:Jewish Law
651:matzav.com
469:25 October
374:References
182:Jewish law
132:Maimonides
404:19 August
217:Australia
199:Channel 4
134:, and in
99:din rodef
78:din moser
815:cite web
361:See also
46:rabbinic
928:9 April
908:9 April
876:Hasidic
347:Mesirah
310:mesirah
283:mesirah
271:mesirah
263:mesirah
255:mesirah
239:mesirah
223:mesirah
203:mesirah
168:mesirah
128:Persian
116:בבא קמא
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22:Mesirah
952:7 June
674:31 May
612:7 June
502:Talmud
484:Talmud
463:Tablet
432:
367:Omertà
327:Israel
246:Chabad
235:mossur
197:and a
112:Hebrew
106:Origin
74:mossur
66:Hebrew
26:mesira
314:moser
291:away.
177:posek
152:moser
124:Roman
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62:moser
51:Torah
954:2012
930:2014
910:2014
821:link
755:2017
676:2018
614:2012
471:2023
443:2011
430:ISBN
406:2012
316:and
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82:lit.
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