|
|
April 1, 2005/Adar II 21 5765, Volume 57, No. 31
Rabbi expelled over sex abuse allegations
CHANAN TIGAY
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK - The decision of a leading association of centrist Orthodox rabbis to expel one of its members has highlighted for some in the community the difficulties of addressing sexual abuse in the Orthodox world.
Following an investigation into allegations from several women of sexual harassment, the Rabbinical Council of America announced in March that it had expelled Rabbi Mordecai Tendler.
Tendler had "engaged in conduct inappropriate for an Orthodox rabbi" and refused to cooperate with the committee investigating the claims, the RCA said in a statement.
Tendler referred JTA to his spokesman for comment on the case, though he did say that members of his synagogue, Kehillat New Hempstead, located near Monsey, N.Y., have been "very supportive."
Asked if he plans to remain in his pulpit he replied, "Of course."
Hank Sheinkopf, Tendler's spokesman, said the RCA procedure leading to Tendler's expulsion was "reminiscent of the Salem Witch trials," referring to fraudulent trials in colonial America.
"A decent man has been smeared, his family damaged irreparably and a community injured after a prolonged witch hunt," Sheinkopf told JTA.
The charges against Tendler include claims that over the last few years he engaged in sexual affairs with several women, among them women seeking rabbinic counseling.
Brian Leggiere, a clinical psychologist in Manhattan whose clientele is comprised largely of Orthodox abuse victims and offenders, said the case highlights the fact that the Orthodox community is beginning to "wake up" to issues of abuse among its leaders, but still has "a ways to go."
"We imbue our leaders with a great sense of kavod, respect, and usually it's deserved," he said. "It's a wonderful value, but when you have a community that over-idealizes" its leaders at times, "that's a recipe that allows abuse to occur."
In the Orthodox world, where marital matches, or shidduchs, are highly valued commodities, the victims of abuse often remain silent for fear they will damage their chances to find a husband or wife.
Tendler's expulsion reportedly went into effect immediately, though expulsion from the RCA does not necessarily entail removal from the pulpit. Some 1,000 ordained rabbis in 128 countries have membership in the RCA.
"Synagogues and institutions are entirely independent entities," Rabbi Basil Herring, the RCA's executive vice president, told JTA. "Therefore, it's up to every synagogue to decide how it will wish to deal with its rabbi or its clergy or employees."
Tendler's expulsion is a particularly sensitive issue for the RCA, Orthodox insiders said, because he comes from an important family of respected rabbis. His grandfather was the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who was among the Orthodox world's leading experts in Jewish religious law.
|
|
