Jewish Chronicle The Chief Rabbi's statement in full:
The conviction of a prominent member of the Manchester Jewish
community for sexual abuse is of immense significance. Though certainly
not the first such case, it sends an unequivocal message that nobody, in
any part of our community, can expect to commit these horrific crimes
and escape prosecution. The longstanding view of the Chief Rabbi and
Beth Din has been restated a number of times in recent years, but this
is an opportune moment to reinforce that position once again.
I would like to commend the victims and others who withstood
tremendous pressure and gave evidence. I hope that their courage will
inspire others to come forward in the future.
This kind of abuse is a stain on all of society and we are no less
vulnerable to the scourge of sexual crimes than any other community.
Perpetrators of these crimes destroy lives and every one of us shares in
the responsibility to protect victims and potential victims. As such,
we must not only ensure that all incidents are reported to the police
without delay, but that we must do everything in our power to promote a
culture whereby reporting such crimes to the relevant statutory
authorities is supported and encouraged.
It is imperative that communities across the country have robust
child protection policies in place and should act in consultation with
the statutory services. Every community should review its policies and
procedures regularly and consider what else can be done - we can always
do more.
Further to previously held training seminars for Rabbis, I will be
writing this week to Rabbis across the country, advising them of a
mandatory, dedicated seminar that the United Synagogue is organising on
behalf of its communities, in order to better prepare Rabbis to identify
and respond to incidents of child abuse in their communities and to
reinforce the importance of being vigilant at all times. In addition, I
am meeting with victims of abuse and campaigners in this area to seek
views from them as to what more can be done to better protect vulnerable
people in our communities.
May we all have the courage to seek out and challenge cruelty and injustice from within our midst.
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