Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Case of Rabbi Ephraim Padwa


Case of Rabbi Ephraim Padwa

Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations - Stamford Hill (London) England



This is a case of obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the charedi world in London's Stamford Hill community.

Rabbi Ephraim Padwa is the head of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations’ Beth Din (Jewish religious court) is an internationally regarded halachic authority (Jewish legal authority). 

Dayan (Judge) Padwa succeeded his late father Chanoch in 2000. His pronouncements have impact beyond the strictly Orthodox world and he has opposed use of the North-West London eruv and plans to establish one in the Charedi strongholds of North London.

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Table of Contents:

 2013
  1.  UK Haredi chief caught telling alleged victim not to tell police about abuse (01/24/2013)
  2. British Haredi Leader Caught On Video Telling Alleged Child Sex Abuse Victim That It Is Forbidden To Report The Crime To Police  (01/24/2013)
  3. VIDEO: London Rav Rabbi Ephraim Padwa Filmed Secretly About Child Abuse (01/29/2013)
  4. Rabbi urges alleged child abuse victim not to tell police (01/29/2013)
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UK Haredi chief caught telling alleged victim not to tell police about abuse
By Miriam Shaviv 
Times of Israel - January 24, 2013

LONDON — The leader of Britain’s Haredi community has been caught on video advising an alleged victim of sexual abuse not to report the claim to police.

Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, head of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, was recorded by a community member using a hidden camera as part of a Channel 4 documentary on Haredi child abuse.


In a scene that will air Wednesday, the insider, who hails from the Haredi London neighborhood of Stamford Hill, tells Padwa, “Someone who you may know of . . . sexually abused me when I was younger, when I was a child,” and asks how to proceed.


After Padwa responds, “We are dealing with this,” the insider asks whether he should go to the police.


“Oh no,” Padwa answers, explaining that doing so would constitute “mesirah,” or turning a Jew over to secular authorities. He adds in Yiddish, “People mustn’t tell tales.”


The Channel 4 program, a special edition of the “Dispatches” current affairs series, will highlight 19 alleged cases of child sexual abuse in Haredi communities across the UK, none of which have been reported to police because of feared reprisals from within the Haredi world.


When the insider in the Padwa segment – who originally made allegations in 2005 — asks whether the rabbi can be certain the alleged abuser isn’t harming others, Padwa retorts, “The police also cannot assure. The police is not the solution.”

A spokesman for Padwa questioned the credibility of Channel 4’s undercover insider

He appears to sidestep a question about how to deal with authorities if they learn about the alleged abuse independently, repeating twice, “Let’s hope it wouldn’t happen.”


He then reiterates, “You shouldn’t do anything that can lead to the police.”


Asked to comment by The Times of Israel, a spokesman for Padwa questioned the credibility of Channel 4’s undercover insider, saying the allegations had already been investigated and dismissed as “malicious” by social services in the borough of Hackney. They were investigated again in 2007.


Padwa’s on-camera advice about avoiding the police was made, the spokesman said, with that in mind.


The program’s producers have questioned Padwa’s account, pointing to a full transcript of the conversation that reveals the rabbi was referring to a different case of alleged child abuse at a synagogue.


Minutes of a March 2005 meeting run by social services, seen exclusively by The Times of Israel, show that an unnamed man made accusations to the Police Child Protection Team against a former teacher at a Haredi school. He claimed to be acting out of concern that his nephew, who attended the school, “could be subject to the same abuse.”


When the teacher learned of the complaint, it was alleged that he offered the former student money “to shut the young person up,” the document reports.


The teacher denied the account, claiming the financial discussion was in fact attempted extortion by the accuser. Social services accepted his version of events, declining to take further action.


A letter from the school confirms that the accuser is the same man who appears in the TV program.

A representative of Channel 4 blasted attacks on the insider’s credibility. “We are appalled by an attempt to discredit a young person because he has made an allegation of sexual abuse about a member of his community,” a spokesman said.


Wednesday’s documentary, “Britain’s Hidden Child Abuse,” comes at a particularly sensitive time for London’s Haredi community, which is embroiled in an ongoing scandal over a former religious judge for the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, Rabbi Chaim Halpern. He has been accused of sexual misconduct involving about 30 women who came to him for counseling.


As head of the Union, Padwa has been under pressure to act more decisively against Halpern, and many blame him for mishandling the affair, which has yet to be resolved after bursting into the public domain in October.


While cases of child sexual abuse in the community occasionally go to the authorities, Britain’s Haredim lag far behind their American counterparts in dealing with the issue. The series of high-profile prosecutions seen in New York in recent years has not been replicated in the UK.


Fear of reprisals from within the Haredi community “made it difficult for people to speak to us,” a Channel 4 spokesman said of the documentary. “But of those who did, many said the community wants to deal with any problems internally, even when it comes to something as serious as alleged child sex abuse.


“Within the community, people often turn to the rabbis for advice and help. Our investigation discovered that ‘advice’ sometimes amounts to an outright ban on reporting alleged child abuse to the authorities.”

‘We are appalled by an attempt to discredit a young person because he has made an allegation of sexual abuse’

The investigation began, the spokesman added, after Channel 4 heard about parents who felt powerless to act against an alleged pedophile hired at a Haredi school.


The show is expected to include testimony from an anonymous rabbi about the need for police involvement in child abuse cases.


Sources said the Union will issue a statement to rabbis and educators on Thursday evening or Friday, in Hebrew, that will announce the establishment of a committee to deal with allegations of abuse. It is expected to include experts trained in child protection.


While the statement will not call on families suspecting abuse to alert secular authorities, it will note that the committee recognizes circumstances in which it is appropriate to contact social services or the police. The committee will address allegations in partnership with the community’s beth din, or religious court, and in accordance with secular law.


Channel 4 producers contacted advocates and alleged victims for next week’s program with help from Ben Hirsch, a spokesperson for Survivors for Justice, a New York-based advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse in the Orthodox community. He said the tone of the program would determine how it is received by British Haredim.


“We helped the producers understand how the problem was exposed in the US,” he said, “and how this might compare to what is now unfolding in the UK. While it’s impossible to know what the final product will look like, my experience working with the team over close to two years is that they are professional, very sincere, very well-informed on the issue and very careful with their facts.”

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British Haredi Leader Caught On Video Telling Alleged Child Sex Abuse Victim That It Is Forbidden To Report The Crime To Police 
By Shmarya Rosenberg
Failed Messiah Blog - January 24, 2013  

Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, second from left, head down, in a gathering at former Kedassia president Rabbi Elchonon Halpren's synagogue. Second from Padwa's right is the alleged sexual abuser Rabbi Chaim Halpren. This photo was taken weeks after Padwa had heard reports from multiple victims of Halpren – including, allegedly, a tape recording of Halpren confirming the abuse.
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, head rabbi of the of the London-based haredi umbrella organization the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, commonly known as Kedassia, was reportedly surreptitiously recorded by a victim of alleged child sexual abuse telling the victim not to report his abuser to police because doing so would be mesirah, informing – a serious violation of Jewish law punishable in some cases with death.

The victim made the video recording as part of Channel 4’s documentary on Haredi child sexual abuse that will air next Wednesday.

In the undercover video the victim reportedly tells Padwa, “Someone who you may know of…sexually abused me when I was younger, when I was a child.” The victim then asks Padwa what he should do about it.

“We are dealing with this,” Padwa responds.

The alleged victim asks whether he should go to the police.

“Oh no,” Padwa replies. Telling police about the sexual abuse would be “mesira.” Padwa then reportedly admonishes the victim, saying in Yiddish, “People mustn’t tell tales.”

The alleged victim asks Padwa if he can be certain that the alleged pedophile isn’t sexually abusing more children.

“The police also cannot assure. The police is not the solution,” Padwa says.

The alleged victim asks what he should do if police find out about the abuse independently.

“Let’s hope it wouldn’t happen,” Padwa says. He then adds, “You shouldn’t do anything that can lead to the police,” the Times of Israel reports.

Channel 4’s documentary will air Wednesday as a special edition of the its Dispatches series. The documentary reportedly highlights 19 alleged cases of child sexual abuse in UK haredi communities. None of those cases have been reported to police because the victims and their families fear they will be persecuted by the haredi community if they do involve police.

When confronted about the contents of the undercover video, a spokesman for Padwa said the alleged victim’s allegations had already been dismissed as “malicious” by UK social services. Padwa’s remarks about avoiding the police were made with that in mind, he claimed.

Minutes of a March 2005 meeting run by UK social services in Hackney, London, and seen by the Times of Israel reportedly document the complaint against an unnamed teacher in a haredi school. The alleged victim claimed to be concerned that his nephew, then a student in that school, “could be subject to the same abuse.” The teacher allegedly offered his former student money “to shut the young person up,” the social services document notes.

The teacher claimed he had not offered the money. Instead, he insisted that the alleged victim had tried to extort him.

Social services accepted the teacher’s version of events, and declined to take further action.

Kedassia will reportedly issue a statement to rabbis and educators tonight or tomorrow announcing the establishment of an internal committee that will work to deal with allegations of abuse in partnership with Kedassia’s beit din, religious court.

According to the Times of Israel, that internal Kedassia committee “is expected to include experts trained in child protection” and will act “in accordance with secular law.”

However, the Times of Israel does not name those experts and their qualifications as experts are not enumerated.

The Times of Israel also does not explain how a rabbinic committee that screens abuse cases and decides which cases, if any, may be reported to police or social services could possibly be acting “in accordance with secular law.”

Indeed, Kedassia’s expected statement reportedly does not tell haredim who suspect a child has been sexually abused to call police or social services.

Instead, the suspected crime is to be reported directly to Kedassia, even though the statement reportedly does acknowledge that there are certain unspecified circumstances where it would be correct to report a pedophile to police or social services.

Kedassia allegedly has a decades long history of covering up child sexual abuse allegations. 

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London Rav Rabbi Ephraim Padwa Filmed Secretly About Child Abuse
Britains Hidden Child Abuse - January 29, 2013

A victim of child sex abuse in one of Britain's religious communities goes undercover to expose the way his community has for decades been dealing with paedophilia.



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Rabbi urges alleged child abuse victim not to tell police
Channel 4 - January 29, 2013
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa
An undercover investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches reveals that some rabbis in the Strictly Orthodox Jewish community forbid or discourage alleged victims of child abuse from going to the police.

There is no suggestion that child sex abuse is any worse in this religious community. However, the film exposes how the Strictly Orthodox, or Charedi, community's approach to child protection can leave children at risk and shield abusers from justice.

The programme, airing on Wednesday 30th January on Channel 4, includes:

Secret filming showing Rabbi Ephraim Padwa - who leads the Charedi community in London's Stamford Hill - instructing an alleged victim of child sexual abuse not to go to the police describing it as ‘mesira’, which means it's forbidden to report a Jew to non-Jewish authority.

Hears about a family that reported an alleged child abuser to the police and was then harassed and driven out of the community - as one Rabbi says: "they would be cursed and spat at in the street and called informer”.

Interviews members of a group of young Charedi men who became so disillusioned with the failure of rabbis to deal with complaints of abuse they have taken the law into their own hands by threatening and attacking alleged perpetrators.

On the eve of the broadcast - two leading British rabbinical authorities representing a wider spectrum of the Jewish community, have issued statements and guidance to their communities on how to report child sexual abuse – emphasising the importance of reporting such allegations to the police.


Background to the investigation

There are around 40,000 Charedim in Britain, around a sixth of the Jewish population, living by a strict interpretation of their faith, as decided by their Rabbis.

And with their long history of persecution, some Charedi Rabbis declare that reporting a fellow Jew to non- Jewish authorities is forbidden. This even applies to allegations of child abuse in Britain today.

The people who spoke out in the making of this film, told us their first port of call for advice was always the rabbis. But going to the police could have devastating consequences.

They spoke of their fears of facing being cast out of their community – the only way of life they had known. And this fear keeps many victims from seeking justice.

The investigation started a year ago when Channel 4 Dispatches heard about parents who were concerned about an alleged paedophile who’d got a job in a Charedi school. They felt powerless to do anything about it.

During our investigation we uncovered 19 different alleged cases of child sex abuse across England- yet not one was reported to the police because alleged victims feared reprisals from within the  community.

That same fear made it difficult for people to speak to us. But of those who did, many said the community wants to deal with any problems internally, even when it comes to something as serious as  alleged child sex abuse.

Within the community people often turn to the Rabbis for advice and help. Our investigation discovered that 'advice' sometimes amounts to an outright ban on reporting alleged child abuse to the authorities.


Rabbi instructing an alleged victim not to go to the police

Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, head of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations in Stamford Hill in London , was recorded by a former community member using a hidden camera as part of a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation into child sex abuse within the community.

The footage shows the community member telling Rabbi Padwa: “Someone that did bad things to me when I was younger. Someone who you may know of, who abused me, sexually abused me when I was younger, when I was a child and I’m looking for your advice, to be honest, what to do. I think it’s someone you might have dealt with in the past. I think it’s someone you might dealt with in the past.,”

In response Rabbi Padwa says: “I imagine that I know whom you are talking. And if I’m correct, we are dealing with this. We are dealing with this.”

The community member then asks: “Would do you think maybe, is it a good idea to speak to the police about it?”

“Oh no,” Padwa answers, explaining that doing so would constitute “mesira,” means it's forbidden to report a Jew to a non-Jewish authorities.

Here is a section of transcript from conversation:

Community Member (CM): “Do you think maybe, is it a good idea to speak to the police about it?”

Rabbi Padwa (RP): “Oh, No.”

CM: “No? Why?”

RP: “It’s mesira.”

CM: “But this is a very serious issue.”

RP: “Yes, but not police.”

CM: “Not the police?”

RP: “Men Tur Nisht [People must not tell tales]”.

CM: “Even if you think it may be happening to other people?”

RP. “No. not police.”

CM: “Not the police. And um, How, how _ I mean, how can you reassure yourself that this man is not doing it to others?”

RP: “Look, the police also cannot assure. The police is not the solution.”

CM: “Under no circumstances?”

RP: “No.”

CM: “Now I’ve got a question – if, if the police found out about it and they called me in, what would, what would you say to me?”

RP: “HaShem (Heaven Forbid), let’s hope it wouldn’t happen. You shouldn’t do anything that can lead to the police. “

CM: “But if - if someone else went to the police on him and I was called what, what do I do then? “

RP: “Let’s hope it wouldn’t happen. “


Rabbi Ephraim Padwa leads London's Strictly Orthodox Jewish community in Stamford Hill home to more than a hundred synagogues and religious institutions.


He is known internationally as an expert in Jewish religious law. When such a senior Rabbi speaks – he is listened to, even if that advice could seriously jeopardise any police investigation.

In the programme, Channel 4 Dispatches is told by another Charedi Rabbi that Rabbi Ephraim Padwa recently forbade a father, who had told the police that his son had been sexually abused, from pursuing the case.

Prior to going undercover, we’d also heard of other concerns about how Rabbi Padwa handles reports of child abuse, and wanted to find out for ourselves what he’d say to someone who came for advice.

Dispatches heard from a man that grew up in the community, who says he was sexually abused as a child by a fellow Charedi. We asked him to help us investigate the claims against Rabbi Padwa by training him to secretly film a meeting with this Rabbi.

The man has now left community but he could still meet the Rabbi without raising suspicions.


Fear of being cast out of their community

A Charedi Rabbi - who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, takes the extraordinary step in this programme of breaking rank and speaking out against Rabbi Padwa.

He is outraged at how a young family was targeted and driven out of their community after reporting to the authorities that their child had been sexual abused in a Synagogue.

Interviewer: “When the child's telling his mum and dad all this [about the sexual abuse], I mean what thoughts did the father say was going through his head?

Rabbi: “The young man didn’t know what to do, and out of desperation, he made the decision to call the police.

Interviewer: To people outside [the community] they’ll be saying, he believes his son was abused, of course go to the police?.

Rabbi: “There are tremendous ramifications for the victim’s family because in certain segments of the Orthodox community, being labelled as an informer is one of the most terrible things that can happen.”

“The police felt there was enough evidence to take out the perpetrator from the middle of the Stamford Hill community in handcuffs. And this is disgraceful, a scandal… most of the community knew about it that night, and whoever didn't knew about it in synagogue the next morning.”

“Then he went to the senior Rabbi of the Stamford Hill community, whose name is Rabbi Padwa. His whole total concern was to berate the father, “How dare you go and be an informer? He said, "You ruined his life, he was ashamed enough by the arrest and what happened, and therefore leave it go. It's forbidden for you to pursue the case. Rabbi Padwa never expressed sympathy not for the child and not for the parents…

“Six hours later, a person banged on the door. The first thing that man said, “Do you know that the whole London community has not slept the whole night because of what you did? And I myself will go and get social services to take away your children.” The harassment escalated into cars that would gun their motors and zoom up next to the family if they were out on the street. The synagogues told them, ‘You're not welcome here anymore,’ they would be cursed and spat at in the street and called informer. So it becomes hopeless to them and ultimately they leave the country.”

“There is no question here that we do not have the ability to police and deal with perverts, deviants, child molesters. We can’t – it’s above the pay grade of the Rabbis.”


Vigilantes

The programme also hears from members of a group of young Chardi men who are disillusioned with the failure of rabbis to deal with complaints of abuse. They don’t feel they can go to the police, but at the same time they clearly don’t believe the rabbis are capable of dealing with this situation properly. Instead these men tell Dispatches they started taken the law into their own hands by attacking alleged perpetrators.


Rabbi Padwa Response

At the beginning of our investigation we secretly filmed Rabbi Padwa – the leader of the Charedi Community in Stamford Hill –forbidding a victim of child sex abuse from going to the police.

We asked Rabbi Padwa to explain why he forbad a victim of child sex abuse from going to the police, and the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations – the organization he heads, sent us this letter…

It’s says:

“The Jewish Community considers the safety and protection of our children as paramount.”

It says we have established “Robust structures to deal with child abuse”.

And that: “We work and will continue to work with police and social services...to build trust and to create a system which does address and resolve allegations of abuse within our community”.

The letter doesn’t answer any of our questions, and nor does it explain the actions of Rabbi Padwa - a man whose very role is to lead and counsel members of his community to do what's right.


The programme prompts public statements by several British rabbinical authorities – including Rabbi Padwa's organisation

On the eve the airing of the programme the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) – the organization Rabbi Padwa heads – issued a statement which appears to be announcing the formation of a new child protection committee composed of people who have had child protection training, rabbis and educators. But the statement makes it clear that the ultimate decision on whether a family in the Charedi community tells the police about a claim of sexual abuse by a fellow Charedi, ultimately rests with this committee.

“The Orthodox Hebrew Congregations have a special Committee to deal with incidences of attacks of this kind on the children of our congregations. The members of the Committee consist of rabbis, educators and members of the community, among whom there are those who have been trained in the right way to tackle this. The rabbinate recognises five particular instances in which it is right and necessary to contact the Social Services and/or the Police. The Committee will consult with the rabbinate about the right way to deal with each incidence…

In any instance that is brought before any of the rabbis, educators or the directors of institutions where there is a fear for a child’s safety you are asked to bring the matter to the knowledge of the Committee which will deal with it according to the advice of the Rabbinical Court and according to the law of the land.”


But two other leading British rabbinical authorities have made public statements emphasising the importance of reporting allegations of child sexual abuse directly to the police.

Rabbi Yehuda Brodie, registrar of the Manchester Beth Din (which represents a broader spectrum of Orthodox Jewry) made the following comment to the Jewish Chronicle:

“We offer our strongest support for any victim of any criminal act to report matters to the authorities, including the police, as and where appropriate.”

The London Beth Din which represents just modern Orthodox Jews says:

“It is therefore essential that when abuse has occurred, the police must be informed without delay. Local communities should not attempt to deal with the situation internally. Delays in reporting abuse can cause vital evidence to be lost, allowing the abusers to continue violating our children. We must all ensure that the children of our communities will be protected by reporting abuse to the authorities wherever it takes place.”


Britain’s Hidden Child Abuse – Channel 4 Dispatches Special – Wednesday 30th January at 10.30pm

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