Yeshivah Centre, Melbourne

The Yeshivah Centre is an Orthodox Jewish umbrella organisation in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that serves the needs of the Melbourne Jewish community. It is run by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, until recently, under the direct administration of Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner. Rabbi Zvi Telsner has been brought as the new Dayan (rabbinical judge) of the Centre and Lubavitch community.

Facilities

The centre comprises a network of educational facilities that include:

Mincha in the Yeshiva lunchroom

Controversy

The main entrance to the Yeshivah College complex, via the Shul

In September 2011, David Cyprys a former student and employee at the Yeshivah College was charged 13 counts of gross indecency with a child and 16 counts of indecent assault with a child between 1984 and 1991. The youngest of his 12 alleged victims was aged 7 at the time.[1] In early 2012, the number of charges against David Cyprys was increased to 51 counts of gross indecency, indecent assault, false imprisonment, common law assault, attempted indecent assault and rape involving 11 alleged victims.[2] Victoria Police advised the Melbourne Magistrates Court in April 2012, that it intends to seek to extradite a former teacher at Yeshivah College, David Kramer, from the United States over a child sex abuse scandal that was allegedly covered up by the school.[3].[4]

In February 2016 the educational branch of Chabad Headquarters in New York wrote to the trustees of the Yeshivah Centre objecting to its proposed restructuring, which was part of Yeshiva's response to the 2015 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Yeshivah trustees had appointed five members to a Governance Review Panel (GRP) to recommend how the centre should be managed, including the Yeshivah, plus Beth Rivkah Colleges and all Chabad organizations in it. Rabbi Yisroel Deren of Chabad headquarters clarified the objections the Chabad HQ has made. He noted, however, that Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner in Melbourne has the authority to authorise the restructure that Chabad in NY is "powerless to stop any changes."[5]

The centre has been accused of covering up claims of sexual abuse at their institution[6][7] and of retaliating against whistleblowers and victims.[6][8]

In two separate cases, two employees were convicted and jailed in 2013; and one director was convicted in 2014 with a suspended sentence.[6] Several Chabad rabbis were accused of publicly sermonizing that it was religiously forbidden to report child sex abuse to the police[7][8] }</ref> The Yeshivah's Committee of Management has subsequently been replaced and to have its Board of Trustees disbanded.[9]


In February 2016 the educational branch of Chabad Headquarters in New York wrote to the trustees of the Yeshivah Centre objecting to its proposed restructuring, which was part of Yeshiva's response to the 2015 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Yeshivah trustees had appointed five members to a Governance Review Panel (GRP) to recommend how the centre should be managed, including the Yeshivah, plus Beth Rivkah Colleges and all Chabad organizations in it. Rabbi Yisroel Deren of Chabad headquarters clarified the objections the Chabad HQ has made. He noted, however, that Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner in Melbourne has the authority to authorise the restructure that Chabad in NY is "powerless to stop any changes."[10] The intervention by the Chabad World Headquarters has angered sexual assault victims.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/yeshiva-turned-blind-eye-to-sex-abuse-claims/story-e6frg6nf-1226130935332
  2. ↑ http://m.theage.com.au/victoria/police-to-ask-us-to-hand-over-exteacher-20120402-1w8vv.html
  3. ↑ http://m.theage.com.au/victoria/police-to-ask-us-to-hand-over-exteacher-20120402-1w8vv.html
  4. ↑ http://www.jewishnews.net.au/police-seek-kramer-extradition-from-us/25602
  5. ↑ Chabad HQ objects to Yeshivah restructure Jewish News, Feb 4, 2016
  6. 1 2 3 Goldberg, Dan (February 10, 2015). "Australian Jews Distraught Over Chabad Sex Abuse Hearings". Haaretz. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Case Study 22, February 2015, Melbourne". Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Marr, David (February 18, 2015). "Rabbis' absolute power: how sex abuse tore apart Australia's Orthodox Jewish community". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  9. ↑ Levi, Joshua (June 18, 2015). "All change at the Yeshivah Centre". Australian Jewish News. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  10. ↑ Chabad HQ objects to Yeshivah restructure Jewish News, Feb 4, 2016
  11. ↑ Intervention of World Headquarters of Jewish movement angers sexual assault victims ABC News, Feb 3, 2016
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