Victims’ fury at Chabad over Torah gift from sex abuser
VICTIMS OF child abuse in the Orthodox community have attacked Chabad over the acceptance of a Sefer Torah donated by a convicted sex offender.
Golders Green Lubavitch was given the scroll by Mendy Levy, a builder from Golders Green, who was jailed for three years in 2013 for sexual assault on a girl under the age of 16.
On December 25, thousands of people attended a celebration of the completion of the Sefer Torah commissioned by Mr Levy. Many leading Chabad rabbis were present and posters advertising the event carried the Chabad logo.
At the celebration, Rabbi Yossi Simon of Golders Green Chabad effusively thanked Mr Levy for his gift.
It was only once news of the donation seeped beyond the Orthodox community and was attacked by Mr Levy’s victim, Yehudis Goldsobel, that Chabad then changed its mind and rejected it.
Ms Goldsobel said: “A Sefer Torah dedication is a lovely thing, but how can a community of people ignore the fact that the person donating it is a convicted sex offender? Does this not somehow tarnish this mitzvah? I would think so.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, Rabbi Simon defended his behaviour: “An individual approached us about a Sefer Torah he was completing and asked us if we would house it, as loan, for our use when we move into our premises. He then chose to turn the completion of the Sefer Torah into a public event, organising all the details, down to the production of the flyers and post event publicity.
“It’s worth noting that the people who came out to celebrate at the event were there to celebrate the Torah (as is the Halachic requirement) not an individual, including the person who gave the Torah. That being said, we are reviewing what happened, seeing what we need to do differently in the future to always ensure that our community is safe and set the highest standards possible for ourselves.
“In light of the public nature of this celebration, and how it has come to be perceived as a celebration of this individual, we have decided not to house this Sefer Torah when we move into our premises. We have also asked news outlets that publicised the donor’s article to remove it from their sites.”
Manny Waks, a leading campaigner against child abuse in the Orthodox community and himself a former victim, described the response by Rabbi Simon and Chabad as a disgrace.
“Chabad didn’t publicly come clean about this matter until Mr Levy’s courageous victim, Yehudis Goldsobel, and I raised this issue publicly. And their response was just as disgraceful
as their major public event,” he said.
Shimon Cohen, a spokesman for Chabad Lubavitch UK, said it was not consulted about the event and that Chabad Houses in the UK operate independently.
He said the umbrella organisation would have rejected the offer from Mr Levy had it been aware of it. It was not its policy nor would it ever be acceptable for Chabad houses to accept donations from sex offenders. “Chabad Lubavitch UK has very strict and robust guidelines regarding safeguarding which were developed together with the NSPCC some years ago.”
Mr Waks said Chabad Lubavitch UK’s claim that it was unaware of the huge event celebrating the Torah was itself evidence of a major institutional failing. “How is the community meant to entrust them with protecting children and supporting victims when there’s complete chaos within their institutions?” he asked.
Mr Waks also criticised the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council for praising Chabad for rejecting the scroll.
Marie van der Zyl, vice-president of the Board of Deputies, said: “Care should be taken not to honour people who have committed these sorts of terrible crimes. I am therefore reassured to note that Chabad has decided not to accept the scroll.”
The JLC said it was “encouraged to read of the strong action he [Rabbi Simon] has taken.” In a later statement, it added that the JLC together with the Board and Jewish Women’s Aid were working to ensure there was no tolerance of sexual abuse.
But Mr Waks insisted that the Board and the JLC “should instead be asking how it ever came to this in the first place. It has been left entirely to victims to cry out against the terrible injustice,” he said.
In a statement, the Chief Rabbi said: “The very idea that a man convicted of sexual abuse should seek public acclaim in this way is extremely disturbing.”
It has been left to victims to cry out against the terrible injustice’