Clarity. That is the beauty of the fine mind of Rav Gedalia Dov Schwartz, the Zaken Ha’ir – Chicago’s rabbinic elder. Not only is his mind perfectly clear, he has the character to match. He is fearless in his determination to protect our daughters and see justice done. Smear campaigns by people with agendas other than the justice at hand – do not faze him. He does what is right. He stands up and tells it like it is.
This is what he has done in a letter he wrote and signed (on behalf of the Special Chicago Beis Din) to Aaron Twersky, the attorney for the four seminaries trying to get their name back; reinstate the accreditation so necessary to attract American – tuition paying – students; and restore the approval needed to receive various types of federal funding which requires compliance to its rules regarding sexual abuse. That letter has been made available to the public. Information contained therein sheds new light on this case and will be incorporated in the words below. My thanks to Yerachmiel Lopin for disseminating it on his blog.
As most people who read this blog know by now, Rabbi Schwartz is the Av Beis Din of the RCA and the Rosh Beis Din of the CRC. He is part of the Special Beis Din here in Chicago (CBD) set up for the exclusive purpose of dealing with cases of sexual abuse. There are four prominent and highly respected Rabbonim available to serve on this Beis Din: Rav Schwartz; Agudah Moetzes member and Telshe Rosh HaYeshiva, R’ Avrohom Chaim Levin, Agudah of Illinois Dayan and Talmid Muvhak of R’ Moshe Feinsten, Rav Shmuel Fuerst, and Rabbi Zev Cohen, Rav of Congregation Adas Yeshurun and Rosh Kollel of the Choshen Mishpat Kollel that grants its graduates the advanced Semicha given to Dayanim called ‘Yadin Yadin’.
As most people also know, this Beis Din convened over allegations that the Elimelech Meisels, owner and head of four seminaries in Israel, had ‘physical contact of a sexual nature’ with some of his students. Rav Levin recused himself from that Beis Din because of a conflict of interest. The remaining 3 Rabbonim convened and heard testimony about sexual abuse from multiple victims. And then from Meisels himself. He admitted his guilt in writing adding additional acts some of which most likely constituted the legal definition of sexual violence. From the letter:
The Beis Din also received evidence – which included documentary proof and admissions that some staff members were (i) both aware of specific instances of misconduct and, (ii)more generally, gross violations of the norms of behavior in seminaries and enabled this behavior by failing to stop it. The disturbing facts supported by this evidence include but are not limited to, the following:
* Meisels repeatedly visited dormitories late at night, to the knowledge of certain staff.
* Meisels repeatedly took female students for car rides alone with him late at night, often to secluded destinations, to the knowledge of certain staff.
* A parent of a victim of unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature by Meisels reported the misconduct to a senior administrator, who summarily dismissed the report as false.
* Another staff member was aware of multiple instances of unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature by Meisels, but did not take action in response.
* A student reported misconduct to another senior administrator, who responded that the student should remain silent lest Meisels ruin her Shidduch prospects.
* A senior instructed others that it was forbidden to discuss Meisles’s misconduct or believe it to be true.