To: Richard M. Joel, President, Yeshiva University, Dr. Henry Kressel, Chairman, Board of Trustees, and Members of the Board of Trustees
An open letter to Yeshiva University by alumni, students, parents and members of the Orthodox com...
We are deeply disappointed and outraged by Yeshiva University’s response to the recent allegations of sexual abuse of boys at its Manhattan High School For Boys. http://forward.com/articles/167588/student-claims-of-abuse-not-reported-by-yeshiva-u/?p=all. Although YU has initiated an independent investigation, unlike Penn State, it has allegedly refused to commit to whether it will share its investigative results with the public.
We believe that conducting an investigation without disclosing the findings is akin to not conducting an investigation at all. Hiding the detailed findings from the public conveys the message that the pillars of Orthodox Judaism care more about salvaging the reputation of culpable leaders than about the welfare of the children they were entrusted to protect and sharing the truth.
A cherished and central leading voice of our community, YU has the unique opportunity right now to use its prominence to set an example in the Jewish world by taking a public stand on a crucial issue and not caving in to politics and fear. Releasing details of the investigation will demonstrate YU’s moral courage, honesty and humility in recognizing any wrongs done to their students and taking action on their behalf. Acknowledging the full truth will only pave the way for healing rather than anger and a need for retribution. Ask any survivor what they most want and they will likely tell you it is not money they seek, but recognition of any harm done to them and admission of the truth.
If YU takes a courageous stand, it will shape and model how other Jewish institutions respond in the future and demonstrate that it prioritizes commitment to the truth over fear. To hide errors would be a grave violation of Jewish morality which calls for teshuva when we harm others. If YU is unwilling to share the details of what has happened, we need to question whether we can continue to trust its leaders to promote our children's physical and emotional well-being and the shaping of their spirits.
On its website, YU states that one of its missions is "to infuse the student body with a spirit of leadership and a sense of responsibility to the Jewish people and society in general". We request that the institution we have all held so dearly in our hearts conduct an UNBIASED investigation and agree to FULLY release the investigative findings to the public, omitting only the names of victims. Doing so will exemplify YU’s commitment to key Jewish values of integrity, compassion and accountability and demonstrate that Jews and their leaders care about how things feel and not just about how they look.
We urge YU leadership to commit to a full and transparent investigation which will allow the process of healing, reparation and reconciliation to begin, strengthen YU’s position as a trusted leader of our community and transform a potentially tragic spiritual and ethical crisis into one of growth, sanctification and grace.
We believe that conducting an investigation without disclosing the findings is akin to not conducting an investigation at all. Hiding the detailed findings from the public conveys the message that the pillars of Orthodox Judaism care more about salvaging the reputation of culpable leaders than about the welfare of the children they were entrusted to protect and sharing the truth.
A cherished and central leading voice of our community, YU has the unique opportunity right now to use its prominence to set an example in the Jewish world by taking a public stand on a crucial issue and not caving in to politics and fear. Releasing details of the investigation will demonstrate YU’s moral courage, honesty and humility in recognizing any wrongs done to their students and taking action on their behalf. Acknowledging the full truth will only pave the way for healing rather than anger and a need for retribution. Ask any survivor what they most want and they will likely tell you it is not money they seek, but recognition of any harm done to them and admission of the truth.
If YU takes a courageous stand, it will shape and model how other Jewish institutions respond in the future and demonstrate that it prioritizes commitment to the truth over fear. To hide errors would be a grave violation of Jewish morality which calls for teshuva when we harm others. If YU is unwilling to share the details of what has happened, we need to question whether we can continue to trust its leaders to promote our children's physical and emotional well-being and the shaping of their spirits.
On its website, YU states that one of its missions is "to infuse the student body with a spirit of leadership and a sense of responsibility to the Jewish people and society in general". We request that the institution we have all held so dearly in our hearts conduct an UNBIASED investigation and agree to FULLY release the investigative findings to the public, omitting only the names of victims. Doing so will exemplify YU’s commitment to key Jewish values of integrity, compassion and accountability and demonstrate that Jews and their leaders care about how things feel and not just about how they look.
We urge YU leadership to commit to a full and transparent investigation which will allow the process of healing, reparation and reconciliation to begin, strengthen YU’s position as a trusted leader of our community and transform a potentially tragic spiritual and ethical crisis into one of growth, sanctification and grace.
Why is this important?
Please read the petition below urging YU leadership to take a stand of moral courage by agreeing to release the FULL findings of its current investigation into the recent allegations of sexual abuse at its MTA high school for boys http://forward.com/articles/169040/will-yeshiva-make-abuse-report-public/?p=all. We urge you to sign if you believe keeping our children safe from harm is more important than hiding the true details and any mistakes behind what happened.