Rabbi Jacobson will discuss the following topics:
- Torah Perspective on Such a Travesty
- What should be our overall response?
- Why would G-d allow an individual who would commit such heinous crimes to reach such a high position of power and influence within the religious public, and especially over the innocent hearts and minds of children?
- How do we deal with such a mass betrayal?
- Who comes first: perpetrator or victim?
- Can we assume his absolute guilt?
- Where do you draw the line between assuming someone’s innocence and judging people favorably and the danger they pose and the damage they may cause others?
- If someone harmed people, but also helped others, does one negate the other?
- How do I deal with my deep feelings of betrayal and internal conflict: On one hand I grew up and was shaped by his books. Yet, I cannot look at his books knowing what kind of double life he led, and the countless people he harmed?
- Do we have the right to judge another?
- Is there hope for a perpetrator?
- Why isn’t child molestation considered an issur in the Torah?
- Intervention and Reporting Abuse
- Do the laws of mesirah and loshon hara apply to a sexual predator?
- Can we report them to the police?
- Are we allowed to publicly shame a perpetrator to prevent him from harming others?
- How should the community deal with abusers who have been accused by credible accusations without creating collateral damage?
- Community Response
- How can you find clarity between the conflicting and even seriously contradictory messages coming from different Torah authorities?
- How do we justify or explain Rabbis whitewashing or ignoring the travesty?
- How would you respond to the Rabbis that blame the public’s loshon hara for murdering this author?
- Was it wrong that “gedolim” gave positive eulogies at his funeral after all the horrible things he has been accused of? Is this not an overt insult to the victims?
- Speaking with Children
- What should we be telling our children?
- How can we protect our children?
- His Books
- What should we be doing with his educational books?
- Should we be reading books from an unholy author?
- Closure
- What can the victims now do to get closure and find justice?
- Do we continue to pursue justice and humiliate him after his death?
- Are we allowed to defile his memory for revenge?
- Can the victims sue his family and his estate for compensation for their injuries?
- How should one think about the suicide of one that caused others harm?
- Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead
- What can we learn from this and what can we do as individuals and as a community?
- What can we do to help grow awareness and prevent further atrocities against the innocent?
- Why aren’t more female mental health professionals addressing this issue?
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.