Code of Silence - Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community (documentary)

if I can't come forward go public about this issue there is no way anyone else will so as the victim I needed to stand up I just needed to as a boy many whacks was sexually abused by an Orthodox Jewish security guard employed by the yeshiva Center in Melbourne people often think about the toll on the victims but there was an incredible toll that the victims fairness was also have too bad when many went public in 2011 alleging high-level cover-ups he shattered a millennia old ultra-orthodox code of silence the punishment for informing non-jewish authorities used to be excommunication and centuries ago even death today Manny's father is bearing the brunt of the backlash [Music] his relationship with the community he gave most of his life to has been poisoned I need a written declaration from the rabbi that I am NOT an informer and that my son is not an informer and they're talking to the police and the media is not against Jewish law and therefore no basis to shun me at all [Music] any instance of child abuse is a vile and evil thing Australian Minister Julia Gillard Australian all for me revelations to reconcile sexually yes it followed an explosive string of accusations against Catholic clergy and church hierarchy I've not only had their trust betrayed by the abuser but other adults who could have acted to assist them have failed to do so the revelations were shocking and further tarnished the Catholic Church's already damaged reputation but Christianity wasn't the only religion embroiled in child sexual abuse in Melbourne Jews were struggling to keep the lid on their own Pandora's box of scandals we never spoke about this issue it was always the Catholic Church issue and I remember seeing this over time that you know every time is a scandal with the Catholic Church I'm thinking well it's not just the Catholic Church it's within us our own community as well [Music] for many whacks that community was the yeshiva Center a vast complex that's Jews less than 5,000 live in Australia with most in the Melbourne suburb of balaclava with their distinctive black hats beards and coats how about Jews are highly visible and intensely pliers their mission of connecting non-orthodox Jews to Judaism has made the revered part of Jewish life just takes 10 seconds of blessing and that's it growing up in a Habad family and communities all I've ever really known so for me it was just the part of my DNA almost many is the eldest son of 17 July 4 Menachem he was named after the leader of the movement in New York Menachem Mendel Schneerson many of his followers believed he might be the Messiah and even though he died in 1994 some still do [Music] the wax family believed to be Australia's largest was a pivotal part of the Habad community hi Joseph rifki hello miss s the pain of the children have grown a guy'll mani only the youngest still lives amen they'll bear yong-ki Maya being one of seventeen is really all I've ever known it was just natural it was just going an annual event go the hospital to pick up the next baby and the house kept them getting bigger and the family was expanding I ran it very much with a very strict and very much like a military camp that other people would find it very oppressive or repressive no but I still get flak from it on blogs there as it was a as a dictatorial tyrant the relationship between us is not being one of a lot of emotions you know I mean when you got 17 kids you probably don't have that time to have that emotional relationship they were different times they were a lot of waters flown under many bridges since then what can I tell you one could ever have dreamt that would be where we are today doing what we're doing today the Torah commands Jews to observe 613 commandments every day Orthodox Jews adhere to scores of laws they rigorously follow in addition Habad Jews have their own distinct customs there are these meticulous practices if you're right-handed and that's your strongest side then your shirt you put the right hand first and in the left hand you've got to the same thing with the pants the shoes all these things kind of dominate every Specht of your life the focal point of their faith the yeshiva Center is directly across the road the Shiva Center is essentially the peak group for the ultra-orthodox Lubavitch movement there are schools there are youth groups it is a lifeline for family support for guidance for community at yeshiva college many was immersed in the study of the Torah for up to 14 hours a day I was assumed at that school and I could not have thought of a warmer more caring or safe environment when Manny was 11 no one suspected his warm caring and safe Hubbard world was being turned upside down by the center's security guard who also taught some of the boys martial arts it was my karate teacher he used to pick me up take me to the class to and from the karate classes used to molest me is to do some degrading things as well during the class for my serious offense that I remember happen inside the big vat the ritual bath he used to tell me I don't want to go to the mikveh so I said him I can't go between 12 o'clock I think to one I'll go later that's when I start to understand something happening was very naive to face this problem I never even dreamed there is a problem like that you know that's it's hard very hard it's a place of religious significance it is usual practice that you have a bath naked then he was caressing my thighs and playing with my penis by holding his hand around it and rubbing his hand up and down it left an indelible mark on me he did what he did in a so-called holy place and then at the end of it you got to such an extent that I blacked out just you know we certainly had no idea and not myself not my parents nor anyone else for that matter that that he was being abused but many's parents began noticing a change in his behavior when he was around 11 or 12 well just a villain class a little bit a little bit maybe talking I don't know I started desecrating the Sabbath and not keeping the Jewish laws and desecrating all sorts of other laws that took a lot of courage to do because you know desecrating the Sabbath growing up could you learn that you're gonna get stoned to death and I'll never forget the first piece of not kosher meat or chicken that I had I forced myself I said I need to finish this and I need to do it because you know I just needed to become not religious and do these not religious things that's how strongly I felt about it and I remember screaming at one stage you know I hate this house I don't want to live here anymore he rebelled and started breaking the rules you know we had no no access to TV or movies or non-jewish music or girls and and he started doing all those things my parents threw me out of the house that wasn't something that I particularly remember fondly of I mean I was having fun but it was you know not in the most healthy ways I didn't talk to them for I think it was a couple of years so he ended up being out of home and in different ways eventually leading to his migration to Israel in Israel mani joined the army spending two and a half years in the Israel Defense Force in 1996 he returned to Australia for a few months but his sister's wedding before I say anything about one a couple of more too many to drink so like anything to say yeah cannot be use the SP in the choir of law because he might infect his religious siblings with his rebellious attitude the only way he was able to live under his parents roof again was literally to sleep in it [Music] so they'd much rather kind of quarantine me in some ways and this was kind of my little ensuite you know just being hidden away in the Attic echoed the way Manny had had to hide his dark secret for years before a health hazard but his silence was about to end [Music] please don't turn your back on a kid you think is being sexually abused there was a thing called Operation paradox going on in this is when an awakening happen in the world about child sexual abuse a media campaign encouraging victims to report abuse was launched on TV it was the catalyst for a massive change in the wax family I was sitting in my office and he was in his room upstairs because if you can't close it how will they and he heard it and I'd heard had already a few times and he came down to me and told me what had happened just he never didn't tell me any details just something happened to him should we report it or he wants to report it I was shocked of course I was shocked I felt really really bad about it because I felt I'd let him down and then came within a level of feeling helpless and feeling very sad that such a thing had happened on my watch manis karate teacher was David tsipras an Orthodox Jew officially employed by the yeshiva Center as a security guard what was one time during a karate class I did something wrong he took me around the back and taught me I had a choice of doing one of two things one thing was some impossible thing to do and the other thing was to drop my pants and run around the yard half-naked I felt I had no choice but to do the other so I ran around the yard without my pants on while I stood and watched you've got to live with this most personal secret for decades I don't think people can really understand that comprehend it fully unless you have experienced that yourself we rang up the police straightaway and I went with him and we both made statements many told me that his whole class have known about the abuse and in fact he suffered doubly because they used to tease him about it I used to walk past a is to stand there doing security he would stand there and just smirk at me he still walk fast there nice to catch eyes with him sometimes they used to stand there just like both know what I did and what happened and I got away with it that's the kind that's the message I was getting I used to be so angry and it sometimes got worse occasionally how to walk inside the issue for synagogue for my brother's Bar Mitzvah there was the person standing there who technically needed to authorize my entry my tormentor bolstered by his police statement and concerned his abuser had easy access to prey on other children Manny had the first of several exchanges with the head rabbi of Hubbard in Melbourne I mean I think in many ways rabbi groaner is the equivalent of an archbishop I was very happy at least that I was able to muster the the the courage to go and confront him about this specifically I'm rabbi groaner said to me that we're addressing it we're dealing with it he's he's getting psychological help we're looking after him please just keep this quiet and I said to him rabbi Grodner can you assure me that he's not reoffending now or that he will not riaf end with all the access that he has now and he said to me no I can't police question David tsipras who denied the allegations it was Manny's word against his without further evidence the police could take no further the case went cold [Music] many got married had three kids and moved to Canberra to work as a government bureaucrat he became president of the Jewish community there but his scars remained but mani wasn't the only alleged victim of child sexual abuse at yeshiva college in the early 1990s David Kramer an Orthodox teacher was accused of molesting pupils while some officials were alleged to have covered it up everyone knew about rabbi Kramer he didn't abuse me but he was a former teacher of mine once I remember one of my sons came running like crazy I was in a laundries and there Karen told me you know everybody's talking about crema everybody's sayin crema is doing this and did that that's how I was so leach a fond of David Kramer's abuse became so widely known that in 1992 when Rabbi Abraham Glick was still principal of your sheba college kramer fled the country in fact that you see the center offered to pay them to leave crema fled to America where he was jailed in 2008 for sodomizing a boy in a synagogue camp the fact that Kramer managed to leave the country and was unable to be able to to commit his crimes again in the United States that's that's all you need to say to show that what took place was a disaster anybody that knew and could have stopped in living in Australia has got blood on their hands it's as simple as that including me I'm not denying that [Music] Zef Anya along with many parents and stuff were aware of the allegations against Kramer life but didn't act in fear of the ancient law of massara a code of silence to ensure that Jews deal with conflicts in-house massara is the dobbing in and then the punishment from the Sarah was excommunication yes and worse massara was introduced thousands of years ago when turning a fellow Jew over to Gentile authorities was tantamount to a death sentence although the last known killing occurred hundreds of years ago some still fear that washing Jewish laundry in public will stoke the fires of anti-semitism a person that does Mercier is called a massa anybody can come and kill this guy in principle going to the police without permission or something like it could make you liable to be killed now I'm not saying at the moment that anyone is I'm not in fear of my life but that's the sort of gravity with which it's regarded when David Kramer's released from an American prison was looming in 2011 Victoria police opened proceedings to extradite him but investigators were confronted by a community enveloped in a code of silence I wrote a front-page story back in June 2011 saying that police were trying to breach the wall of silence surrounding alleged sexual assaults that had occurred at yeshiva College although there were public statements from Jewish community organizations stressing that the prohibitions of Nazira did not apply people whom I spoke to from within the Sheva commit community off the record said that they felt that there was a strong reluctance to go to secular authorities to go to the media to go to the police manney red jewel Topsfield article in mid 2011 revealing that David Kramer may be extradited from America to face multiple charges of sexual abuse at yeshiva college I was absolutely gobsmacked that I was seeing this in the mainstream media and what it told me was I I this is my opportunity now I knew it wasn't about David Kramer I knew that this was a much broader issue and I called the police who were investigating this case I was completely crying on the phone talking to him not believing what he was telling me that they were opening all the cases of abuse you shiver Manny's own abuser David tsipras was still at large many believe the only way he could get justice not just for himself but for other victims was to go public despite the consequences I did everything that I could within my power to pursue justice privately I went to the POIs in 96 I went to the magrunner on several occasions and I got noe what else should I have done I felt that if I go public with my story then this will be a game changer so I called Joel Topsfield from the Aged and I said you know I want to speak to you in confidence can you guarantee me and she said yes I get I told him my story and he said he was a high-profile member of the community and he filled that by coming forward and saying I was a victim of sexual abuse it may encourage other people to come forward Manny's mother who cannot show her hair in public as an Orthodox married woman runs a wig shop she was against him doing lovely because it could ostracize the family from the Habad community I was a president of a woman of her bad movement in memory I didn't want all this I didn't know how far it go it's gonna go already we would have been easy to to see your son lady your husband taking on people her friends and her community I didn't realize what he meant or thought he meant telling some people openly that's all I thought he meant I didn't think nadir and all that sort of stuff no I remember then I couldn't sleep the whole night and woke up very early in the morning and the article was published and basically all hell broke loose after that I was getting inundated with Facebook messages emails phone calls texts from all over the world it was just astounding and what was interesting I had many victims contacted me even that day on Friday and just telling me their own story when I saw this article about money and about all this a change was like a bone I felt whoa what's next next was a brutal backlash the quickest and cruelest appeared on social media it's about time someone took action against Manny's Cavalier tactics so funny as a person who spits in the well from which he drapes he and Manny want to destroy his Shiva Manny is not after justice he's after revenge this is anyone associate EES he is there was a tremendous sense of shock not just because we were talking about child abuse within the Jewish community in the first place but simply because it had broken in the age which isn't known to be the best friend of the Jewish community and the question was asked at the time wise man he'd gone to the age why would he try and wash our dirty linen in public in the newspaper that really will be that sympathetic there were many people from within the Jewish community that said that it was fantastic that many had come and had told his story and that this would really assist and I think the police were also a grateful to many in many ways because that didn't in court would later came out that in fact a lot of other victims had come forward the fact that people in the Orthodox community actually thought we should accept that this has gone on we shouldn't report it it's not newsworthy people should just accept that they are being abused or that they had been abused they should just shut up about it because it's what happens the backlash also had huge ramifications for Manny's parents the wicked came out in the age the rabbi of the synagogue he started going through if you don't listen to the rabbi's we have means at our disposal and he started going through enumerate the different levels of excommunication which there are not to being given things in the synagogue not being allowed to join a minion to join a quorum no one being allowed to talk to you there's a whole different bunch of levels I walked out then after a few minutes of this sermon and about 6 or 7 women also walked out the women was stronger than the men many friends have become very ambivalent most people wouldn't want to be seen talking with me in public there's only very few people that will talk to me in public in the synagogue now it's a problem I feel slowly slowly my friends going down and down and that was even her friends it's me because she's supporting me for a while there she was more ambivalent even if they good friends some of them there but their husbands funny with Sonja's it's a problem it is a big problem for me and I didn't mean to do it to her [Music] [Applause] cross the community in any way and you're gonna have trouble getting your tutor married let's be very clear about that there would be families that would wipe our family off and would not allow the child to go out with their son they would not approve of it because of everything that's happened even within the West family some of the 17 children are critical of Manny and Zafar Nia's campaign what's hurt the most are probably the lack of support from many family members I think unfortunately it has affected the relationship with some of the kids that are not on the same page with us the more religious and observant a family member is the less they are supportive and that's been a very telling situation for me it hasn't made a complete break maybe not even a severe break but it's it's it's an elephant in the room one brother goes public in a five-page tirade on social media he questions many and so far Nia's motives claiming they've hijacked the testimonies of Jewish abuse victims for their own despite the chorus of criticism many remains focused on the cause I was working at that time a ridiculous are probably 16 hours a day on these types of issues it was just out of control that's when I realized that it was beyond just me personally that's what I started talking to some people and I realized I need to establish an organisation which is dedicated to this issue and that's where it said ik which means justice in Hebrew came into life today said ik is in contact with almost 50 Jewish victims of institutional abuse about 30 of them allegedly from Hubbard organizations across Australia the majority from the yeshiva Centre in Melbourne it needed to be beyond an individual wasn't a mani wax thing he was Jewish community issue and needed to be addressed as such it wasn't just a yeshiva issue it was much broader than that in fact several other Jewish organizations have been embroiled in the scandal some launched inquiries Hubbard did not yeshiva supporters went on the offensive accusing many of running an anti religious vendetta against them [Music] Koval basically used me three times a day you prayed together in the synagogue or wherever it is you pray with the quorum now because of the unpleasant feelings that I have in the synagogue it was I didn't realize actually till I stopped how much it was actually affecting me I go only on the Sabbath now keep my foot in the door and said that I'm not stopping completely but during the week I pray at home it's very highly unusual my wife doesn't even like people to know that I'm doing it but I'm not embarrassed about it the Jewish tradition is you do learn with people to get up that's what I had with two people essentially and both of them stopped eventually we started learning on Shabbos morning together that's true yeah am I good to learn it good today or was that he was surprised I know so instead of backing down many and his father further publicized their allegations of abuse and cover-ups at yeshiva in their submission to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child abuse thank you Tom many people often think about the toll on the victims but there is an incredible toll that the victim status also also have to bed [Music] I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank and acknowledge unequivocal support of my parents now I should point out why I got involved with the scene really not because he's my son I got dragged in or because he went public if he would have asked me beforehand I would've had trepidation because I would have known what's coming and I'm glad he didn't ask me because I believe in the position of coming public has been completely vindicated by the number of people that have come forward and just talking to the police privately and having it all covered up with wire that's exactly what everybody wanted to have them here and my son broke that that's been very annoying to some people despite allegations of exploiting his abuse to promote his media profiles many continues campaigning inside and outside the Jewish community absolutely no one is above the law not priests not rabbis not Imams nor anyone else in positions of power or authority we must ensure that what has happened once will never happen again we must stand up as a community together and say loud and clear enough no more silence thank you there is a sense in some quarters within the community that Manny is a community personality who was always looking for a platform and with the child abuse issue and having been a victim himself he has certainly found it and is now making the most of it and it's no longer about just the victims it's about the mani wax show and that is certainly how its referred to in some quarters not long ago Friday nights at the wax family was a full house celebrating the Sabbath ma ma yeah we should straight to me yeah now it's a tiny affair just the parents and Shanie their youngest daughter still living at home you know I used to have almost every Friday night my friends I'm sorry smack I didn't invite already six months I'd invite anybody anybody I don't feel like inviting you in contrast many has severed ties to orthodoxy but remains connected to his Jewish culture personally I don't have any issue in driving on the Sabbath and I do so pretty much every week he and his friends still celebrate the Sabbath with a modern [Music] [Applause] [Music] as far as being invited to weddings last 30 years we've invited to our bar mitzvahs our weddings and everything like that had stopped so there's no more weddings anymore almost none probably bothers my wife more than me I've I'm focused on what's gonna happen here he says he's strong but I'll tell you he doesn't say as opposed to sleep he gets obviously the organized kind of wedding says um it doesn't have the silver applicants I used to have so something is almost two years after manis front-page story rocked the Jewish community the law was closing in on David tsipras the former security guard of the yeshiva centered around the same time David Kramer who fled to America was facing multiple charges of sexual abuse at yeshiva college many attends Kramer's trial as leader of setec and on behalf of the four victims who aren't prepared to go public there the Kramer case it's the first case so it was always going to be a test to see where everyone stands or so there's an added element of a first David Kramer you are to be sentenced for five charges of indecent assault and one charge of indecent date with a child under 16 on charge one to nine months imprisonment uncharged two to nine months imprisonment uncharged three Simon Australia's only national Jewish newspaper the scandal is headline news item I've just had a statement from the college you see the college since any regrets and reserved unreservedly apologizes for not informing the police at the time of the allegations arose if any allegations were to arise today they would be immediately reported to the police and the relevant authorities but it's a step forward on what happened when the allegations first arose but questions remain over rabbi glimpse failure to report Cramer to police when the allegations first arose in court police said their investigators encountered a culture of cover-up how was it good all right yes did you Wow nothing tell me what happened first see God we got three years and four months in jail ok it's not too bad but the problem is that he's not going to serve it's only only three and a half he's three years or four months and out of that only 18 months I in jail yeah the wrist is wrong Wow anybody from you she became no no one no one of the victims I saw was there but that's it really it's hard it's hard but God will help I know a lot of people thinking now what's going on is not right but Shiva is doing at the moment Anaheim is a to me is a hero I look up to him yes many regularly seeks help to cope with the mounting cases of abuse landing on his desk as well as the trauma of his own experience code it's just left me very emotional in the courtroom and I guess even okay and even now it's it's just it took a toll on me it's absolutely normal when one sees people subject to unreasonable emotional experience and they don't show an emotional response any professional would be wary as to what was to come and then just listen to the description of what actually was going on when they were reading the the charges and the offenses and and the fact that the children I mean I didn't realize that some of the victims were calling out for help it's just astounding for me due to - he that I guess this was close to home in a sense that people very close to me [Music] Kramer sentencing makes that nice news I wish she gets well because we don't feel you get to pass - we know 32 year old David Kramer pleaded guilty to abusing poor boys the issue of a college primary school the train 1999 1992 today he was sent to the three years and four months in jail yeshiva College sincerely regrets and unreservedly apologizes [Music] television last not well done thank you so much thank you with crema now in German many is stealing himself for the trial of his own alleged abuser david tsipras what i thought yesterday was i was glad they had that opportunity because it makes me feel like i'm preparing myself for when my time will come i know it's going to be a grueling experience going through that court process and having to relive each and every moment because you're gonna get cross-examined and your credibility is going to be attacked i'm just gonna have to feel this lis stand up and say the truth what happened while you shiva apologizes for the Kramer scandal some of those involved in covering it up remain in their posts even though Yeshiva claims it has best practice in child safety today but man Ian's afonya it's a hollow apology they've claimed that they've now got great policies and procedures in place great dick in the box if they were honest about getting or providing support and genuinely care about the welfare of the victims that would be more proactive just like they're proactive about issues of religion have they sent anyone to go to any of the victims to see how they're doing to apologize directly to them and they've done anything today's afonya is facing similar stonewalling on the anniversary of his father's death it is custom that his son should lead the prayers inside synagogue however to emails already about this and they haven't answered me yet and I don't know what's gonna happen as far as getting called up guys I'm gonna stay in the synagogue even if I don't get called up let them start up with dead people that's what they want I set up with my father my father's a picture of him on the wall there he was learning up the MIT or Berlin in the engineering school when Hitler came to power but he stayed there even he knew what's going on till he got his degree said this guy I am NOT gonna be forced out because of this and I'm adopting some of that same principle here but unlike his father is a father left the secular world 40 years ago and joined the Hubbard movement ironically many has done the reverse many is not in the community anymore he's quite understandably outside of the community now so on the one hand that gives him complete freedom that means visa vie the community he doesn't care what they say okay on the internet he gets rubbish by some people that are well and truly within the community in some cases we know who they are they can use swear words they can absolutely do everything which is against Jewish law lying and and denigrating the family and him but okay he's not he doesn't see it every day doesn't meet these people doesn't bother him I'm the one that's meeting it it's at the heart it's the cold face okay I'm gonna show higher you don't have to wait for me don't wait for me here inside the synagogue so far Nia's demands to lead prayers are being refused a funny thing happened to do with me nothing allowed to govern Myra to pray to lead the prayers for the evening service normally the person is leading the prayers goes and stands there jumping the lake will be say what's all this crap about it's funny because his son is a major supporter on Facebook of my son anyway some three of them stood there for half an hour before the evening service started just so that I to make sure even though they told me I couldn't do it do you understand the dynamics of what's going on here I hope you do yeah he says they can bring it on come get me please but you got a laugh that's why I've got a I've got this problem and laughing about it it's it's black humor but what else do you do I'm more serious about the whole thing it's too much for me it's much too much what's the word betrayed by the community yeah I think she does surely must be easier to just stand up and just say you know what enough just remove the Hat and shave the beard and just you know what just [ __ ] it just go back to how things work he's full of bad he's not doing that it hasn't weakened my faith at all if anything it's strengthened my faith because I see things that are written in the prophets where the Prophet is telling the Jews stop with the hypocrisy stop bringing sacrifices stop talking and praying so much when you're doing the wrong thing just start doing the right thing it is the lead-up to Yom Kippur Judaism's holiest day when Jews go to synagogue for prayers which culminate in the blowing of the shofar the ram's horn it is a clarion call for them to repeat on Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement when everybody makes confession if there are people in synagogues confessing to the Almighty for being engaged in abuse or being engaged in the covering up of abuse not enough they must speak to their victims and then must ask their victims forgiveness at this time of atonement rabbi good nick issues a blistering public rebuke of the culture of cover-up i wish to be frank whatever reason a cultural cover-up often couched in religious terms pervaded our thinking and actions was simply wrong this is the holiest day of the year when we returning for our sins and he was pointing out one of the most heinous sins and telling people that they had to realize that this had happened within our own community and there they couldn't be silent they had to speak out and they had to come forward we are no different than any other community what should make us different is how we handle it meanwhile as afonya has made a significant decision i'm not going into your sheever anymore now by the way I'm just I'm not going there now even though Chava so so my mum off does a lot me saying that but I mean that's that's it I don't need to put up your yeast nonsense anymore kaya these are the facts of life there's no reason why people shouldn't yeah well this is the fact of life which doesn't have to be covered there's nothing in higher there is nothing embarrassing in this for me there is nothing embarrassing I am not the one to be embarrassed when I come to wherever I come after this life if I have to give in front of the in front of the heavily court when I have to give dinner husband when I have to give account of my actions that is the least of my worries he won't even ask me I have strong faith that he won't ask me why didn't demential with yom kippur failing to generate remorse so funny--i is becoming increasingly estranged from the food community and his son's long-awaited day in court is imminent it's not about the length of the sentence it's more about the fact that he's found guilty of each of the acts that I can remember that he did to me manis revelations prompted over a dozen other alleged victims of david tsipras to come forward and police pressed multiple charges against the former security guard and karate teacher but on the eve of the trial a call from the Office of Public Prosecutions stuns many many speaking hi good what's happening oh my god got a call my wife David tsipras has accepted a plea bargain deal in relation to my case I don't have to go through a trial and have to be cross-examined I'm basically stunned really well it's amazing it's amazing I can't think straight about anything else I just wanna see him in the courtroom pleading guilty that's all I want to say at this stage anyway so and I'm gonna get that opportunity that is just astounding Wow today that tsipras's just pleaded guilty Hey amazing I'm on the way to court now [Music] I remember the shame I remember the guilt I remember the anger I remember the taunts and the teasing I remember the pain and suffering in court the magistrate brans rabbi glicks testimony as unfathomable and police accused the College of protecting David tsipras a former martial arts teacher and security guard at Melbourne Zoo Shiva College has been jailed for eight years for repeatedly sexually abusing boys in his care David Samuel tsipras raped one boy five times and sexually abused eight others in a series of incidents dating back to the 1980s firstly obviously this is a monumental day for the Australian Jewish community and both also for myself personally it's been a long journey it's been decades coming it's very very emotional as a parent is very little we could have done that but you feel you didn't protect your kids so you know you have an element of guilt there so the fact of him getting some something back also then reduces that for me it is unacceptable that the majority of those who are still in the leadership position at you shiver we're in the same leadership positions over the last few decades it is just unfathomable and we will hold them to full account ho mate mani here just wanted to give you some of the good news just come out of court and he's been sentenced it was amazing to actually see it in person and I was definitely thinking about you especially when they read out the things relating to you good on your mates I'll speak to you later bye so what I'm gonna do is I I really want to celebrate this a bit now so I'm gonna have a beer somewhere yeah good excellent excellent while it is highly unusual for bad members to go into bars today the fun is making an exception it looks a little bit different than I remember this is a higher class bar I would say they were always used to you got anything a little bit more bitter of its strong or something like that in tasty no no I mean as a beer [Applause] behind the times I did it's about justice for those who covered a hundred percent I'm behind [Music] [Applause] what's the result I don't know oh good yes Wow you know five and a half is minimum is it be sitting job for at least another five years Wow what we expected absolutely it's a good end of what was expected it's it's definitely and there were strong comments as well by the judge and dinner so it's it's yeah that's interesting not as interesting news now from Shiva no I know that's interesting do anything wrong what do they do wrong I see Menachem is happy I pop the first time in 40 years today that's what you bought no I didn't client we had a baby it was scary it was scary but it was scary all the way give me a bit more since then I've got a Devin still behind while many is saying justice so funny is still grieving his exclusion from the community I've lost friends of 30 years that's it tough luck I don't believe I'll ever go to the building again unless there's a major change which is very unlikely to occur I didn't do anything wrong regardless of what people say the jug with Manny's perpetrator behind bars other victims continue to come forward in a tragic twist a former relief teacher at yeshiva College charged with five counts of child sexual abuse was found dead in an apparent suicide just weeks before he was to face court critics accuse many and his supporters of having blood on their hands she says it every stage would you say every stage that's too much then it goes a bit further you're dealing with animals excuse me stop it stop it I don't know what what what he is poly is guarded people this one is important watch your mouth I'm sold last night I posted on Facebook I am bitterly disappointed to share that my parents this afonya and hiya wax have made the difficult decision to sell their family home and relocate my father's losing sleep over and it's affecting his health and and my mother as well it's zero so I don't think they have a choice but leaving Australia we're going to Israel it's a cottage she's got all her family there so when we have ice but it's the truth if I could go now I was going out right now we are selling the house the house is on the market as of yesterday in a very upset of course people have been made a comment on Facebook there that I sort of comment now at the end of the day cuz someone said are they will probably give the move away now people just dismiss other people's feelings like that though we're gonna move away they're an elder someone called us on Facebook now an elderly couple hi you'll be happy to hear that we're an elderly couple it's the place where we brought up 17 kids but we're an hour an elderly couple so they would have want to downsize anyway so someone else wrote back my my parents right to the end I wanted to stay in their own house thank you very much nothing well I wanted to go to live in Israel everybody knows I wouldn't rush this way they would do it slowly with thinking you feel like you I have to make it felt to offer bliss it's very sad that they feel that they will have to leave Australia it's not his community anymore I feel uncomfortable thing like the same as these characters I feel uncomfortable it's a uniform another part of that battalions anymore definitely not this is 24 so take from here and put in there [Music] to go to work so I'll gonna get a bag 3:15 I would like to take the photo so on a memory of my house falling yeah [Music] for me Shiva and the community was all my life everything I was part of it with my blood with my soul early every time another one of these red bags gets arrested the happier I am and makes it always well [Music] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: The Documentary Channel

Views: 232,598

Rating: 4.8380728 out of 5

Keywords: documentary, film, sideways, channel, documentaries, clips, news, social issue, politics, world, affairs, TV, feature doc, feature docs, orthadox, hasidic, jew, jewish, israel, abuse, child, sex, sexual, power, cover up, cover, hidden, men, justice, sect, court, hide, escape, religion, religious, scandal, young, youth, synagogue, australia, australian

Id: BE6A2OSlUBY

Length: 56min 0sec (3360 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 15 2019