Following the Royal Commission hearing into the Yeshivah Centre in Melbourne, David Werdiger has written several articles.
With a lot of the focus on the Jewish law of “mesirah”, David points out that criticism of the AFP’s handling of the Bali Nine is actually the asserting the very same legal principle. “Knowing that a citizen would be subject to a legal system far more severe than our own, the AFP would not hand someone over to that jurisdiction”. [J-Wire]
Following admissions from Yeshivah leadership, David penned the letter he would have liked to receive from the leadership: a blueprint for orderly change and structural reform. “While our focus has been implementing best practice in child protection in our schools and in Chabad Youth, we recognize now that much more needed to be done”. [J-Wire and Times of Israel]
With a painful and toxic air remaining after the Royal Commission, David reviews the community response and seeks to defuse some of the tension. “Our children are no safer now than they were a month ago. … The Royal Commission is not a trial. The ‘rules of evidence’ do not apply, and it is not about finding individuals guilty or not-guilty”. [Melbourne Jewish Report and David Werdiger’s blog]
Finally, David looks at the leadership issues within the community, and how they can be repaired. The “basic prerequisite for Jewish communal life is therefore the participation of all the members of the community in the selection of their representatives and teachers”.[Times of Israel]