Not unlike the scandals and cover-ups recently revealed at Penn State and Poly Prep Country Day School, another prominent school, this one in New York City, has recently come under fire for its failures to report sexual abuse. Yeshiva University High School for Boys, despite being regarded as one of the most prominent Jewish high schools in the country, has its own dark secrets involving sexual abuse dating back decades.
Current Yeshiva University chancellor, Norman Lamm, recently stated that he knew of improper sexual activity by staff members but chose to deal with it privately and quietly. It appears that the police were never called, the staff members were permitted to leave the school with good reports and no explanation was given to students or parents at the school.
School officials at Yeshiva still do not seem to grasp the severity of such allegations of abuse. In an email sent to known victims of abuse at Yeshiva, the president Rabbi Richard Joel
We’ve seen similar tactics at Penn State and other institutions who engage outside lawyers and law firms to conduct investigations into abuse allegations. Unfortunately, no matter how prominent, respectable, and experienced these independent law firms are, they will always struggle for true accountability from the institution that hired them. On the other hand, police are skilled, trained, and equipped to conduct unbiased and balanced investigations, but only if they have the information they need from victims who are encouraged to contact them.
Jeff Anderson and Mike Reck are attorney’s and advocates working with survivors of clergy sexual abuse at Jeff Anderson & Associates.