On R’ Saul Berman Coming to Town…
In light of the latest Kolko news, it seems particularly worth mentioning the fact that Berman hasn’t faced any real negative repercussions for his role in the Gafni/Winiarz affair, and continues to be very much a celebrated figure, despite not having really apologized for his role or asserted he’d do things differently in the future.
He’s been hired by Chovevei as director of rabbinic enrichment, and now he’s becoming a celebrated piece of the seminary’s rabbinic collection.
This weekend is a “Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Shabbat” at a local synagogue we sometimes frequent, and Berman is the star. Other Chovevei types will be stopping by. Interesingly, among the lectures Berman will be delivering is one entilted “Deception in Business and Interpersonal Relationships.”
I don’t think enough has been said about just what Berman did to halt the anti-abuse momentum, and how clearly wrong his actions were. Obviously, if he’d not pushed his pro-Gafni agenda, there’s a chance that several women might not have been hurt.
And his attacks can be said to have done even more harm. He took on leading anti-abuse advocates publicly and aggressively. Luke’s got a selection of these letters.
I’ve frequently said that, just like stockbrokers who violate SEC regulations, abusive rabbis should not be allowed to return to positions of public trust.
Berman’s obviously not an abusive rabbi, but he is an aggressive enabler of one, and someone who, quite meretriciously, openly attacked those who sought to do right. If he’d provided a complete apology at anything like the level of his original attacks, and if he’d shown that he knows where he went wrong and how he could avoid it in the future, we’d be having a different discussion. But, several months after the latest Gafni discussion, he still hasn’t.
Today’s world is perhaps the easiest in which to offer a mea culpa. He could start a blog, write to a blog, publish in the New York Jewish Week, or put something on Chovevei’s Website, all without leaving his desk. He’s done no such thing.
It’ll really be a shame if the immediate reward to conduct like his is to simply resume one’s celebrated status as a leader in the liberal Modern Orthodox community. But that seems to be precisely what’s going on.
December 9th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I made these points several months ago, as well. Why would Chovevei stand for this? I’m mystified.
December 9th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
Shmarya - The reason why would seem to be that Berman simply is the senior rabbi in the liberal Modern Orthodox camp. Without anyone above him, it’s everyone else who has to get in line to please, not the other way around.
December 10th, 2006 at 11:50 am
I’m not sure what kind of aplogy or mea culpa you are looking for from Rabbi Berman, Steven, but this is what Rabbi Berman’s response was when the news broke about Winiarz, as reported in the Jewish Week. He certainly seems to deeply regret his support of Rabbi Winiarz. You make it sound like he has said nothing on the subject.
Here’s the account:
Rabbi Saul Berman, the founder and director of Edah here in New York, has been an outspoken defender of Rabbi Gafni. In a letter taking this reporter to task for writing about the controversy in 2004, Rabbi Berman, Rabbi Tirzah Firestone and ethicist and author Joseph Telushkin said they had looked into past allegations and found them “totally unconvincing.” They described the article as “unfair” and “scandalous.”
This week, Rabbi Berman said he is “deeply regretful” of his prior support for Rabbi Gafni, and worried that his past defense may have prolonged the rabbi’s “predatory behavior against women.”
“I was clearly wrong in stating that Rabbi Gafni’s continued role as a teacher within the Jewish community constitutes no risk to Jewish women,” he wrote in a statement.
Rabbi Berman said he had felt the earlier accusations “were not justifiable foundations for public disgrace and exclusion,” and noted that he will “continue to struggle with the ideal line between presumption of innocence and protection of potential innocent victims.”
He told The Jewish Week the Gafni case underscores the ongoing need for a mechanism to investigate allegations against rabbis “in a way that the community has confidence in, so that when it’s over, it’s over.”
He said that rabbis are “not capable of enough objectivity to handle such matters themselves,” and called for a collaborative effort of rabbis, lay leaders and professionals in the health care field who deal with abuse.
December 10th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Michael,
Berman wrote the most reprehensible letters deadening the names of brave women (and their supporters) who came forward to protect Jewish women and children from Gafni.
Berman wrote that he fully investigated the allegations and found them false. In fact that was a lie. He refused to even hear from several of Gafni’s survivors.
Berman produced and signed letters for Gafni, letters Gafni publicized and took around with him in a briefcase and that allowed him to destroy people’s names and reputations and put women and children in direct danger.
Berman has never taken any real steps to take real responsibility, to fully correct the record or do real teshuvah to Gafni’s brave survivors or their supporters. No letters. No attempt to appologize. That is not teshuvah.
I would note that Rabbi Avi Weiss was a supporter of Gafni who lent his name to Gafni’s organization. Apparently, his activism ends at actually doing something for survivors of his colleagues.