The news that convulsed the Jewish world last week about Chaim Walder’s suicide, following many credible accusations against him of sexual abuse and harassment, highlighted Orthodoxy’s leadership crisis. Some prominent rabbis in different sectors of Orthodoxy said and did the right things; but many did not. Some of what these other leaders publicly asserted was ignorant, hurtful, and damaging. Some leaders even implicitly or explicitly showed honor to Walder… and last week, a victim of Walder’s abuse died by suicide, apparently triggered by the honor shown to Walder after his death.
Yes, we have a leadership crisis. The occasion of Walder’s suicide didn’t create that crisis, but it may have caused that crisis to reach a boiling point. The question now is, what do we do about it?
To talk about this crisis Scott spoke with Rabbi Yosef Blau, the senior mashgiach ruchani at Yeshiva University.
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Music: “Happy Rock” by bensound.com