IBT apologises to Rabbi Yossi Feldman

April 12, 2016 by J-Wire Staff
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The International Business Times has apologised to Sydney’s Rabbi Yossi Feldman that the contents of an article published following the rabbi’s testimony at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse saying “one should not conclude that “he did not know that sexual touching of a child’s genital is not considered child sex abuse” may have caused him “hurt and embarrassment”.

Rabbi Yossef Feldman

Rabbi Yossef Feldman gives evidence at the Commission

Rabbi Feldman has commenced legal proceedings claiming he was defamed against a raft of news papers including The Australian Jewish News, The Guardian, The Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Australian, ABC, SBS, The Daily Beast, the Council of Orthodox Synagogues of Australasia, IBT, The Executive Council of Australian Jewry and The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies .

Rabbi Feldman gave evidence at the Commission in Melbourne in February 2015. He was giving evidence relating to another individual who had touched a child’s genitalia. He was under examination for his response to the action.

IBT published the apology below yesterday and J-Wire understands an undisclosed settlement was reached.

 

IBT

Robert Goot, president of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry of which The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies is a constituent body, told J-Wire: “In February 2016, Rabbi Yosef Feldman instituted proceedings in the Defamation list of the Supreme Court of NSW, against the ECAJ, its President (Robert Goot AM SC) and Executive Director (Peter Wertheim AM), arising out of statements made by the President and Executive Director on behalf of the ECAJ following evidence given by Rabbi Yosef Feldman  in 2015 to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The ECAJ and its officers  are  vigorously defending the proceedings  thorough our insurers.

Separate proceedings which are also being vigorously defended, arising from similar circumstances, have been instituted by  Rabbi Yosef Feldman against the President (Jeremy Spinak) and CEO (Vic Alhadeff) of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.”
Rod Kenning, the General Manager of the AJN added: “Rabbi Yosef Feldman has instituted proceedings against the AJN and Joshua Levi, claiming defamation in our reporting of his evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
As the matter is before the courts, I, and any other officer or employee of the AJN are unable to comment further on the record. We are, of course, defending the proceedings.”
Rabbi Yossi Feldman told J-Wire: “I really want to clear my name. After my appearance at the commission I lost my job as spiritual head of the Southern Sydney Synagogue and I stood down as a director of the Yeshiva and my work with AIT. But as the matter is now before the courts I can say no more.”

Comments

3 Responses to “IBT apologises to Rabbi Yossi Feldman”
  1. ben gershon says:

    the video of his appearance did all the damage

    ben

  2. Bruce Cooke says:

    Shades of Alice in Wonderland here:

    “Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).”

  3. Avigael Cassel says:

    Political Correctness gone Mad….

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