Richard, I’m sorry I referred to you as ‘Oliver”, I had been discussing your comment with another.
It was suggested that maybe an inquiry into the treatment of Jewish children referred to by Prof Glen Taylor, and my mind has been pre-occupied since.
Why hasn’t this been brought to public attention by competant members of the Jewish community.
John Searle for instance.
Vaclav Havel is quoted as saying: Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible effect can gradually and indirectly, over time gain in politicalsignifiance.

– “substantial number ” – no numbers produced at all, so how do we know the “substantial” !?
– “widespread sexual abuse ” – again how does Waks qualify “widespread”

What reveals logical negligence is Waks’ comment that the acused ultra Orthodox institutions DID duly remove the paedophiles ( plural !!) from the said institutions and yet , later the children were abused by the same perpetrators ( MW’s favourite word ). Elementary question is how did the removed plural paedophiles continue to abuse the children they were supposedly removed from!!!!
There is also the “carelesness” of making sweeping statements that involve ALL religious denominations within the strict context of only ONE denomination, i.e. the Jewish one.
The function of eliminating any kind of abuses in any learning institution or elsewhere is far too important to allow the engendering of misleading personal agendas unrelated to this valuable function to affect the veracity of the cause.

Really, Richard !!!
The implied lack of “rigidity” in the Jewish community’s ethical standards and respective same rigidity in, say, the Catholic institutions is the conduit or lack of in the protection of children in care !!!
Should I go into the excesses of “rigidity” cum outrageous abuses by the Church !!!
But shouldn’t you demonstrate that you are privy to the ethical structures of the JEWISH community in regards to the issues discussed here, as you attempt to impress with an “objective”, implicitely INFORMED stance !!
As a mere Richard we can only recognise you as a moral non entity whose authority on the subject cannot be verified, except for the obvious intention of demonising the Jewish community by making completely gratuitous staements.

Wrong Richard, ALL children are G-ds children, and they are everybodies responsability and can and should be discussed, anywhere and everywhere.

The book is called ‘Reluctant Refuge’ and details how Jewish children were forced into Christian orphanages and such like in spite of the fact that Jewish congregations and organizations in Sydney and Melbourne pleaded to have the children returned to the Jewish community. Christian imperialism was directed against Jewish children as well as their own. Australia has a shocking history of child abuse, almost on a par with the Irish.

Oliver, over the years I have noticed prosecutions had been very minimal up there in Queensland.
It was a proverbial ‘dumping ground’ for clergy, and with the mentality of the Premier you have expressed, I can see why.
I did notice Anna Bligh was always happy to be seen with mmembers of the Catholic hierarchy, visiting and local, and knowing what I did, always found it offensive.
Her successor, recently chastised for his hardline in relation to the minister of police by a spokeman from the Catholic University up there, maybe is a sign of things to come.
Be thankful the Jewish community is structured very differently.

If you were abused in any way – don’t expect to be believed; government departments and ‘religious’ organizations / institutions given right of care and control of children organizations by various ‘Acts’ and Laws will do their damnest to protect their ‘reputations’ and the institutions and this means ‘demonizing’ complainers. In our experience the protection of the institution has a far greater priority than any victim.

If you were a victim, seek specialized independent legal advice as early as possible. You need to get political. The initial cynical response to abuse victims in Queensland was for the then Premier Peter Beattie to say “so sue us!” knowing full well that victims had very little power and the State could use all its power and financial muscle to crush any claims.

Compensation payments in Australia, when any are reluctantly given, are far less than compensation amounts that ‘religious’ institutions have been forced to pay overseas e.g. Canada, the US, Ireland and the UK, all of which have had similar Inquiries.

I know of many people who were former child victims who now won’t have anything to do with religion or the ‘Faiths’ which ran these evil institutions. In Queensland, there were very few criminal prosecutions of those who committed crimes against defenseless children. Complaints are usually hushed-up and no co-operation given to police or investigating authorities.

In our experience we found that so-called ‘religious’ organizations spent more money on threatening victims and using very expensive lawyers to protect their undeserved reputations than on compensating victims. The ‘Salvation Army’ (see Forde Report) is a prime example.

The Jewish community is structured very differently from the Christian institutions and there is not the same rigid hierarchy but element of self-protection are still there. We need a clean house.

We are all complicit in some way or another. There is no way out. If I knew and said nothing I am complict. If I did not know, I should have. To stand up with hue and cry after the fact is hollow and off-putting at best; it is repugnant and insuting at worst. The children deserve better.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make a child’s eyes bright and clear again after they have been to the depths of the abyss?