Tempest in the Temple: Jewish Communities and Child Sex Scandals

by Amy Neustein

In 2006, New York magazine and ABC’s Nightline both featured stories dealing with rabbis who had abused children entrusted to them. Then, at the start of 2007, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published a five-part series on sexual abuse by rabbis who led congregations, taught religious studies, and ran youth groups. The series soon was picked up by Jewish newspapers nationwide. Despite this spate of media coverage, there has been a dearth of scholarly material investigating sexual abuse within the Jewish clergy. Tempest in the Temple brings together fifteen practicing rabbis, educators, pastoral counselors, sociologists, mental health professionals, and legal advocates for abuse victims, each of whom offer insights into different facets of the problem. This book is divided into three sections. The first section, “When the Vow Breaks,” describes rabbis who break their “vows” through active pedophilia. The second section, “Sacrificing Victims,” illuminates the community dynamics surrounding how a community unwittingly contributes to the cover-up of abuse; why victims of abuse are all too often ignored or cast off by their religious communities; and the mechanisms by which powerful religious institutions protect their own. The third section, “Let Me Know the Way,” addresses how Jewish communities can overcome the ignorance, bias, and corruption associated with clergy sexual abuse. Solutions―some already successful, others yet to be tried―are explored here. Tempest in the Temple offers an open discussion of some of the most deeply rooted fears in the Jewish community. While it is the first book to bring child sex scandals in temples and synagogues to light, its purpose is not to blame or shame Jews but to examine this horrific problem with as much clarity and precision as possible so that the best remedies can be offered to the community as a whole.

Genres: Religion

308 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2009

Reviews

[Andrea Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tempest in the Temple provides an honest and open look into how the Jewish community has handled allegations of child sexual abuse from their members. Mindful of the disastrous consequences from how leaders within the Catholic community dealt with similar allegations, the reports from rabbis and other jewish leaders indicate a cautious and mindful approach when these situations arise.

The editor has included writings from rabbis, educators, pastoral counselors, sociologists, mental health professionals, and legal advocates for abuse victims. This broad sweep of perspectives allows the reader a glimpse into the complex and highly traditional religious community. The articles are presented in three sections, organized by the context of the authors expertise. Section one explores the impact of active sexual exploitation within the rabbinical organization. Section two covers characteristics of the community that contribute to the cover up of scandal. In section three, the authors provide details on how the Jewish community is working to better protect their members from abusers, providing prompt and supportive assistance to members who make allegations, and how to better prepare congregations so that scandal does not destroy their sense of solidarity.

This book is an interesting read due to the thoughtful and almost gentle presentation of the subject matter. As a professional researcher, I found the articles well researched and referenced. It was enlightening to read about how a closed religious society operates and deals with controversy while attempting to remain united. Two aspects that are most impressive are how thoroughly explained and logically laid out each course of action was and the efforts behind examining how each step will impact the Jewish community as a whole and the congregation of the victim/perpetrator in particular.

[Mary Gail O'Dea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent edited book on sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community. The sameness of dynamics among members of the hierarchy and at least some congregants in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Jewish traditions is stunning. Amy Neustein is yet another voice dragging the sexual violation of the young by trusted elders out of society's skeleton closet.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting series of essays dealing with the problem of child sex abuse in Judaism and in Jewish communities. A nice reminder that the problem of child sex abuse is complex and not restricted to one community or one religion.