YU responds to legal firm’s abuse report

A report by an international legal firm said this week that Yeshiva University ignored allegations of sexual and physical abuse in some of its schools prior to 2001 but has since improved its policies and monitoring.

“There were multiple instances in which the University either failed to appropriately act to protect the safety of its students or did not respond to the allegations at all,” said the report, by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, hired by Yeshiva to conduct an independent probe after allegations of sexual and other abuse at the university’s boys’ high school surfaced in The Forward newspaper.

The report included recommendations for further improvement in dealing with and preventing abuse.

The 21 page report was the result of extensive interviews of past and current staff and students and the review of thousands of paper and electronic documents over eight months. It also included three appendices on YUHS’s anti-Harassment Policy defining bullying, hazing, sexual harassment, abuse, assault, responses and reporting recommendations; YUHS boundary guidelines, and YUHS athletic policies.

Two YUHSB staff members were alleged to have sexually abused Yeshiva students. The employees, according to the report, were Rabbi George Finkelstein, who worked there from 1963 to 1995, and Rabbi Macy Gordon, who worked there from 1956 to 1983.

“The Investigative Team has concluded that multiple incidents of varying types of sexual and physical abuse took place at YUHSB during the relevant time period,” states the report.

“This conduct was carried out by a number of individuals in positions of authority at the High Schools at various times throughout the period covered by the Investigation, including, in certain instances, after members of the administration had been made aware of such conduct.

“In addition, the Investigative Team found that, during the relevant time period, sexual and physical abuse took place at other schools comprising the University as well.

“The Investigative Team found that, up until 2001, there were multiple instances in which the University either failed to appropriately act to protect the safety of its students or did not respond to the allegations at all. Based on what the Investigative Team learned from its interviews with nine victims, this lack of an appropriate response by the University caused victims to believe that their complaints fell on deaf ears or were simply not believed by the University’s administration.

“The University’s response to allegations of physical and sexual abuse that occurred at the University since 2001, however, significantly improved. Indeed, with respect to all such allegations, the Investigative Team found that the University acted decisively to address the allegations and to ensure the safety of the University’s students.”

YU President Richard Joel responded to the report with a remorseful apology for the past and a commitment to enact and enforce policies to protect students and members of the community now and in the future. He outlined required coursework and education intended to advance abuse prevention and response at YU and to address the issue of abuse throughout the community in day schools, synagogues and summer camps.

“It is most gratifying to see that YU is beginning to take a serious look at the issue of abuse and confronting it with programming that should help going forward,” said Dr. Michael J. Salamon, Senior Psychologist and Director of ADC Psychological Services in Hewlett. “Having said that, there are still many individuals who have been abused who are dealing with the trauma of having been abused and some of their abusers are still, to this day, being shielded by people who are inadvertently enabling molesters.

“I think this is the time for the entire community to finally come to terms and accept this fact — abuse exists everywhere and we must all work together to help stop it from continuing.

“Only by reporting suspected abusers to the proper authorities can we hope to be successful.”