Haredi rabbis urge reporting of child sex abuse

More than 100 Haredi Orthodox rabbis and teachers in the United States sign a proclamation saying that Jewish law obligates all Jews to report suspected child sex abuse to the authorities.

The proclamation, called a “kol koreh,” was released in recent days. It cites the statement in the Book of Leviticus — “Do not stand by while your neighbor’s blood is shed” — as the basis for the obligation to report suspected abuse.

“Lives can be ruined or ended by unreported child abuse, as we are too often tragically reminded,” the proclamation states.

“We, the undersigned, affirm that any individual with firsthand knowledge or reasonable basis to suspect child abuse has a religious obligation to promptly notify the secular law enforcement of that information,” begins the proclamation.

— JTA