Currently there is a great deal of noise about the CW case, and unfortunately, in my opinion it will never rise above that. The pattern in our Chareidi world generally is that after such an incident, the noise level, the outrage, the anger boils over, and the few well-meaning Rabbonim who truly care join the noise, and even say many intelligent and poignant things, but most of the Rabbonim remain quiet, and when the next case comes around, they again keep it quiet until it blows up, and then the cycle repeats itself. That’s what happened for more than 35 years with the first Kolko story, then with second Kolko fiasco in Lakewood, etc etc. The destroyed lives of victims are not reckoned with at all, only the minimization of tarnish or stain on the educator/rabbi/leader or perpetrator du jour.
I have a question, though. It seems that we have a new wrinkle in the CW case that we never dealt with before, whether to “burn” his books or not (previous perps apparently didn’t leave such popular material behind). While I personally am agnostic on that question, I wonder why we still allow Carlebach’s songs in shuls, weddings, etc., considering that there has long been a big (and appropriate and correct) movement in the Centrist and Modern Orthodox worlds to ban his tunes from their prayer services etc. I suspect that few readers here have any idea what I’m talking about,
I also doubt the moderators will allow this post…
edited