Call for Mt Scopus principal to resign after damning report | Herald-Sun

Ex students allege bullying and have complained about attitudes to sexuality, discrimination

June 1, 2023
Suzan Delibasic, Susie O’Brien

FORMER MOUNT SCOPUS STUDENTS HAVE CALLED ON THE SCHOOL’S PRINCIPAL RABBI JAMES KENNARD TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY AFTER AN EXPLOSIVE REPORT INTO THE HANDLING OF CHILD SAFETY COMPLAINTS.

Former Mount Scopus students have called on the school’s principal Rabbi James Kennard to resign immediately in the wake of a damning report into the school’s handling of child safety complaints.

More than seven former students detailing serious allegations of bullying, complaints about attitudes to sexuality and academic discrimination have spoken to the Herald Sun.

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed the full findings of the Child Wise review into the culture at the school earlier this week. The report revealed a “lack of appropriate response by leaders to serious complaints and allegations” regarding child safety over several years.

The school said Rabbi Kennard will remain in place to implement the report’s 49 recommendations, a process which is well underway.

Sources close to the school’s board say community feeling is against Rabbi Kennard remaining in his position until February, calling on him to resign immediately.

A former student, 22, who graduated from the school in 2019, said the school took no action after he was “continuously” bullied for several years by a group of students.

“I reported it to my teachers and they didn’t take the bullying seriously,” he said.

“They made me feel like I was the one who had done something wrong for coming forward,” he said.

The former student also alleged that school leaders tried to convince some students not to undertake VCE to protect the school’s overall ATAR.

“There were some students who were struggling academically and they were aggressively told not to undertake VCE, which was wrong as they should’ve helped students with their studies.”

The former student also called on the school’s principal to resign in the wake of the Child Wise report.

“The school’s culture is something that needs to change immediately and it starts from the top, the best thing for the school is a new principal.”

Another former student, 18, who attended the school since kinder, said some teachers “purposefully” misgendered students. “If a student’s pronoun was they/them, they would not use their pronouns and instead discriminate against them by making hurtful comments,” the former student said.

“The school needs to become accepting and change from the toxic environment it currently has.”

The Herald Sun has also seen letters written to Rabbi Kennard and the Mount Scopus board expressing concern over the school’s treatment of same-sex attracted students dating as far back as 2013.

One letter written by a former student of the college objected to the Rabbi’s comparison of homosexuality with a Shabbat violation. Former students also objected to Rabbi Kennard’s signatory of a statement of principles that states that same-sex interactions are prohibited and that same-sex orientation “may greatly increase the risk of suicide among teenagers in our community”.

Despite this, the statement also says same-sex attracted individuals should be treated with dignity and respect.

Commenting on these claims behalf of the board of Mount Scopus, president Amy Hershan said: “Child safety is the school’s highest priority. All children and young people, regardless of their age, gender, ability, race, or sexual orientation, have the right to be safe and feel valued.

“The Board has tasked Rabbi James Kennard with overseeing the full implementation of all 49 of the recommendations of the Child Wise assessment including around complaints mechanisms, bullying, culture and inclusion, governance, student wellbeing and trust.

“The implementation of the recommendations is well advanced and is expected to be completed by the end of this year,” Ms Hershan said.

“We are taking a whole-of-school community approach to creating an environment that celebrates diversity. We are striving to involve students, staff and families through a wide range of initiatives including education, teacher training, and increasing student agency.

“Pleasingly, the feedback we are getting from current students about the changes we are implementing is positive. However we recognise that we still have more to do, and that work to create a culture in which every child can thrive will be ongoing,” she said. “An external search for Rabbi Kennard’s successor is well underway. It is the Board’s vision that new leadership will build on the school’s commitment to excellence as we strive to be a Modern Orthodox Jewish school that is safe and inclusive for all.” Ms Hershan also responded to the allegations of academic discrimination.

“The school is very proud of the fact we are not a select entry school. We work with every student to reach their potential,” she said.

“We take very seriously the balance between academic outcomes and student wellbeing. Our student services department works with many students and their families on individual learning plans and pathways. In some isolated cases, a student and their family may conclude that doing an unscored VCE is in the best long term interests of the child and the school unequivocally supports those decisions.”

Report Reveals School Failures | Sunday Herald-Sun

STUDENTS SAY IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT MOUNT SCOPUS IT WOULD BE….

“Get better security so the bullies who bullied me will get caught”

“Prioritise student wellbeing above academic excellence”

“The lack of punishment for bullies and racist or sexist jokes”

“Plz made more rights for lgbtq ppl (people) at Mount Scopus”

“Male Hebrew teachers – they are creepy …”

“Toxic, competitive culture”

“Implement a compulsory consent and respect program”
Source: Child Wise report 2022

REPORT REVEALS SCHOOL FAILURES

May 28, 2023 | Sunday Herald Sun

Susie O’Brien
Suzan Delibasic

EXCLUSIVE A leading Melbourne private school ignored red flags about a senior staff member who engaged popular girls in “highly sexualised communication”, a secret report has revealed.

Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the full findings of the damning review into the culture at Mount Scopus Memorial College.

The report reveals a “lack of appropriate response by leaders to serious complaints and allegations” regarding child safety over several years.

Staff who raised child-safe concerns faced “retribution” as the school “acted to address the wellbeing and reputation of the accused staff members, over the wellbeing of students making allegations,” it states.

Students and past students reporting abuse were offered meetings “with the male principal only, meetings were held with doors closed, no formal detailed record of meetings were made”, the report states.

Girls were also asked if they wanted to “confess” anything in relation to a staff member who groomed them.

The report also details homophobia towards LGBTIQ+ students, favouritism towards top-performing students, peer-to-peer bullying and teachers talking in “degrading” terms about students.

The report by Child Wise was commissioned in February 2022 following the sacking of the long-serving director of studies Jared Alford amid findings of serious sexual misconduct.

The report states Mr Alford “groomed an entire school community, including staff and leadership … and worked his way into positions of trust and authority in the school”.

“Concurrently observations were made about inappropriate contact with certain ‘favoured’ students, including highly sexualised communication,” it states.

Mr Alford was facing allegations of misconduct from at least 10 women when he left the Burwood college in late November 2021.

The report said Mr Alford used the informal Jewish Life program to “expose children to harm and ongoing risk”, particularly “high achievers” and “popular girls”.

The school’s treatment of complainants was slammed in the report for being “not trauma-informed and not aligned with best practices”. Rather than tell the school community about the allegations, the school breached child safety practices by telling students Mr Alford was ill and “should be written to with well wishes”.

Mr Alford was also “invited to an end-of-year gathering and a farewell speech was given … where his contribution was celebrated” in a further breach of good practice.

Last year, Rabbi Kennard released the review’s 49 recommendations for strengthening child safety at the school. He committed to implementing them, but he did not release the full report.

A former Mount Scopus student who graduated in 2021 told the Sunday Herald Sun the findings in the report illustrated the school’s “toxic” culture. “It’s obvious why they wanted to keep this damning report a secret,” he said. “I’m still traumatised by my experience at the school, I was bullied constantly. When I made the complaint to my school leaders, they told me to basically ‘toughen up’.”

Another former student, who offered support to women making reports to the school about Mr Alford, said: “I also agree with the findings in the Child Wise report because for years the faculty has not been properly trained to deal with issues such as sexual misconduct.”

Voice Against Child Sexual Abuse director Phillip Weinberg said the Child Wise report was consistent with the accounts of Mt Scopus victims and survivors who bravely shared their experiences with his organisation.

Rabbi Kennard will retire at the end of 2023. He was contacted for comment.

Mural recognising Jewish LGBTQI+ groups | AJN

RECOGNITION

Mural recognising Jewish LGBTQI+ groups

“It took me a few minutes to realise that in fact it was the Jewish Lesbian Group of Victoria logo (on the left) and the Aleph Melbourne logo on the right.”

By MIA GARDINER
May 18, 2023, 10:37 am

Co-convener of Aleph Melbourne Michael Barnett recently stumbled upon a special mural outside the Pride Centre in St Kilda.

Barnett told The AJN that he was having lunch at Buba, the Tel Aviv-style cafe next to the Pride Centre, when he noticed that the mural had a Magen David on it.

“I was taken aback,” he said.

“The more I looked at it the more it seemed familiar, along with the logo next to it. It took me a few minutes to realise that in fact it was the Jewish Lesbian Group of Victoria logo (on the left) and the Aleph Melbourne logo on the right.”

He realised that two Jewish groups had been “singled out for recognition” on the mural depicting queer presence in St Kilda.

“We’ve both been part of the Pride March in St Kilda since the late 1990s and cater to people living in the area,” Barnett said.

Aleph Melbourne is a social, support and advocacy group for people who identify as Jewish or who have a Jewish heritage and who identify as same-sex attracted, trans and gender diverse, and intersex (LGBTIQ+).

Australian Jewish News May 19 2023, Community Heartbeat section, page 2

Additional photos:

Jewish Lesbian Group and Aleph Melbourne feature in St Kilda mural

Jewish Lesbian Group and Aleph Melbourne feature in St Kilda mural

The 2023 Urban Canvas Mural Festival contains a mural by Queer-ways in the Jackson Street car park. Depicted on the mural is a placard bearing the logos of the Jewish Lesbian Group of Victoria and Aleph Melbourne, two Jewish organisations integral to the diversity of the broader St Kilda area and stalwarts in the annual Pride March in St Kilda.

This gallery of photos was taken on April 23 2023:

Queer-ways mural in Jackson Street carpark in St Kilda featuring the Jewish Lesbian Group and Aleph Melbourne logos.

Media coverage:

Mural recognising Jewish LGBTQI+ groups | AJN

A range of Instagram posts from Queer-ways discussing the mural and the people in them:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Queer-ways (@queerways.au)

Letter to the Editor: A Flawed Genius | AJN

Letter to the Editor, Australian Jewish News, May 5 2023, p17

A flawed genius

AS much a genius and friend of Jews Barry Humphries was seen to be (AJN
28/04), these accolades fall short of him respecting transgender people.
Consummate at presenting as a woman, Barry failed to appreciate the
depth of hurt his words wielded when in 2016 he first ripped into the very
heart of transgender identity. He proceeded to take further swipes at
the LGBTIQ+ community in 2018, where he was shunned by the comedy
community and beyond.

To see Jews laud a person who inflicts harm on vulnerable people
makes me very uneasy. We cannot afford room for any intolerance, lest we
wish to invite similar upon ourselves.

Michael Barnett
Ashwood, Vic

German Film Festival 2023 – The Jewish and the Queer sessions

The German Film Festival 2023 runs from May 2-24 across Australia. Screening times and bookings at www.germanfilmfestival.com.au.

Of particular interest are:

“Lost Transport” (Jewish storyline)
“Till the end of the night” (transgender + gay)
“One in a Million” (teen/queer/coming of age)
“Love Thing” (LGBTQI+)

LOST TRANSPORT

2022 • 98 MIN • THE NETHERLANDS, LUXEMBOURG, GERMANY • DRAMA, HISTORY, ANTI-WAR

DIRECTOR: Saskia Diesing
CAST: Hanna van Vliet, Eugénie Anselin, Anna Bachmann, Bram Suijker, Konstantin Frolov
LANGUAGE: German and Dutch with English subtitles, English
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

Inspired by true events, Lost Transport is a deeply human story about cohesion and friendship set in the last days of WWII.

April, 1945. A train of 2,500 Jewish prisoners from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp stops in a field near a German village and the German soldiers flee from advancing Russian troops, abandoning those onboard. The village quickly turns into a refugee camp, where a forced quarantine only adds fuel to the chaos.

A chance encounter results in a Dutch couple from the train, Simone (European Shooting Star Hanna van Vliet) and Isaac, and Red Army sniper Vera (Eugénie Anselin, Bad Banks) being assigned to stay at the house of distrustful villager Winnie (Anna Bachmann).

As the village is marked by mistrust, despair and resentment, Simone, Vera and Winnie must learn to adapt and find compassion, resulting in an unexpected friendship.

Told from a unique female perspective and shot across Luxembourg and Germany by director Saskia Diesing, Lost Transport is an impactful story of fearlessness.

TILL THE END OF THE NIGHT (BIS ANS ENDE DER NACHT)

2023 • 120 MIN • GERMANY • CRIME, THRILLER

DIRECTOR: Christoph Hochhäusler
CAST: Timocin Ziegler, Thea Ehre, Michael Sideris
LANGUAGE: German with English subtitles
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

As an undercover investigator, Robert is tasked with gaining the trust of drug dealer Victor. To do so, he pretends to be in a relationship with the recently paroled Leni (Thea Ehre, in a Silver Bear-winning role for Best Supporting Performance), as the police hope her ties with the felon will help to infiltrate the organisation.

While the plan initially works smoothly, their fake relationship is rocky from the start. Leni is transgender, and Robert, who is gay, was once in love with her former self. While they soon have the criminal in their sights, their buried feelings sit close to the surface and ultimately, drug dealer Victor is the one who forces Robert to confront his conflicting feelings of love.

A smart, subtle blend of genre and auteur cinema, Christoph Hochhäusler’s Till the End of the Night is an intricate exploration of love and identity and features a nostalgic soundtrack, dark romantic atmosphere and an excellent ensemble cast.

ONE IN A MILLION

2022 • 84 MIN • GERMANY • DOCUMENTARY

DIRECTOR: Joya Thome
CAST: Whitney Bjerken, Yara Storp
LANGUAGE: German with English subtitles, English
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

One in a Million tells the story of two girls on the brink of adulthood. As US gymnast and YouTuber Whitney Bjerken struggles with setbacks, she turns to music to express her feelings. Yara from Germany is one of her biggest fans and part of a show-acrobatics team. When Yara falls in love with a girl for the very first time, she barely finds time for her fan-account anymore. While navigating the exciting world of social media, Yara and Whitney begin to find out who they are and what they want in life.

A coming-of-age documentary about success and loneliness in the age of social media, friendship and first love, coming out as queer and having the courage to find your voice.

LOVE THING (LIEBESDINGS)

2022 • 100 MIN • GERMANY • COMEDY, ROMANCE

DIRECTOR: Anika Decker
CAST: Elyas M’Barek, Alexandra Maria Lara, Lucie Heinze, Peri Baumeister, Denis Moschitto
LANGUAGE: German with English subtitles
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

It is red carpet time in Berlin, and everyone at the film premiere – squealing fans, prowling paparazzi and eager camera crews – is waiting to catch a glimpse of Germany’s biggest movie star, Marvin Bosch (Festival favourite Elyas M’Barek, also in A Thousand Lines). But their wait will be in vain, as there is no way Marvin will show up after his interview with the snippy and ruthless tabloid journalist Bettina Bamberger (Alexandra Maria Lara, The Collini Case GER21) goes horribly wrong.

The star finds himself on the run from the media and ends up taking shelter at 3000, a small, independent feminist LGBTQI+ theatre. Run by Frieda (Lucie Heinze, My Son GER22), 3000 is on the verge of bankruptcy. Under the watchful eye of the public, will they manage to save the theatre, restore Marvin’s reputation and give true love a real chance?

A fun new romantic comedy from top writer/ director Anika Decker (Rabbit Without Ears), Love Thing is a story of trials and tribulations, love and betrayal, and the quest to find happiness.

Saturday 25th March 2023: Michael Barnett, LGBTIQ+ OAM recipient, Aleph Melbourne | JOY – Saturday Magazine

Macca and Dave are joined live in the studio by Michael Barnett, co-convenor of the Victoria-based LGBTIQ+ Jewish advocacy group Aleph Melbourne, as they discuss his recent Order of Australia Medal.

Saturday 25th March 2023: Michael Barnett, LGBTIQ+ OAM recipient, Aleph Melbourne

Macca and Dave are joined live in the studio by Michael Barnett, co-convenor of the Victoria-based LGBTIQ+ Jewish advocacy group Aleph Melbourne, as they discuss his recent Order of Australia Medal.

David Southwick MP: Statement on disturbing events on the steps of Parliament House – 18 March 2023

Aleph Melbourne is pleased to receive the following statement from David Southwick MP, Member for Caulfield and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.

STATEMENT ON DISTURBING EVENTS ON THE STEPS OF PARLIAMENT HOUSE – 18 MARCH 2023

The past fortnight has been a difficult time for Victoria’s LGBTQIA+ and Jewish communities.

The shocking events we’ve seen outside Parliament House, where neo-Nazis displayed open hate and vilification towards our Transgender community, do not reflect who we are as a State.

I want to reiterate my support and alliance with the entire LGBTQIA+ community.

Throughout my parliamentary career, I have fostered deep connections with LQBTQIA+ community and have a genuine appreciation for all they do to make our state a better place. Together, we have campaigned to legalise same-sex marriage, ban gay conversion therapy, and stood shoulder to shoulder at pride events.

Victoria is a place where everyone should be free to be their authentic self, regardless religion, race, gender, sexual preference and identity.

My party will work with the government to ensure Victoria Police have the powers, resources and training to stamp out these shocking acts of hate.

As Deputy Opposition Leader and Member for Caulfield, I will continue to call out discrimination wherever I see it and work to make Victoria a more tolerant and inclusive place.

STATEMENT-ON-DISTURBING-EVENTS-ON-THE-STEPS-OF-PARLIAMENT-HOUSE-18-MARCH-2023

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MR: Fusion Party candidate Owen Miller and Aleph Melbourne support Elimination of Discrimination

Fusion Party candidate Owen Miller and Aleph Melbourne support Elimination of Discrimination

By Andrea Leong | 29 March 2023

The Fusion Party candidate for Aston, Owen Miller, today issued the following statement:

“I’m proud to support the Victorian Jewish community. Jews have consistently been at the forefront of a number of important causes including humane treatment of asylum seekers, equal rights for LGBTIQA+ people, climate action and constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples.”

Mr Miller continued:

“Together we’ve won some of those causes, but there is more work to do. I hope I can continue working alongside the Victorian Jewish community to do it, particularly in progressing equal rights for my own LGBTIQA+ community.”

If elected to parliament, Owen will advocate for:
A 10-year transition to negative emissions
Establishing a First Nations Voice and Treaty
Measures to reduce discrimination using rehabilitative justice
Age-appropriate education on sex, gender and healthy relationships
Ending all remaining discrimination related to domestic partnerships on the basis of gender or sexual identity
Separation of church and state for the protection of all religions, as well as protection from religion

Jewish LGBTIQA+ advocacy body Aleph Melbourne has called on Victorians to support a number of these measures. Aleph co-convenor Michael Barnett OAM had the following to say:

“Aleph Melbourne supports the elimination of all discrimination impacting LGBTIQA+ people.

We believe more education is required to address misconceptions about gender identity, sexual orientation and related topics. Sadly many people in society form harmful views around these issues which ultimately impact the self-esteem and mental health of young people.

Whilst Aleph Melbourne opposes discrimination on the basis of religion we are opposed to religious values discriminating against people on the grounds of innate characteristics.

Aleph Melbourne supports all candidates who stand up for the rights of LGBTIQA+ people. We stand behind Owen Miller, as candidate with a Queer identity, who upholds the same values we stand for.”

Anyone wishing to support Owen Miller this election can sign up to donate or volunteer.

Contact

Owen Miller
Fusion Party candidate for Aston
owen.miller@fusionparty.org.au
Mobile on request

Michael Barnett OAM
Co-convenor, Aleph Melbourne
michael@aleph.org.au
Mobile on request

Andrea Leong
National Secretary, Fusion Party
andrea.leong@fusionparty.org.au
Mobile 0490134827

Press Kit

https://www.fusionparty.org.au/press_kit

See More

Owen Miller – candidate for Aston (VIC)

2023-03-29-Press-Release-Fusion-Aleph-Melbourne-joint-statement-supporting-Elimination-of-Discrimination

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JCCV advocates for safety of all Victorians following attack on transgender people

The JCCV has been advocating for the safety of all Victorians, including our Jewish community. We know that on this occasion, the target of hateful conduct was transgender people. That is why the JCCV is campaigning for a broader discussion about vilification of all minorities.
https://twitter.com/jccvic/status/1637951570221629440