Katsav's Shame

I remember as an eleven year-old watching Richard Nixon standing in the door of Air Force One for the very last time raising his arms in that seemingly awkward and all too familiar victory salute, and wondering why he was happy, almost ebullient and triumphant when he had just resigned from the presidency in utter disgrace.  Without a doubt, August 9, 1974 was a day of shame for the institution of the American presidency. 

Israelis had a similar moment of presidential shame last Thursday when former Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a Tel Aviv District Court.  The Court’s judges ruled that his version of events was "riddled with lies." The unanimous verdict was handed down more than four years after complaints surfaced of grave sexual offenses against various subordinates, during his terms as tourism minister and as president.

In the wake of the verdict social media forums like Facebook were abuzz with commentary.  I was struck by two predominant themes:  Israelis themselves should feel ashamed by what President Katsav had done, and Jews should feel ashamed that another Jew committed such a heinous act.

I do not share either of these two views. 

Israelis had nothing to do with Katsav’s crimes.  The Knesset members who elected him President also bear no responsibility.  They had no idea that Katsav was such a despicable person. To the contrary, he was known by his colleagues as a respectable and conciliatory member of the Knesset who had a traditional "religious" background. His bona fides as a “religious” Jew were buttressed by his insistence that the official Presidential residence have a chapel.  He had one built.  I've actually seen it.

In 2003 I was invited by the Government of Poland to accompany Katsav and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the then President of Poland, on a walking tour of the former Warsaw Ghetto.  It was the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We toured significant sites of the Ghetto and commemorated them.  Katsav conducted himself with dignity and honor. I and the rabbinic colleagues who were with me could not have been more proud of him.  What did we know of his outrageous crimes?  He appeared the dugma (exemplar) of decency and humility. 

But that’s the art of the predator: appear to look and act decently and no will ever know how you use your power to dominate, harass, inspire fear in, prey on and abuse others.  Think of all of the shocking revelations related to priests or other religious leaders who were sexually molesting children while everyone else thought that they were serving God.  We were all fooled by Katsav the manipulator.

The fact that Katsav was tried by an Israeli court and found guilty should be a source of great pride for every Israeli and every Jew (Can you imagine any of Israel's neighbors arresting, putting on trial and  convicting one of its former leaders unless it was for the purpose of seizing power or de-legitimizing its opposition?)

It’s absolutely true that a Jew should never commit rape.  It is a horrible crime just short of murder.  It causes untold pain, anguish, and trauma to the victim and the victim’s loved ones.  It’s morally reprehensible and a grave sin.  But to be surprised that someone who is Jewish would commit such a terrible sin is to be unrealistic.

 

The Torah itself presupposes that people will violate the law, at times in despicable and terrible ways. It understands all too well human nature.  The fact that an Israeli court upheld the letter of Israeli secular, criminal law and the spirit of the Torah should be applauded. Yes, a Jew (or for that matter a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc.) should never commit rape, or steal, or commit murder. But even the Torah and by extension the halakhah (Jewish rabbinic law) recognizes that human beings will commit crimes, will transgress and therefore provides punishments for those transgressions.  The only difference between Katsav and other Jews who are currently in prison for the same crime is their respective stations in public life.

Sadly and tragically Israelis and Americans now share yet one more thing in common: each has had a former president disgrace himself and his office.  No American should bear the disgrace of Richard Nixon, and no Israeli or Jew should carry Katsav’s shame.