We are watching a wave of accusations and allegations wash over the Jewish community. As a Jew, it can be painful to watch, especially if the wrongdoing is committed by any of our leaders. At the same time, as a Jewish community, we can be proud that we are becoming more and more vigilant. We don’t give a free pass to anyone, especially not to someone in a leadership position. As such, I am one of the first therapists to jump up and applaud when an abuser is fired, arrested and locked away. As a sex educator, I have heard many personal stories of harm caused by abuse, and the secrecy surrounding the abuse. I firmly advocate for the health and safety of abuse victims.

But what happens when a rabbi or public figure is falsely accused? The allegations are usually plastered across the internet and bloggers often reach a verdict without seeing any evidence, and typically way before any investigation is concluded. And then, even if the accused is cleared of any wrongdoing, very few people issue retractions. The tragic result is that an innocent person, whose life was dedicated to helping others, is now viewed with suspicion forever.

With the important need to advocate for abuse victims, we must be careful not to turn every accusation into a ‘witch-hunt’, whereby anyone who was ever accused of anything becomes guilty for life, regardless of the evidence or facts. And sometimes the details of a case are exaggerated to the point where rumors and innuendo become far worse than any of the original allegations.

Such was the case with Rabbi Tully Bryks, until recently. The Jewish people nearly lost someone whose entire career has been dedicated to help, heal, inspire and teach Jewish students. What started out as an innocent attempt to protect his students by authorizing the installation of hidden security cameras in public hallways, under the guidance and directives of legal and security experts, turned into false rumors and innuendo, suggesting a range of illicit intentions and even fabrications of the facts.

What we saw in the wild accusations laid against Rabbi Bryks proved that any anonymous student, or even a random internet blogger with no personal knowledge of the case, can easily point their finger and make public accusations, with little fear of repercussions. This is a dangerous platform. Religious leaders are in an especially risky position, as one of their many roles is to offer guidance and support to congregants or students, which often includes difficult and personal topics.

If Rabbi Bryks could be falsely accused, a man about whom I and many others can attest exudes warmth, honesty, integrity and moral fortitude, then truly no educator is safe in today’s day and age. Knowing Rabbi Bryks personally for over two decades, in his many roles including, Young Israel of Kendall, NCSY and the Israel XP at Bar Ilan University, I was positive that the accusations laid against him were inaccurate and false, and it would just be a matter of time until that was proven. Baruch Hashem, months later, even the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, not known for supporting religiously observant Jews, had to admit that Rabbi Bryks has been completely exonerated from any wrongdoing.

Rabbi Bryks with his wife and children during Channukah.

Rabbi Bryks with his wife and children during Channukah.

I have always known Rabbi Bryks to be dedicated, professional and considerate in all of his interactions with students. He manages to find just the right delicate balance of showing the students that he cares about them, while still maintaining strict boundaries to ensure a healthy and safe educational process. As such, it pained me greatly to see him attacked online based on biased and inaccurate reports.

But I was torn. First and foremost, I am an abuse victim advocate. And I am passionate that we as a Jewish community still need to identify and expose any abuse that is out there. At the same time, I had personal knowledge of Rabbi Bryks’ impeccable character.

So, facing this internal conflict, I decided to launch my own investigation into the camera incident. But unlike any other blog or article I have seen about the incident, I included a review of the actual evidence submitted to the police and even contacted staff members and students who were there at the time, so that I could get a comprehensive understanding of the facts of the case.

My thorough investigation included access to:

  • Full police report of the camera incident
  • Letter from the attorney general of the State of Israel
  • Former and current student testimony
  • Former and current employee and colleague testimony
  • Testimony from the security company which recommended the camera installation and location
  • Results of a polygraph exam that Rabbi Bryks volunteered to take
  • Investigative analysis conducted by an independent female psychologist

Here are the questions that needed to be resolved, along with the answers that I found after my thorough analysis and investigation:

  1. Why did Rabbi Bryks authorize the installation of security cameras in the hallway by the entrance to two apartments? And why were they installed by the entrance only in those two apartments, affecting less than 10% of the students under his charge?

Those two apartments had documented and serious student complaints about the maintenance staff involving incompetent, inappropriate and potentially abusive behavior, towards the students in their apartments. Student allegations about the maintenance staff included showing up to the girls’ dorms after hours, entering their apartments without knocking and using their bathrooms without permission.

  1. Why not just fire the accused worker/s? And why were the cameras hidden?

Those of us who have experience with GAP year programs know that complaints often don’t match reality and Rabbi Bryks did not want someone to lose their job for no reason. On the other hand, his primary goal was to protect the students. To help address these conflicting goals, a security company was brought in to inspect the dorm facilities and ensure that they provided adequate security for the students. They are the ones who recommended the installation of hidden cameras. They chose the optimal locations for the installation of the cameras, which they concluded offered the ideal balance between student privacy and security. This balance, they argued, would enable the staff to determine if the student allegations about the maintenance workers were true, while still adhering to all legal and privacy concerns.

  1. Why not contact the police?

Prior to the serious complaints about the maintenance staff, there had been other security concerns including significant thefts, break-ins and even a case of drug dealers hiding their stash on the campus. Unfortunately, in the previous incidents of security concerns, the police never did anything. As a result, the dorm staff felt compelled to address subsequent incidents internally.

  1. Why didn’t Rabbi Bryks inform Bar Ilan or at least one of his employees about the cameras?

As the founding director of the independent Israel XP at Bar Ilan University, Rabbi Bryks had personally leased the off-campus dorm site and was ultimately the one responsible for student safety. The university only had jurisdiction over their academic classes held on the Bar Ilan campus, and certainly had no connection to these off-site dorms. And contrary to false reports, Rabbi Bryks had, in fact, informed at least four other people about his intention to install hidden security cameras, including a program board member, one of his employees, and two security experts who conducted the on-site inspection. The cameras were only up for a few hours before they were taken down, so the rest of the staff had not yet been informed about this development.

  1. Even if legal precautions were taken, what about privacy?

The security company confirmed that Rabbi Bryks had the cameras installed in exactly the same spots that the security company had chosen as the optimal and most appropriate locations, offering the best balance of student safety and privacy. With added sensitivity to privacy, Rabbi Bryks went above and beyond the standards of the security company and, unbeknownst to those who found the camera a few hours after they were installed (they obviously weren’t so well hidden), Rabbi Bryks had the lens of the cameras angled to focus on the main external entrance door, so that the footage would only reveal who was coming in and out from the outdoors, and nothing else. The goal was simply to catch if/when the maintenance workers entered the apartment.

In addition, these cameras did not have any remote access and would only be viewed by a female staff member, only if/when additional maintenance complaints surfaced or other serious allegations were made. After reviewing the footage, the police confirmed that footage had captured the main entrance door, and it did not reveal the rest of the hallway or any private areas.

  1. How do we know that Rabbi Bryks had good intentions?

Even after being cleared by the police, knowing that there really are abusers out there, Rabbi Bryks voluntarily underwent a polygraph exam, confirming his entire narrative of the story, including that he had installed the cameras with the sole intention of protecting the students, and that he even had them angled to only display the main entrance door as an added measure of modesty.

– – – – –

Shortly after the camera incident, but prior to the police investigation, a number of students apologized to Rabbi Bryks and acknowledged, “I have to admit that I initially got caught up in the hysteria and I didn’t know what to believe.

But as the rumors, accusations and blogs spread, incoming students and parents from the upcoming school year started to contact the program with concerns. Rabbi Bryks now faced a dilemma. Staying on as director of the program would certainly send a confident message of his pure intentions and protect his livelihood and good name. On the other hand, if many incoming students were to withdraw from the program, it would cause others to lose their jobs and possibly risk the significant shrinking of the entire program. His colleagues offered Rabbi Bryks incredible support, “I know that you’re facing a difficult dilemma,” he recalls one of them saying, “but you should know that we will stand behind you whatever you decide, as I know that you always had the safety and interest of the students in mind in everything that you did.

Nevertheless, Rabbi Bryks explained, “When I realized that by walking away, I could protect all of the current and incoming students as well as all of the other staff members, I knew that resigning was the right thing to do.

A few weeks after his departure, as students began to learn more of the facts, the majority of students banded together to ask for Rabbi Bryks to come back. Some of his students, like Julia Owen, an alumna from the Northwest Yeshiva High school in Seattle Washington and a student at Bar Ilan during the incident, never doubted him:

During my studies at the Israel Experience at Bar Ilan University, it was always clear that Rabbi Bryks truly cared for every single student and would go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that we were safe. When the security cameras were installed right next to my dorm building, I, like anyone else who truly knows Rabbi Bryks, knew from the beginning that he had only authorized their installation in order to address serious complaints about the maintenance staff and to keep us safe. Rabbi Bryks is a role model who maintains high moral standards and has a deep love for the Torah and the Jewish people!

As they learned more of the facts, individuals across the board who initially had doubts, felt compelled to support Rabbi Bryks and plead with him to come back to the program. One Bar Ilan student went so far as to acknowledge, “I felt so embarrassed that I even doubted him for a second!” Having taken into account the idea of innocent until proven guilty as well as the Torah concept of judging favorably, this student can be a model for us that we too should be able to adjust our views when presented with the facts.

When asked about the student petition for his return, Rabbi Bryks responded,

While I really appreciated the student support, I believed that this was all part of a Divine plan. And I found it hard to believe that I was supposed to be publicly humiliated just to leave the program for 3 weeks and then come right back. There had to be something more. Ultimately, I concluded that Hashem wanted me to use my skills to contribute to the Jewish people in other ways.

And even though Rabbi Bryks didn’t agree to return, Bar Ilan students went to his house regularly after the incident to show him their support.

After investigating for a few months, the police informed Rabbi Bryks that everything that he had done was both legal and appropriate. They commended him for all the steps he took to protect the privacy of the students, including having a security team come to demonstrate exactly where the cameras should be placed, as well as his going above and beyond the call of duty, by angling the cameras to face just the entry/exit doors to ensure maximum privacy. They concluded that Rabbi Bryks had no guilt whatsoever. A case in Israel can be closed for many reasons. Examples include “insufficient evidence” or “not in the interest of the country to pursue.” But the best possible proclamation is “no guilt,” which is exactly what was declared about Rabbi Bryks.

A few months after his departure from Bar Ilan, from October, 2013 through May, 2015, Rabbi Bryks worked for several yeshivot and seminaries, including Derech, Chai Israel, Tomer Devorah and Meorot (he has since moved on from these program to other projects). The one seminary where he taught during that time period was Tomer Devorah.

Wondering how these female students reacted to the hiring of a teacher who had been accused of questionable judgment and possible impropriety, I contacted several of them. I did not find a single student who doesn’t support him. Sarah Casteel, a Tomer Devorah student from St. Louis, Missouri, wrote, 

I’m so embarrassed and so sorry to say that when I heard about the camera incident a long while ago, I was too quick to listen to the gossip and believed those rumors. I think I’m maybe more sensitive on that issue because of previous experiences and it was totally wrong of me. I definitely realized that I need to go out of my way to learn the facts before I believe something, and to be more sensitive about how a real persons’ life is being hugely affected when gossip is spread. And even before hearing the facts, as soon as I met Rabbi Bryks, I knew there was no way that he could have acted with bad intentions. Rabbi Bryks is an honest and caring teacher who manages to find just the right balance in setting the proper boundaries with the students.”

“Natasha Zucker, a Tomer Devorah student from Minnesota, offered Rabbi Bryks the following validation of his career change, “He is so genuine that he has a unique ability to motivate students to come learn Torah for the year. I am here in seminary because of Rabbi Bryks. He cares about each and every student’s future” Another student, Hadas Miller from Baltimore, Maryland, recounted one of her first meetings with him:

I met Rabbi Bryks the first time he taught me in class. He was dynamic, funny, entertaining and inspiring – everything a teacher needs to be to captivate students for a whole fifty minutes. Little did I know, that’s who he was in real life. My first time in Ramat Beit Shemesh was Rosh Hashanah. Everything was new and overwhelming as I walked out of shul the first night. Then I spotted him, a familiar face, and my world brightened. I’m not someone who generally introduces myself to people I barely know, but I was compelled to go over and say hi. Rabbi Bryks greeted me with a warm and sincere hello, as if he had known me my whole life, and I suddenly felt at home. He and his wife virtually adopted me that night. Now every time I am in Ramat Beit Shemesh, I make a point of stopping by to visit because at his house, with his family, I know I have a home. Rabbi Bryks is someone who is always looking out for the other person, eager to help him/her in whatever way possible. For me, he and his wife gave me a family and a home away from home.”       

Rabbi Bryks leads Havdallah during his last year the Israel XP Bar Ilan program.

Rabbi Bryks leads Havdallah during his last year as director of the Israel XP Bar Ilan program.

After all that he’d been through, I asked Rabbi Bryks if he felt any ill will towards the students who had initially complained about him. He replied without hesitation, “Never! First of all, even today, most of the students still don’t know all of the details of the incident, so it is not really their fault if anyone thinks badly of me. In addition, I have always cared about my students and will continue to do so no matter what. To that end, I actively encouraged and supported the police investigation. Finally, I firmly believe that everything that happens is for the best.”

After the extensive review of investigative reports, it became clear to me that this case was blown way out of proportion. This is not necessarily a bad thing, in light of other potential cases of abuse. But what is a harmful byproduct of the allegation is that Rabbi Bryks has now become the victim of gossip and of others rushing to judgment.

This does not mean that we should limit our resolve to continue to track down and expose abusers out there, especially those in a position of authority. But at the same time, we as a community do need to ensure that our reporting is accurate, that we don’t rush to judgment, and that we remain particularly loyal to the concept of Motzi Shem Ra (slander), especially about such sensitive issues.

I learned from this that the important work of standing up for abuse victims should not turn us into abusers ourselves. We must abide by, and conduct ourselves with, the precept that one is innocent until proven guilty.

To learn more about Rabbi Bryks and see quotes from his former colleagues and students, I would suggest a visit to his website, Rabbi With Answers. Better yet, try to meet him for yourself and be amazed that someone can still possess so much love for others, regardless of what they think of him. For those who have ever experienced obstacles in their lives, come meet a man who embodies the teaching that “everything that happens is for the best.”

But for me personally, like so many others whose lives he has touched, I will forever be inspired by Rabbi Tully Bryks.

One thing that stands out for me is that he always manages to give others the benefit of the doubt. I just hope that this article can help, in some small way, to enable others to do that for him.