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• The investigation of President Clinton shows
that political leaders can expect public scrutiny of
their most private conduct. Do the same rules
apply to community and religious leaders?
Halachic law forbids scandal-mongering. But
what if the rumors are true?

I is simple, said Rabbi Aaron Bergman of Beth Abraham Hillel
Moses; the Jewish community is bound by its ethical laws and
its leaders are role models who cannot be moral in one sphere of
life while behaving immorally in another sphere.
"There's no such thing as being a good person in public and a rot-
ten person in private," Bergman said. "You are who you are and
should try to be consistent."
But that simple proposition gets a lot more complicated for leaders
when the question is whether the public — those being led — have a
right to scrutinize their leaders' private lives, the question that has
swirled for a year around President Clinton. Many leaders were divid-
ed as to just how a community can balance the need for assuring that

1/29
1999

8 Detroit Jewish News

its role models are in fact upstanding
become known to the public, then
with the harm that can be caused by
obviously such individuals should not
be serving in a Jewish community
exposing scandals or engaging in
lashon ha-ra. Literally the "evil
position.
Leaders of cultural Jewish organiza-
tongue," lashon ha-ra is the Hebrew
tions shied away from imposing moral
term for gossip or slander.
expectations, fear-
Most leaders said
ing being "holier
they felt immoral
JULIE WIENER Staff Writer
than thou" or cast-
leaders should qui-
ing judgment.
etly be removed
TOM CHALKEY Illustrator
Bob Aronson,
from office,
executive vice president of the Jewish
although others stressed the impor-
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
tance of teshuvah, or repentance, and
noted that in the writing of medieval
noted that slander — while not only
sage Rambam (also known as
dangerous — is a serious breach of
Maimonides) spreading rumors is
Jewish law.
"punished by death," and said that to
"You can't be a social leader and be
confront someone based on a rumor
a person who is wanting in areas of
"is a mistake."
morality and ethics," added Rabbi
While sexual harassment of co-
Elimeilech Silberberg of Bais Chabad
workers is forbidden at the Federation,
of West Bloomfield. But he said he
employees are not held accountable for
opposes "witch hunts" and that the
private behavior, he noted. "If some-
burden of proof should fall on the
one passed on information regarding a
accuser, adding that "when the facts