Assaf Goldring allegedly murdered his own 3 year old daughter Noa in their home in Batzra, Israel.
Goldring is reported to have confessed to strangling his daughter using plastic saran wrap, before attempting to take his own life.
The horror brings back another recent case (August 2008) where a step-parent murdered their wife's child. In a bizarre and gruesome circumstance, that 4 year old girl, Rose Pizem, was murdered by her step-father Ronnie Ron (who was simultaneously Rose's grandfather), who then dumped Rose's body in a red suitcase, into the Yarkon river.
Where were the mothers? Assaf's wife Lisa reportedly became orthodox and the couple had separated. Rose's mother Marie-Charlotte Renault left Rose's father Benjamin Pizem when the child was still an infant, later marrying her father-in-law, Rose's grandfather, Ronny Ron – the murderer.
"Child abuse" is a general term which can include sexual abuse, psychological abuse, verbal abuse, and physical abuse. The ultimate physical abuse is murder.
The classic stereotype of child abusers being strange men in long coats, loitering at night in parks, is dangerously misleading. Over 80% of perpetrators of child abuse are people who are carers, or otherwise trusted parties by the family of the child. The first thing the abusers abuse, is that trust.
Child abuse exists in all societies, and that is a "given". In every country, in every economic class, and in every level of religiosity. No group is immune. In response to this fact, national governments throughout the world have legislated the response to child abuse.
In response to the tragic murder of a girl in Tiberius in 1989, the Israeli Government toughened up Israel's anti-abuse legislation. In the Tiberius case, several parties had been previously aware that the girl was suffering abuse – but no-one had seen that as being their responsibility. Though "widely known" the abuse was not reported to the authorities. Until the girl was dead.
Israel's "Child Abuse Reporting Laws" are now amongst the most severe in the world. The requirement to report suspected child abuse is applied to both professionals (which is common in other countries), and even to every citizen (which is not the case in many other countries). Here in Israel, no-one can say "I suspected abuse, but I had no requirement to report".
To fail to report suspected child abuse is a criminal offence in Israel, carrying jail terms.
It is sometimes true, as in Dickens Oliver Twist, that "the law is an ass". But the laws to protect children in Israel are solidly grounded on the concept of "pikuach nefesh" saving lives.
The requirement to report suspected child abuse to the police and/or Child Protection Officer of the Social Services – even where the suspicion or nature of the abuse may not seem "serious" to the untrained eye – is an absolute legal and halachik obligation upon all of us.
How is it that some (even local RBS) Rabbonim say NOT to report suspected child abuse cases to the authorities - but to come to them instead??
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