Man behind bars without kosher food
The wife of a man in a NSW jail wrote to The AJN stating her husband was the victim of antisemitism within Corrective Services NSW.
A CORRECTIVE Services NSW (CSNSW) Jewish chaplain has said he doesn’t believe that antisemitism was the reason a man was in jail for six days without access to kosher food or religious items.
The man was arrested last week by officers from the Criminal Investigation Unit (Victorian Police) and extradited to NSW.
He was charged with category four sexual assault, assault and act of indecency, from an offence that allegedly occurred in Bondi in 1984.
The 51-year-old, who is due to appear in court for a new bail hearing today (Thursday), was refused bail last week, following which his wife wrote to The AJN stating he was the victim of antisemitism within CSNSW.
“I can confirm that since Wednesday, he has still not been given kosher food and is therefore being starved by CSNSW, despite their obligation under law to provide those in custody with food appropriate to their religious needs,” his wife wrote on Sunday.
As of Tuesday the situation hadn’t changed.
“A nurse at CSNSW has provided him with electrolyte powder to keep him alive in the interim.
“I am appalled and disgusted that this type of inhumane treatment should be the case in a modern democracy like Australia.”
The man also had several religious items, including his kippah, tzitzit, siddur and chumash confiscated.
“I can only conclude that antisemitism is alive and thriving at Corrective Services, despite and in contradiction to the law,” she said.
However, Rabbi Danny Yaffe, who is a Corrective Services NSW Jewish chaplain, said that rather than being a case of antisemitism, it is simply frustratingly slow bureaucratic paperwork.
The rabbi said that “all inmates can access their preferred dietary requirements through filling out correct paperwork”.
He also noted that “there are still fruit and vegetables, and certain items are kosher” that are available. “There are still options to get by on, until the kosher food starts coming through,” he said.
Rabbi Yaffe added that all inmates, upon entry to the system, have their possessions removed until they are released or until an application has been made.
He said that it takes prisoners one week to get chumashim and siddurim and that taking away tzitzit can save lives when other inmates may be on murder or manslaughter charges.
“The claim that antisemitism is alive in the system, in my personal experience of about five years, is that I’ve never experienced it,” Rabbi Yaffe wrote.
“In fact, when we wanted to bring tefillin and a shofar in, while there were safety hoops to jump through, the staff were very flexible and accommodating.”
comments