Manny Waks
| Manny Waks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 40–41) Israel |
| Occupation | Community activist |
| Known for | Founding Tzedek, an anti-abuse organization |
| Website | MannyWaks.com |
Manny Waks, born Menachem Leib Waks in Israel in 1976, is a Jewish activist. He was previously part of the orthodox community in Australia and later became known for his activism against child sexual abuse in the Jewish community worldwide. He founded Tzedek, an organization to fight child sexual abuse in Jewish communities. Waks assisted the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in investigating Melbourne Yeshivah centre of the Orthodox Chabad movement of Judaism on their handling of child sexual abuse cases.
After publicizing child sexual abuse in the Jewish community in Australia, Waks moved to France. Waks is married and is the father of three children.
Although born in Israel, Waks was raised primarily in Australia. He is one of 17 children in an Orthodox Jewish family who were part of the Chabad-Lubavitch, Hasidic community in Melbourne, Australia. Before they were eventually ostracized for reporting child sexual abuse within the community, Waks, his parents and siblings were viewed as a "poster family for the Australian Chabad movement." Waks returned to Israel when he turned 18, where he served in the Israel Defence Forces. After returning to Australia from his service in the IDF, he obtained a degree in International Relations. He completed internships with a federal parliamentarian and the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. Waks' family featured in the 2003 SBS documentary Welcome to the Waks Family.
Some of Waks brothers, in particlular Avi Yamimi, an Active IDF soldier dispute the excommunication stories and spoke publicly against Manny and His father, claiming that his father Zapharia was originally part of the cover-up, and now his claims of being excommunicated are a false way to draw media attention. He relates that their father routinely, physically and emotionally abused him and his 10 brothers; at one time lining them up to be beaten with a belt, until the belt was broken. The abuse caused most of them turning to drugs, and many were kicked out of their home. Avi claims that his father is "taking the blame off himself and instead blaming others". Avi put out a petition on Change.org against ABC News to stop portraying his father as a victim.Avi says that his family had long planned for to move back to Israel, in particular do to financial difficulties, and that his father once spoke about hiring bodyguards and taking a walk to the synagogue, in order to trick the media that he was being attacked. When he and his brother threatened to speak their side of the story, their father threatened not to join his wedding which he didn't.
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