Airdate: Code of Silence

In 2003 the documentary Welcome to the Waks Family looked at the lives of the Melbourne Orthodox Jewish family of Zephaniah & Chaya Waks and their 17 children.

Now 11 years on Code of Silence follows the parallel journeys of fervently Zephaniah Waks)and his now-secular son, Manny (pictured), after Manny breaks the code of silence in Melbourne’s Orthodox community and goes public with his story of being sexually abused as a school student.

Manny Waks claims he was abused by an Orthodox Jewish security guard, who also taught boys karate, at the Yeshivah Centre in Melbourne. Now Manny is demanding his abuser be brought to justice, and the rabbis and Chabad leaders who, he claims, tried to cover it up are brought to account.

His father Zephaniah joins forces with his son, but soon finds he has been virtually excommunicated for breaking an ancient Jewish law forbidding Jews from informing secular authorities about other Jews.

We see how father and son split this tightly-knit, powerful Jewish community as we open the door into their insular world of study and duty, charity and faith, power and piety.

Will Manny get justice in court? Will the rabbis be held to account? And, what price will the father and son pay for blowing the whistle?

This Compass special screens at the special time of 8:30pm Tuesday on ABC.