Minyans and Sex-Offenders

Ynet Yahdut has a surprising poll. 500 respondents were asked should Katzav be allowed to be part of a Minyan? Surprising answer was overwhelmingly yes! 64% yes, 25% no and 21% have no opinion. Even more interesting was the next statistic: When asked if they would allow a sex offender to join a Minyan, the more religious you are, the more likely you are to allow them to:

• 56% Hilonim
• 77% Traditional
• 86% Dati-Leumi
• 88% Haredi.

So how to interpret these results? "Yesh dorshim leshevach ve'yesh dorshim legnay" (יש דורשים לשבח ויש דורשים לגנאי). If you are a more frummy feel good guy, you might just be thinking how inclusive and non judgmental religious people are. If you are slightly more in-tuned to reality you might just think that Hilonim have a more "religious" outlook on davening. Religious people are looking at this from the purely halachic viewpoint. A Minyan is a technical term, and you are not judged by who you pray with. Hilonim are under the impression that a Minyan is a "group" - and want to keep those pesky sex offenders out. 

Amazingly when asked if they would allow a woman in the Minyan, the results flipped. Sex offenders in - Women out.