Report: Dutch-Israeli teacher suspected of molesting Jewish pupils

Suspect, who was fired from Orthodox school near Amsterdam for 'inappropriate conduct,' left Netherlands for Israel before arrest warrant issued

Ynetnews|Published: 06.23.13 , 13:53

Dutch police asked Israeli authorities for assistance in the investigation of the actions of a Tel Aviv teacher suspected of molesting pupils at a Jewish school near Amsterdam, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

The man, identified only as Ephraim S., immigrated last year to Israel after being fired from his job as a teacher at the Cheider school in Buitenveldert near Amsterdam, De Telegraaf reported on Friday. The Orthodox school has 200 pupils aged two to 18.

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According to the De Telegraaf newspaper, the suspect, who is in his 20s, was fired from the school for "inappropriate conduct" but currently offers private lessons in Israel.

The paper reported that a number of families and pupils filed complaints with the police against the teacher, including a 16-year-old who said he had "sexual contact" with the suspect. The man left the Netherlands for Israel after the complaints were filed but before authorities had issued an arrest warrant, JTA reported.

Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, Holland's chief interprovincial rabbi and a member of the school's board, was quoted by JTA as saying that the school, which also sought charges against the teacher, went by the book as soon as the allegations surfaced.

"From the second the first complaint came in, we consulted the lawbook and did everything in accordance to it so nothing gets swept under the carpet here," he told JTA.

The suspect worked for about a year as a teacher for the primary school, he added. Jacobs told De Telegraaf that the case "aroused panic in some teachers, who are now afraid their children have also been molested."

De Telegraaf contacted the suspect through his attorney, who declined to comment on the allegations. Jacobs said the man had denied the allegations when they first surfaced.

There is no indication yet whether the Netherlands will seek the man's extradition, JTA reported.