In a ruling handed down by the Lod District Court, the Belzer chassidus has been ordered to pay NIS 24 million in damages to nine former students who were subjected to abuse at its Talmud Torah in Tel Aviv.
Judge Zvi Weitzman ruled that both the institution and its mechanchim must compensate the students, who suffered both physical and emotional mistreatment while enrolled at the school. At the time of the abuse, the boys were between the ages of three and ten.
According to the verdict, the leadership of the Talmud Torah disregarded multiple complaints raised by parents and even fellow staff members about mechanchim who engaged in abusive behavior. In some isolated instances, disciplinary action was taken, but in most cases, the complaints were ignored until the matter became the subject of a police investigation.
The court rejected Belz’s claim that the school was under the jurisdiction of the Chinuch Atzmai network and determined that the Belz community itself operated the institution. As such, it was found directly responsible for the abuse and is liable for compensating the victims.
“לעולם אין להרים יד על תלמיד,” the judge wrote. “One must never raise a hand against a student.”
Details of the case, which were first revealed by Ynet, describe horrific punishment methods allegedly used by certain educators. The children were reportedly subjected to public humiliation, beatings in front of their classmates, being force-fed hot pepper, restrained with zip ties, locked in rooms, kicked, struck with rulers, scissors, and knives, and endured extreme psychological torment.
{Matzav.com Israel}