Yeshiva College Principal Delayed Acting on Teacher David Kramer Who Has Molested Students, County Court Told

By Shannon Deery
News.com.au
July 17, 2013

http://www.news.com.au/national-news/victoria/yeshiva-college-principal-delayed-acting-on-teacher-david-kramer-who-has-molested-students-county-court-told/story-fnii5sms-1226680804212

THE principal of a Jewish college refused to report a teacher who admitted molesting students to police because he was concerned for his welfare, a court has heard.

Rabbi David Kramer, 52, pleaded guilty to molesting four young boys while teaching at ultra-orthodox Yeshiva College in the 1990s before fleeing to the US where he was jailed for further offending.

A County Court plea hearing heard today the father of two victims made a formal complaint to then principal Rabbi Abraham Glick who refused to take immediate action.

“The accused admitted touching some of the children but claimed that it was initiated by the complainants,” prosecutor Brett Sonnet told the court.

“Rabbi Glick advised (the victim’s father) that he did not intend to immediately suspend the accused from teaching because he was concerned for his welfare.”

Victims groups have called for Rabbi Glick to be immediately stood down from duties at the college if he knew of Kramer’s offending.

The former principal still holds a senior role at the college and also is the head of the council that presides over the religious ethos of the Yeshivah Centre, which is at the centre of the child sexual abuse allegations in Australia's Jewish community.

The court heard after several more victim’s complained the school moved to stop Kramer teaching.

The court heard Harry Cooper, a member of the school’s executive, helped organise for Kramer to flee to Israel using college funds.

“Cooper advised the accused that the Yeshiva Centre was prepared to pay for his passage back to Israel is he left immediately,” Mr Sonnet said.

After fleeing to Israel Kramer returned to his native US where he was later sentenced to a lengthy jail term for molesting a student, 12, at a Missouri college.

He unsucesfully fought extradition attempts by Victoria Police last year and was returned to Melbourne in December.

After originally indicating he would contest charges laid against him Kramer pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault and one of committing an indecent act with a person under 16.

The convicted paedophile, 52, is believed to be the first member of Jewish institution in Australia to have admitted child sex crimes.

Manny Waks, founder of Jewish child sexual abuse victim advocacy group Tzedek, today called for Rabbi Glick to be stood down.

He said it was disgusting that Rabbi Glick might have put the welfare of Kramer above that of his students.

He said the school must also be held to account and forced to explain why it allowed Kramer to go overseas where he reoffended.

The US boy's family, speaking through friend Rabbi Ze'ev Smason, previously told the Herald Sun that they were outraged Kramer had been able to leave Australia.

"If it is true that the Melbourne Yeshiva . . . was complicit in allowing David Kramer to escape prosecution for his crimes against an Australian child or children, the blood of his later victim . . . rests upon the yeshiva's head,'' they said.

Prosecutors have called for Kramer to be sentenced for up to five years saying he has shown little remorse and has admitted to still having “deviant thoughts”.

But lawyers for Kramer said he could be eligible for a non-parole period of 15 months, meaning he could virtually walk free now.

They argued his guilty plea showed a significant level of remorse and should be taken into account alongside the likely prospect of rehabilitation.

Judge Michael Bourke will sentence Kramer, who is on remand, next Wednesday.

Contact: Shannon.deery@news.com.au