Teacher fired from Beth Tfiloh suing accusers

BALTIMORE (MD)
The Baltimore Sun

January 31, 2018

By Alison Knezevich

A rabbi who was fired from Beth Tfiloh school in Pikesville amid abuse allegations has sued the parents of his accusers, as well as an activist in New York.

Rabbi Steven Krawatsky and his wife, Shira, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Maryland. Krawatsky, who also goes by the first name Shmuel, taught for nearly 15 years at Beth Tfiloh, a private Jewish school.

In 2015 and 2016, Krawatsky was accused of sexual abuse at Camp Shoresh in Frederick County, where he worked as a counselor for 15 years, he says in the lawsuit.

Krawatsky, 40, denies the accusations. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office investigated and prosecutors did not bring charges.

Several weeks ago, the New York Jewish Week published a report detailing the allegations. After the report was published, Beth Tfiloh terminated Krawatsky. He had taught Judaic studies at the school.

In the lawsuit, Krawatsky and his wife allege that those who have accused him engaged in an effort to “damage Rabbi K and destroy his reputation and ability to earn a living.” The lawsuit’s claims include defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.