D.C. Synagogue Preschool Probed Over Sex Abuse Claims
Washington Hebrew Congregation Image by wikicommons
(JTA) — Police in Washington, D.C., are investigating allegations of child sexual abuse at a synagogue preschool.
The Washington Hebrew Congregation sent a letter on Aug. 19 informing parents that a staff member had been placed on administrative leave over allegations that the employee at the Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center “may have engaged in inappropriate conduct involving one or more children.” The allegations had come to light on Aug. 15, according to the letter.
A D.C. police report said the alleged abuse occurred between last September and this month, the Washington Post reported Monday. The allegations came through a D.C. Child and Family Services Agency hotline.
The suspect’s name has not been released.
Washington Hebrew said in the letter that it has launched its own independent investigation into the allegations.
“These allegations and the necessary investigations are painful for everyone, but as a sacred community and congregation we seek to provide support to all as we face these challenges,” the letter said. “We seek both justice and compassion as our tradition demands.”
The synagogue held an informational meeting with families last week to address the investigation and provided parents with counseling resources, according to the Post. During the meeting, the synagogue announced that it had hired more staff to help supervise the students to ensure their safety
Washington Hebrew, which is affiliated with the Reform movement, has about 3,000 member families and is the oldest congregation in the city. The synagogue has deep roots in Washington’s political establishment and counts among its members prominent influencers of both parties.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected]
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
