Holland Wants Accused Orthodox School Molester Extradicted From Israel
The Netherlands asked for the extradition from Israel of a Dutch teacher suspected of molesting pupils at an Orthodox school near Amsterdam.
The request was sent last week by the Public Prosecution Service of the District Court of Amsterdam, the court’s press officer, Franklin Wattimena, told JTA Thursday.
The 26-year-old man identified in Dutch media as Ephraim S., left the Netherlands for Israel in 2012 amid allegations that he molested several pupils at the Cheider school in Buitenveldert near the Dutch capital.
“We have been busy for a while with filing the request,” Wattimena told JTA. “The Israeli authorities place higher demands than what we are used to. We need, according to the Israeli legal system, to present more [proof] of plausibility with regards to the former teacher. The investigation continues.”
The prosecution service declined to specify what actions Ephraim S. is suspected of committing. One parent told JTA that Ephraim S. gave his son massages, and that Ephraim S. is also suspected of having relations of a sexual nature with a 16-year-old boy.
The suspect’s lawyer, Geert-Jan Knoops, has denied any wrongdoing on the part of his client. Knoops told the Volkskrant daily that he has filed a complaint against the prosecutors handling the case with the Justine Ministry’s supervisor. Knoops said that the prosecution has withheld evidence, keeping his client from defending himself against allegations in the media.
According to De Telegraaf daily, Israeli police have placed no restrictions on Ephraim S.’ movement and he has given private lessons to pupils in Israel.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
