Former Head Of Iowa Hillel Charged With Sexually Abusing Young Boy
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — The former executive director of the Iowa Hillel was arrested and charged with abusing a young boy at the Hillel House in Iowa City.
David Weltman, 29, of Skokie, Illinois, was teaching Hebrew to the boy sometime between February and March at the Hillel House, according to an Iowa City Police complaint, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported. The boy told police that Weltman took him into a room and groped him.
The complaint also said that police discovered during the subsequent investigation that Weltman admitted to an acquaintance that he was sexually attracted to children between the ages of 7 and 12.
Weltman worked at Hillel as executive director from July 2016 to this July, according to the newspaper, citing his LinkedIn account.
Iowa Hillel said in a statement posted on Facebook that Weltman is no longer an employee and it was “cooperating fully with the police investigation.”
“Hillel International and Iowa Hillel took immediate action when we were made aware of the allegations by law enforcement, placing him on administrative leave,” the statement said.
Weltman was charged with second-degree sex abuse and is being held on a $100,000 bond in county jail. The charge is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
The Hillel House is located blocks from the University of Iowa campus.
“Although the case does not involve university students or staff, we will provide support for any member of our campus community who may wish to speak with someone,” a university spokeswoman said in a statement emailed to the school newspaper, the Daily Iowan.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
