Rabbi Steven (Shmuel) Krawatsky, a middle school Judaic Studies teacher at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Pikesville, was fired Thursday following an explosive investigative piece published Wednesday by The New York Jewish Week about a pattern of alleged child sexual abuse by the rabbi. In addition, Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim announced Thursday that Krawatsky had resigned from his position there as head of a teen inclusion minyan.

The allegations date back to 2015 and center around three young boys who were campers at Camp Shoresh in Frederick County, where Krawatsky, 40, was head of the lower boys division.

The Jewish Week story details the children’s alleged abuse, and the Frederick County Child Protective Services investigation that resulted after they told their parents. That investigation initially determined that Krawatsky was “indicated” for sexual abuse. But following appeals in 2016 by attorneys for Krawatsky, that determination was downgraded to “unsubstantiated,” which, in the parlance of CPS, does not indicate innocence.

Camp Shoresh terminated Krawatsky’s employment after camp ended in 2015.

Beth Tfiloh initially placed Krawatsky on leave as a result of the appeal, but he was reinstated following the appeal and the “unsubstantiated” determination.

After the story was published, on Wednesday, Beth Tfiloh’s director of education, Zipora Schorr, sent a letter to parents informing them that as “part of ongoing efforts in this area” the Baltimore Child Abuse Center had earlier performed an audit of school facilities, policies and procedures “to ensure that our school proactively protects its children and responds appropriately to any allegations of child abuse and neglect, and is in full compliance with Maryland mandated reporting laws.” The letter also noted that “Beth Tfiloh was not notified of any further reports regarding this teacher,” following the “unsubstantiated” finding in Feb. 2016.

On Thursday, Schorr sent another letter that said that “a result of the allegations detailed in yesterday’s Jewish Week article, Beth Tfiloh has terminated Rabbi Shmuel Krawatsky’s employment. Rabbi Krawatsky will not be on our premises, and will not have any contact with our students. This decision is in keeping with our school’s commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our students, which we consider to be paramount.”

Krawatsky was employed to work with teens at Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim, until, on January 18, when board chair Shimmy Messing and president Richard Buck released a letter to congregants that said Krawatsky (identified in the letter only as “the individual”) had resigned from his job at the shul. The letter said that the Pikesville synagogue “is committed to the safety and well-being of its children. We recognize that sexual abuse is a terrible crime that permanently scars its victims. We also recognize the need to work with law enforcement regarding claims of abuse and impropriety.”

The letter says that when the synagogue leadership found out about the allegations against Krawatsky it spoke to people who “painted a very different picture than that depicted in a recent publication.” The synagogue determined that Krawatsky could remain at the shul in a limited capacity in a group setting with other adults present. But the letters ends saying that “the individual has resigned from his employment with the shul. This should in no way be considered an indication of guilt or innocence.”

Krawatsky’s Frederick-based attorney, Christopher Rolle, wrote in an email that Krawatsky “states emphatically that he is innocent of the allegations discussed in the article.”

In a 2016 statement, Camp Shoresh leadership said that the camp quickly reported allegations to Frederick County Department of Social Services and “suspended the employee’s relationship with Shoresh pending resolution of any and all investigations by the appropriate authorities.”

This story is developing.

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