Rehovot Kindergarten Teacher Convicted of Physically Abusing Children

"A kindergarten teacher from Rehovot was convicted Thursday of seven counts of child abuse which she committed over the course of the 2003-2004 school year. Another teacher at the kindergarten also confessed to taking part in some of the incidents.

According to the conviction, the teachers - Tamar Hanegbi and Sigal Sharabi - abused babies and toddlers at the kindergarten for a period spanning months. The abuse was verbal and in some cases physical.

The abuse came to light when a former employee at the kindergarten who witnessed the incidents complained to police.

The teachers would shout at the babies, curse them, call them names and occasionally deprive one of the babies of his meals.

In one instance, Hanegbi apparently picked one baby up who was crying, held her firmly by her wrist and slammed her against the cot wall. She then prevented other teachers from going to the baby and calming her down.

Yaron Levi, the presiding judge, strongly criticized Hanegbi's behavior. "The defendant chose to aim her behavior at those who need the most care and attention, the weakest babies, those with physical difficulties whose fate in life was unfortunate," the judge ruled.

The judge called her behavior "cruel and humiliating, terrorizing and disrespectful toward the mothers of each and every baby."

Hanegbi's lawyers said they intend to appeal the verdict."

Source: Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent. Kindergarten teacher convicted of physically abusing children. Haaretz.com (27 April 2006) [FullText]