Fresh Yeshivah sex charge

MELBOURNE'S orthodox Jewish Yeshivah community has been rocked by another alleged child sex abuse scandal with a youth worker arrested on indecency charges.

Former Chabad Youth leader Aron Ezriel Kestecher, 26, of East St Kilda, has been charged with four counts of indecent acts on a child under the age of 16.

Kestecher, known as ''Ezzy'', is also understood to have recently worked as a substitute teacher at Yeshivah College, the East St Kilda boys' school at the centre of a police investigation into paedophilia.

The arrest comes a month after Yeshivah College security guard David Samuel Cyprys was charged with multiple counts of indecent assault and gross indecency after he allegedly repeatedly molested boys from the school between 1984 and 1991.

When Cyprys appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court last month, Detective Senior Constable Lisa Metcher accused members of the Yeshivah community of lying to police and trying to cover up sex abuse claims.

They failed to act in any way to protect children,'' she said in court.

Police wrote to former Yeshivah College students earlier this year, urging them to contact Crime Stoppers if they were assaulted or witnessed an assault between 1989 and 1993. The investigation was prompted by claims that former Yeshivah College teacher David Kramer had fled Australia in the early 1990s after parents complained he had sexually abused their children.

The school did not report the claims to police at the time.

The Age understands Victoria Police hope to extradite Kramer from the United States when he is released from prison, where he is serving a seven-year sentence for molesting a 12-year-old boy at a synagogue in St Louis.

Earlier this year Yeshivah College principal Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler wrote a letter encouraging anyone who was aware of or suspected abuse to contact child protection services or police.

''If you have any concerns about abuse … please contact me directly … and I will immediately contact the relevant authorities,'' Mr Smukler wrote.

Meanwhile, Kestecher has been released on bail and will appear in the Moorabbin Magistrates Court on November 29.

Jewish Orthodox Sex suspect 'protected'

David Samuel Cyprys















PROMINENT members of the Melbourne Jewish community lied to the police, covered up an alleged sex scandal and protected a man accused of repeatedly molesting children from a school in St Kilda East, a court has been told.

Locksmith and security guard David Samuel Cyprys, 43, was yesterday charged with 16 counts of indecent assault and 13 counts of gross indecency claimed to have been committed between 1984 and 1991.

Twelve alleged victims - who were aged between seven and 17 at the time the crimes are said to have occurred - knew Cyprys through Yeshivah College, where he worked as a security guard. Some also took karate lessons taught by Cyprys after school.

Detective Senior Constable Lisa Metcher said Cyprys was supported by ''high-standing members of the Jewish community'' who did not say anything when the alleged offending was canvassed. ''They failed to act in any way to protect children and the matter has been swept under the carpet,'' Senior Constable Metcher told Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Asked on what she based this, Senior Constable Metcher said: ''Based on the lies told to police and information that has been twisted and covered up.''

She said there was a high risk these supporters would help Cyprys flee the country if he was released on bail. Cyprys had told her he was ''unable to locate his passport''.

''The accused is still connected with people who would probably make it possible for him to leave the country if that was what was required for him to do,'' she said.

The court heard that five of the alleged victims were from Victoria and another five were from New South Wales. Police were travelling to the United States to obtain statements from another two.

Most of the alleged offences occurred in Melbourne, but some allegedly took place at Yeshivah school camps in NSW.

In 1992, Cyprys pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault. He was fined $1500 but no conviction was recorded.

Senior Constable Metcher said the Moorabbin sexual offences taskforce was receiving between five and 10 phone calls a day in connection with the case and it was possible that publicity after the court case would generate more. ''We believe there are other victims and complainants that will come forward,'' she said. ''A lot of anonymous complainants are still deciding whether to come forward and make a statement.''

The court was also told of concerns that Cyprys lived with his 14-year-old son and spent time living with his new partner, who had three children aged four, eight and 13. ''These children have been subject to child protection notification,'' Senior Constable Metcher said.

The prosecution asked that any bail conditions ban Cyprys from unsupervised contact with any child under 16, including his own two children and three step-children.

However, defence lawyer Alex Lewenberg said a parent should not lose the right to have contact with their children unless the children were in danger.

''There is the entitlement of the child to see their parent. Whatever condition might be imposed we ask permission to facilitate continued contact with the son and daughter,'' Mr Lewenberg said.

He also opposed a surety being imposed as a bail condition, saying Cyprys had been ostracised in the community as a result of media coverage.

''His ability to secure surety is limited if non-existent,'' Mr Lewenberg said.

However, magistrate Luisa Bazzani said she would only grant Cyprys bail on the condition he pay a $50,000 surety to ensure his return to court.

She ordered him to report to police in St Kilda every day, not to contact any prosecution witnesses other than police and not to leave Victoria.

A further bail condition was that he have no contact with any child under 16 without exception unless supervised by child protection authorities.

This included contact with his children and the children of his partner. ''It is up to the Department of Human Services to nominate an appropriate supervisor,'' Ms Bazzani said.

Ms Bazzani said Cyprys would not be released on bail until he surrendered his passport and any other travel documents to police.

Cyprys was remanded to reappear on December 2.

Man in court over Jewish school sex assaults

Yeshivah College
















A Balaclava man has appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting children at a Melbourne Jewish school.

Locksmith and security guard David Cyprys, 43, was arrested this morning.

The alleged offences involved students of Yeshivah College, an orthodox Jewish boys' school in East St Kilda, during the 1980s and early 1990s.

The court heard there were five alleged victims in Victoria, five in NSW and two in the US.

The alleged victims, who were all associated with Yeshivah college, were aged between seven and 17 at the time.

Cyprys has been charged with 16 counts of indecent assault and 13 counts of gross indecency.

Cyprys, who also taught karate, recently stood down from the board of management of an Elwood synagogue while police investigated the claims made against him by former students of the school.

He had been employed as a security guard by the Yeshivah Centre, which is part of the school.

Cyprys did not enter a plea and was granted bail on conditions including that he surrender his passport, does not go within 100 metres of a school and is not in contact with any child under 16 unless supervised by child protection authorities.

This includes his own children and step-children.

The case was adjourned to December 2.

Synagogue asks alleged child molester to stand down

A SECURITY guard accused of sexually abusing boys from an Orthodox Jewish school in St Kilda East has been asked to stand down from the board of management of an Elwood synagogue until a police investigation into alleged paedophilia at the school is completed.

Several former students of Yeshivah College have lodged statements to police alleging they were molested by David Cyprys, a security guard who also taught karate.

The Elwood Talmud Torah Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue, has asked Mr Cyprys to stand down from his role as a committee member on the board of management.

President Hilton Meinrath told The Age Mr Cyprys had been a part of the synagogue for a number of years and they had never received any complaints.

Mr Meinrath said Mr Cyprys had a current government permit to work with children. But he said he had asked him to stand down voluntarily until the police investigation into alleged abuse at Yeshivah College was over. ''We will not take any further action until we know one way or another,'' Mr Meinrath said.

Mr Cyprys continued to work alongside children at Yeshivah Centre, which runs the school, despite pleading guilty to indecent assault in 1992. No conviction was recorded, but he was fined $1500 and ordered to be of good behaviour.

The former Yeshivah Centre director, Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, was told of sexual abuse complaints against Mr Cyprys as early as 1996. Mr Cyprys's private security licence states he is employed by Yeshivah Centre.

Yeshivah Centre did not respond to questions from The Age about whether it currently employs Mr Cyprys. But in a letter to parents, Yeshivah College principal Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler said the school had been advised by police that the allegations and investigations did not relate to a member of staff.

Earlier this month, Jewish community leader Manny Waks spoke to The Age about sexual abuse he says he was subjected to between 1988 and 1991. It can now be revealed Mr Cyprys is one of the alleged perpetrators.

Mr Waks said he spoke out in the hope it would encourage others to speak to police, or to seek help. Several other alleged victims are believed to have subsequently spoken to police.

Mr Waks said he wanted to hold to account both the alleged perpetrators and Yeshivah Centre, which he said betrayed victims by persuading them to remain silent.

He made his first statement to police about Mr Cyprys and another man in 1996. He also told Rabbi Groner, the centre director at the time.

In 2000, Mr Waks said, he was horrified to see Mr Cyprys was still providing security for Yeshivah Centre. ''It was just appalling. I said to Rabbi Groner: 'How can you have that person here having access to children and doing security for the synagogue?' Rabbi Groner pleaded with me not to go public with it. He said: 'I'm looking after this; he is getting help.' ''

Police wrote to former Yeshivah College students earlier this year, urging them to contact Crime Stoppers if they had been assaulted between 1989 and 1993. The investigation was mainly linked to former teacher David Kramer, who fled Australia in the early 1990s after parents complained he had sexually abused students. Police hope to extradite Kramer when he has served a seven-year prison sentence in the US for sodomising a 12-year-old boy.

However, police have also been contacted by former Yeshivah students who allege they were sexually abused by other members of the Chabad-Lubavitch community, including Mr Cyprys. The Age believes the police have not recently spoken with Mr Cyprys.

Lawyers for Mr Cyprys have served Mr Waks with a ''concerns notice'', alleging an email he wrote to 23 people titled ''sexual abuse at Yeshivah'' was defamatory.

In a letter to Mr Waks, solicitor Barrie Goldsmith alleged the email was defamatory because it imputed Mr Cyprus committed sexual abuse and was being investigated for committing sexual abuse.

Mr Waks said the letter demonstrated the ''unconscionable, unrepentant and vicious nature of this individual … I and some of his other victims look forward to our day in court.''

Mr Cyprys did not respond to inquiries from The Age.