Police have arrested a kindergarten director and her husband, both residents of Tel Aviv in their 60s, on suspicion of committing sexual offenses against children in their care.
The investigation began after the police received multiple complaints from parents who believed that the husband had engaged in sexual offenses against their children at the kindergarten, which operates out of the couple’s home.
Following the arrests, the police confirmed that the kindergarten was functioning without the proper permits from municipal authorities and the Education Ministry.
The suspects were taken for questioning at the Tel Aviv South Police Station and were subsequently brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a hearing regarding the extension of their detention.
This case follows a growing trend of childcare scandals this year.
Two babies die at Jerusalem daycare
In an incident at a daycare center in Jerusalem’s Romema neighborhood in January, two babies died, and at least 55 more small children sustained injuries from respiratory distress after the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services were called to the site.
Upon arrival at the scene, authorities noted substandard conditions at the daycare center that may have contributed to the tragedy.
The director of Hadassah-University Medical Center, Prof. Yaniv Sherer, where many of the injured children were taken for treatment and observation, told Maariv that the injuries and deaths probably resulted from “some kind of poisoning, with or without a combination of crowding, fever, or dehydration.”
The Jerusalem daycare was also confirmed to be operating without the proper permits from municipal authorities and the Education Ministry.
The tragedy prompted the Knesset to push for the creation of a national authority under the Education Ministry to centralize the oversight of daycare centers.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.