Three months after an adjunct instructor was arrested for sexually abusing a patient in his private practice, Touro University has explained the issue to students and faculty for the first time, claiming that the instructor's listing to teach an ethics class this fall was the result of a “clerical error.”
Menachem Kiwak, the mental health counseling instructor who was arrested in May, had been quietly placed on administrative leave at the end of last school year.
But it wasn't until last week, when The Washington Post reported that he planned to teach the upcoming course, that Tulo finally made a statement about the allegations against him.
Records show that 20 students had enrolled in an online course on “Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling,” scheduled to begin Sept. 3.
The internal list sparked outrage among fellow professors, with one calling it a “complete farce.”
Turo called it an “administrative error” and said Kiwak remains on leave.
The university scrambled to find a replacement, hiring a Florida mental health counselor who specializes in women's issues.
But she abruptly resigned on Friday after reading a Washington Post article about Kiwak, saying Tulo never notified her about her firing.
“That speaks to the integrity of this institution,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Turo sent an email to university officials on Monday confirming the “sexual assault allegations” against Kiwak.
“This incident occurred off-campus and did not involve any Touro University students,” the statement said, adding that Kiwak “does not currently have any teaching or other responsibilities at Touro University.”
Some faculty members believe Touro tried to cover up the scandal because Kiwak's mother-in-law, Faye Walkenfeld, is the dean of the behavioral sciences department where Touro works and is a “big name at the university.”
Walkenfeld was one of two Touro County officials who interviewed Florida counselors.
“It is insane and baffling that an institution as historic as Touro would respond in such a haphazard and disorganized manner to the arrest of a faculty member on sexual abuse charges,” said Asher Roby, director of Zaakah, a Jewish support group for victims of sexual abuse in the Jewish community.
“They are clearly not prioritizing the safety of students, but rather trying to protect their reputation and the dean's relatives,” Roby said.
Kiwak has been accused of coercing patients into sexual acts but has pleaded not guilty.
