An anonymous former student is suing The Talmudical Academy of Baltimore, alleging he was sexually abused when he lived in the dorms there in the early 1970s.
A 19-page complaint filed by his attorneys accuses the Orthodox Jewish school of negligence and responsibility following years of grooming and then sexual abuse by a dorm counselor.
They add that the school is liable after the student was groped and raped after being directed to hitchhike to a kosher grocery store to get supplies for the school.
The suit is being brought under the Child Victims Act, which opened up the statute of limitations for civil suits of child sexual abuse.
The dorm counselor, Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro, had previously been the principal of the school in the 1960s, according to the court filing.
"However, upon information and belief, allegations that Rabbi Shapiro was sexually abusive to minor students forced him to retire from his then role as principal of Defendant Academy," reads the complaint.
He was rehired in 1972, according to the documents.
Based on a roster of Religious Personnel from the Jewish Museum of Maryland, Rabbi Ephraim F. Shapiro, associated with the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore, died on April 7, 1989.
Rabbi Yaacov Cohen, the Executive Vice President of the Talmudical Academy, provided us with the following statement.
"We have been made aware of a complaint against Talmudical Academy of Baltimore by a former student, alleging abuse by a school employee more than 50 years ago. The employee named in the suit is no longer living and has not been affiliated with the school for many decades. While we cannot comment on the details of the case due to ongoing legal proceedings, we want to emphasize that this allegation does not involve any current faculty, staff, or students. The safety and well-being of our students is always, and continues to be, our highest priority. As always, we will continue to focus on providing a safe learning environment, at all times, for each and every one of our students."
-Rabbi Yaacov Cohen, Executive Vice President of Talmudical Academy of Baltimore
