David Kramer deported to the United States
An American teacher who sexually abused children at a Melbourne Jewish school has been deported to the United States following his release from prison.
54-yr-old David Kramer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexually abusing four boys at Melbourne’s Yeshivah College. He pleaded guilty to the charges.
Manny Waks, the founder of Tzedek, an advocacy group for sexually abused children, said: “Now that Kramer has concluded his sentence and released into the broader community, it’s critical that we’re informed of his whereabouts so that we can ensure the safety of our children. Kramer has a shocking track-record of sexually abusing many children in more than one country. While he has sat in jail in both the US and Australia for crimes committed there, I’m aware of allegations that he has also abused children in Israel. It’s also widely known within the Yeshivah community that there are additional alleged victims. For various reasons victims do not come forward, and this is their choice which must be respected.
I have already notified some of my networks in both of these countries and will continue to work with them and others until we can ascertain that he does not pose a risk to children to the extent that this is possible.
It is unacceptable that no one at the Yeshivah Centre has been held to account in any way, shape or form for covering up Kramer’s ongoing abuse.
As one of Kramer’s victims told me this morning, “at the very least Yeshivah has the moral duty to take some responsibility and warn local communities around the world of his whereabouts. They should find out where he is and leave no stone unturned in trying to ensure the safety of our children – something they repeatedly neglected to do in the past.”
I would like to take this opportunity to encourage any alleged victim of Kramer to come forward so that they may achieve justice for themselves and to assist in the protection of our children. They can approach the police directly or I‘m more than happy to facilitate this. Also, I’d encourage anyone with information regarding this or any other related matter to contact the police or the current Royal Commission. It’s particularly important for the Royal Commission to have all the facts prior to the anticipated public hearing into the Yeshivah Centre.”
Kramer was released from prison in the United States after completing a sentence for sexually abusing a 12-yr-old boy in St Louis. He was immediately detained pending a deportation application to return him to Australia to face the Melbourne charges relating to offences committed between 1989 and 1992.