Two Israeli teachers viciously abuse autistic 12 year old in Beit Shemesh School

Police have summoned for questioning teachers suspected of severe abuse against Shmueli Teitelbaum, a 12-year-old student at the Torah Yaakov institution, part of the Sulam network in Beit Shemesh. Following the investigation, the teachers were issued restraining orders, banning them from the school for 15 days and prohibiting contact with the child and his family for 30 days.

This development follows an article published by an Israeli newspaper detailing the serious harm allegedly suffered by the child. Haya Teitelbaum, the boy’s mother, claims her son, who has a social communication disorder (ASD), was beaten by two teachers, slammed against the classroom wall and door until the doorframe was damaged, and repeatedly locked in a secured room.

The mother recounted the horrific incident, which she alleges occurred on September 16, the third day of school, and was preceded by a separate incident where a teacher allegedly hit and locked the child in a room. Despite being warned against physical contact or confinement, the situation reportedly escalated. Based on the child’s testimony to the police, the severe beating began after Shmueli defended himself by pushing another student who was bullying and hitting him.

“They grabbed him by the hands and slammed him against the wall until a hole was created in the wall from the impact,” the mother relayed, based on her son’s account. They allegedly slammed him against the door a second time, with “the handle going into his back, the door breaking, and the frame being uprooted.” She said her son described being kicked while on the floor and then locked in the room, unable to stand. This pattern of opening the door, hitting him again, and relocking him allegedly occurred several times.

The abuse reportedly stopped only when Shmueli threatened to call the police. The teachers then brought him a chair and water, and called his mother to say he wished to return home early, without mentioning the grave incident.

Shmueli traveled home alone on three buses and collapsed at the entrance to his house. His mother described finding him unresponsive, with his mouth moving, his eyes rolling, and a strange body posture. When she removed his shirt, she discovered blue marks all over his body. Doctors later identified "hand marks from two different people on his body."

Since the event, the child's mother states that Shmueli is not functioning normally, constantly clinging to her, screaming in his sleep, and repeating phrases like "I didn't do anything, I beg you, leave me alone, it hurts me." He is reportedly engaging in new behaviors, such as slamming his head against the wall and floor for hours.

Haya Teitelbaum expressed outrage that the teachers had not been arrested and continued to teach with the backing of the school management, and that the police had not yet investigated the scene at the school. "They returned a dead child to me. I strongly demand the teachers be arrested."

The mother also claims that the school network’s general manager called her and demanded that "for our sake, we stop engaging with the media," which she perceives as a threat. The school principal allegedly claimed the abuse was intended to help the child and was "part of the treatment."

Following the publication of the incident, an anonymous message supporting the school management and attempting to disparage the child and his family was circulated on local WhatsApp groups, signed by a "Parents' Committee." The mother states she has never heard of such a committee and claims to have received dozens of support messages from other parents.

The school management released a statement saying, "The matter is under review and treatment. Since this is a child studying in a special education institution, the matter is doubly sensitive... We are awaiting a lawyer's response regarding what we can say, and we will update when possible."