Children have allegedly been left alone in the building all day without
adult supervision. Some of the very young children allegedly ran home
while others were cared for by the 12- and 13-year-olds. I have heard
that an 8-year-old boy – the same age Leiby Kletzky was when he was
kidnapped and murdered not far from Bobov 45 two years ago – left school
yesterday and roamed the streets all day without supervision.
A Borough Park source tells me that on Sunday, all teachers at Bobov 45 yeshiva in Borough Park – except for the Bobov 45 Rebbe’s son, the Rebbe’s gabbai’s (executive assistant’s) brothers, and Rabbi Kupperman – went on strike.
The strike is allegedly a response to recent plans by to hire another new administrator to accept responsibility for the payroll going forward – but not for the 4 months of this year’s payroll and the 12 months compiled during of the past few years that are allegedly still outstanding.
During the past few years a new administrator has been brought in almost annually to calm down employees and to take responsibility for the payroll going forward. However, each one left leaving months payroll unpaid.
Staff members just could not take it any more and felt, I’m told, that they were compelled to take drastic action.
They are demanding that the yeshiva’s bank account is kept separate from the rest of Bobov 45’s operting acount, so that tuition is not used to pay for the beit din case Bobov 45 lost to Bobov 48, mortgages for what they consider to be unnecessary lots (on 49th Street and 62nd Street), and the salaries of employees who do not work in the yeshiva.
But Bobov 45 leadership rejects these demands and have allegedly ordered strikers to be threatened and harrased.
And even though it is barely staffed at all, Bobov 45 leadership allegedly insisted on keeping the yeshiva open.
As a result, children have allegedly been left alone in the building all day without adult supervision. Some of the very young children allegedly ran home while others were cared for by the 12- and 13-year-olds. I have heard that an 8-year-old boy – the same age Leiby Kletzky was when he was kidnapped and murdered not far from Bobov 45 two years ago – left school yesterday and roamed the streets all day without supervision.
Update 6:10 pm CDT – I received an email at 4:48 pm CDT today from my source, who says the strike ended late today. No payments were made by Bobov 45 to the teachers.
Update 7:32 pm CDT – Apparently someone posted a brief Yiddish account of the strike that is similar to my English version in a forum on Kave Shtiebel yesterday. It does not mention Leibly Kletzky, and it has other differences, as well.