An adjunct professor from Touro University, who faces charges of sexually abusing a patient will return to class next month in a course focused on ethics.
The New York Post reports that Professor Menachem “Mendy” Kiwak is scheduled to teach two classes in the upcoming fall semester. Kiwak is listed in the online class list as the professor of “Professional, Legal & Ethical Issues in Counseling,” with one class to be held online and another at a location that has not been specified.
“It’s an absolute travesty,” said a fellow Touro professor. “I am surprised that Touro is allowing him to continue teaching given the nature of the charges.”
Kiwak has been accused of sexually abusing a private counseling patient who has no connection with Touro. She accused him of numerous coerced sexual encounters.
In a recording The New York Post received, it seems as though Kiwak is apologizing for his wrongdoing:
“I’m sorry that I took advantage and that I’m hurting, that I’ve hurt you. I know you’re angry and that you’re pissed at me. But I promise you, it’s the worst I’ve ever fallen in my life. In my life.”
In May, Kiwak was charged with sexual abuse, harassment, and forcible touching.
Kiwak was allowed to complete the school year after pleading not guilty to the charges.
Prior to Kiwak’s arrest, the advocate for the accuser communicated the allegations to Faye Walkenfeld, which included concerns raised by female students about his use of sexual slang and profanity, as well as his discussions regarding pornography in class. It was also mentioned that he had once contended that marital rape is not a valid concept.
There are allegations by many colleagues that Walkenfeld is protecting Kiwak due to being his mother-in-law and chairing the behavioral sciences department where Kiwak works.
“I have no doubt that if his mother-in-law wasn’t a big shot in the college, he would have been gone by now,” one Touro professor said.
The New York Post reached out to Touro on Friday and was told that Kiwak “is not scheduled to work this semester” and that he is still on “administrative leave,” according to spokesman Jordan Isenstadt.
As of late Friday, Touro still shows Kiwak as the professor for the online courses previously mentioned, which accommodate 20 students and have an enrollment of 19.
Kiwak’s lawyers refuse to comment, and there are no further comments from Isenstadt.
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[Feature Photo:Wiki Images/Ajay Suresh]
