The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court ordered the release to house arrest of kindergarten teacher Ziva Mashiach and assistants Mazal Yerushalmi and Sion Levy. The two were arrested last week on suspicion of abusing helpless toddlers at the "Olympic" kindergarten in Holon.
Judge Amsalem Gilboa argued that the restrictive conditions of house arrest would prevent the two from disrupting an investigation or harming toddlers. The police's request to postpone the release for a day in order to file an appeal with the District Court. "Real use of force and neglect. This is a difficult document to watch," argued the police representative R.N.G. Moshe Poistro at the hearing. "Everyone knows that any little thing can cause a fracture or brain damage. The reason for the danger here is clear," said the judge, who approved delaying the release of the suspects for one day due to the police's intention to appeal the decision to the district court. The materials of the initial investigation show that among the incidents were times when she slapped a toddler on a chair so that he would sit on it, patted the toddler aggressively while she tried to lay him down on a bed.