Liraz Natan, the teacher's assistant in Carmel Meoda's kindergarten was sentenced to two years in prison, six month's community service and NIS 5,000 in compensation on Monday.
Natan and Meoda were convicted of eight counts of child abuse in April. Among the instances of abuse committed by Natan are making a toddler stand opposite a wall for hours without support and preventing her from eating breakfast; putting her foot on a toddler, holding her down on a mattress and slapping her; dragging toddlers, hitting them and forcibly restraining them in their chairs by hanging the back of their shirts on the chair's backrest.
"The defendant betrayed the trust put in her by the parents who left their small children with her, and instead of caring for them, attacked them at various opportunities," said District Attorney Iris Segel.
"Unfortunately, we came knowing that Natan's sentencing would not be severe enough in comparison to what she did to our children," said Yossi, a father of one of the kindergarten's children. "We cannot forget what she did and where she was. She was the right-hand woman of the big abuser Carmel Meoda, and Liraz should have been tried for abuse rather than assault from the beginning. She's been free for two years like a normal person and at least now she'll be where she belongs: behind lock and key."
"I cannot be happy about this sentencing in any way," said the mother of another child Moriya. "Obviously, the fact that she's going to prison is big, but it's not enough. Whoever thinks this ends here is wrong. Our lives are day-to-day coping... My son is two years after the abuse, and we are again seeing things worsen. He's drawing the attacks and being aggressive to no end, and it never ends."
Meoda herself was convicted of 18 counts of abuse and 35 counts of attacking toddlers. She is currently in prison where she has been sentenced to for nine-and-a-half years. She will also pay the families compensation of NIS 400 thousand, which they will divide evenly between them.