Oakland County Family Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca has decided to release three Israeli-American siblings from a detention center in Michigan after she sent them there on June 24 when they refused to meet with their father. The children's parents have been involved in an ongoing divorce dispute since 2009. On June 24, the children -- ages 14, 10, and 9 -- were held in contempt of court after they refused to have lunch with or talk to their father. The children's parents have been involved in an ongoing divorce dispute since 2009. According to the Detroit Free Press, the divorced couple, Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni, a pediatric eye doctor and widely known glaucoma researcher and Omer Tsimhoni, a prominent traffic safety researcher, have been fighting over custody of their children since 2010, after Tsimhoni wanted to move the family back to Israel. Meanwhile, the judge decided to send the children to a Jewish summer camp, where their parents would be able visit them under supervision. The camp is scheduled to continue for two weeks. Where the children's home will be after that remains unclear. According to court documents the judge repeatedly insulted the children, calling one son "a disdainful young man," and threatened that the three would remain incarcerated until they were 18, including a warning the young daughter that she would have to use the toilet in front of strangers while staying in the detention facility. Furthermore, she accused Eibschitz-Tsimhoni of brainwashing and alienating her kids from their father. "You need to do a research program on Charlie Manson and the cult that he has. Your behavior back there is unlike any Ive seen in 46,000 cases," the judge told the mother. Eibschitz-Tsimhoni said she was happy with the decision and denied pitting the children against their father. Gorcyca rejected media criticism about her decision to send the kids to jail and insisted that she operated according to their best interests. She explained that the kids were not housed with convicted delinquents, but in a separate, short-term detention area. The judge admitted it was "not an ideal solution," but argued that after all other alternatives had been exhausted she had no other choice.
Judge releases Israeli-American siblings from juvenile detention
Judge Lisa Gorcyca's decision to detain three kids sparks media frenzy after court transcripts also reveal she insulted the kids and threatened to have them jailed until they were 18 • Judge annuls decision and decides to send the kids to summer camp.
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