Controversial social media influencer Ben Azoulay spoke to the Beverly Hills High School Jewish club on Feb. 17, prompting criticism from community members. (photo via @king_azoulay on Instagram)

Updated Feb. 26: Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Alex Cherniss responded to the controversy in a statement provided after press time on Feb. 25.

“Some of the views espoused by this man which I’ve seen on social [media] are abhorrent,” Cherniss said. “Had the principal or district known ahead of time, he would have never been approved to speak to this student club.”

Parents of Beverly Hills Unified School District students are outraged after controversial influencer Ben Azoulay appeared on the Beverly Hills High School campus on Feb. 17 to speak to the Jewish club. According to a lawsuit filed in 2011, Azoulay was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in 2008, when he was 18 years old, and was convicted of a related criminal charge.

The lawsuit, filed by the victim, alleged that she was raped and sexually assaulted by Azoulay, his brother and the brothers’ friend at a party at Azoulay’s parents’ home. The lawsuit describes the assault in graphic detail and stated that the victim suffered extreme physical and emotional harm, including trauma that lasted for years.

The lawsuit states that “Ben [Azoulay] admitted his guilt in open court and was convicted on the charge of violating Penal Code Section 288a(b)(1), oral copulation with a minor.”

In social media videos, Azoulay has maintained that he was innocent and claimed that he was “exonerated.” However, he has also said that he accepted a plea deal and served jail time in order to have the lawsuit dropped. The result of the lawsuit is unclear.

Azoulay is now an online influencer and podcaster with more than 500,000 followers on Instagram. A self-described “mindset – fitness coach” and “alpha male,” Azoulay offers life advice and opines on the role of men and women in society.

“You gotta keep a man’s belly full and his balls empty, and he’s never ever ever going to leave you. The belly is the way to the man’s heart because his mother fed him and now you’re feeding him,” Azoulay said in an Instagram clip posted earlier this month. “You need to minimize my stress, maximize your looks and take care of the home. That’s your job.”

Another post by Azoulay on Jan. 28 depicts what appears to be an AI-generated meme of Azoulay wearing a T-shirt that reads “she was 15.”

It is unclear what Azoulay spoke about during his visit to the Beverly Hills High School Jewish club on Feb. 17. Social media posts appear to show him accompanied by Rabbi Danny Illulian. Illulian is a “spiritual advisor” to the school’s Israel club and Jewish club, according to previous press releases from the district.

Following the visit, Azoulay posted a picture of himself in front of a room of Beverly Hills High School students, the vast majority of whom appear to be boys.

“I get crazy hate from non-Jews, although I try helping all. So I’m going to Jewish clubs only where we spread the love and the light,” Azoulay wrote in the post.

The visit to Beverly Hills High School followed a similar visit by Azoulay to Calabasas High School, which similarly drew criticism online.

At a Beverly Hills school board meeting on Feb. 24, several parents expressed outrage that the speaker was allowed on campus and demanded accountability.

“What I’m coming to talk about is accountability,” parent Michael Carrick said. “I want to know who made that decision. I want to know how that person got on campus. I want to know why there’s been no apology, why nothing has been said about why that person was there, that it was a huge mistake, it does not represent our school because our silence about this issue means something far worse than even admitting that person on campus. He is not a person that should be in front of our boys, our impressionable young boys. It truly disturbs me. And I have two young boys that are going to go through this district, and seeing stuff like that makes me concerned. It makes me think, ‘what am I signing up for, and should I be looking elsewhere?’”

According to the Beverly Hills school district, “the visit was coordinated by a student-run club and approved at the Beverly Hills High School site level in accordance with California Education Code and standard campus visitor protocols.”

“Consistent with established campus visitor protocols, the guest’s identification was verified through the district’s visitor management process prior to entry,” a BHUSD spokesperson said in response to questions from the Beverly Press. “The individual cleared all required checks, including confirmation that the individual is not listed on the registered sex offender database.”

The district did not answer a question by press time as to which Beverly Hills High School staff members approved the visit.

At the Feb. 24 board meeting, parent Jackie Kruger attempted to call attention to Azoulay’s visit during the public comment period for the student board member report. However, she was cut off by Board President Judy Manouchehri, who prohibited Kruger from speaking.

“Your comment has nothing to do with her actual report,” Manouchehri said, arguing that the comments were not allowed because they did not relate to the student board member report.

Kruger responded by insisting that she had a First Amendment right to speak and verbally threatened to sue Manouchehri.

After an argument between Kruger and Manouchehri, Kruger was allowed to speak momentarily before being cut off again by Superintendent Alex Cherniss, who urged her to use the public comment period at the end of the meeting. Kruger was then escorted out of the room by security guards.

Amid the chaos, Board Member Russell Stuart left the room.

Board Member Sigalie Sabag also spoke, calling Kruger “chaotic” and “toxic.”

“This is just wrong, it’s not appropriate,” Cherniss said. “You’re not speaking on [the student board member] report Ms. Kruger. I’m happy to have you speak at the end of the meeting. Ms. Kruger you’re disrupting the meeting.”

“You, Mr. Cherniss, and you, Ms. Manouchehri, are violating my First Amendment rights,” Kruger said as she was escorted out of the room.

“I got you, thank you,” Manouchehri said. “Please make sure to serve me right here in public in front of everybody in two weeks.”

Stuart then returned to his seat.

“Get out,” he said to Kruger.

Stuart applauded and thanked the security guards. He later called Kruger’s actions “disturbing, disgusting and uncalled for,” stating that the student board member report was “hijacked.”

During the board member communication period at the end of the meeting, Sabag said she “investigated” the concerns relating to Azoulay. She emphasized that the club is student-led and said neither the board nor district had any involvement with the visit. She said that student-run clubs are not part of the academic curriculum, the district does not “pre-screen viewpoints for ideological agreement” and does not endorse the views of speakers.

“The district does have to make sure that the students are safe, that it is supervised and that it is approved. So I did check every single one of those protocols and they were done correctly,” Sabag said. “I want to make it very clear that the speaker’s ID was checked through the system and he was not listed as a sexual offender. That’s the first thing that I checked.”

She added that “nothing has happened that was against any law or against anything” while the speaker was on campus.

“With that said I do want to make sure that maybe we do put some more protocols into place and do it lawfully according to California Education Code,” Sabag said.