Sexual assault trial for prominent Zionist rabbi, Moti Elon, opens in Jerusalem

• Published 01:11 08.12.11 Latest update 01:11 08.12.11

Popular teacher accused of molesting teenage boys.

By Oz Rosenberg


Prominent Rabbi Mordechai Elon went on trial in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court yesterday on charges of forcible sexual assault against two students who had sought his emotional support.

Elon's lawyer, Jacob Rubin, told the trial's opening session yesterday that Elon would admit to some of the facts in the indictment, but only those that in and of themselves do not constitute an acknowledgment of having committed a crime. Rubin said his client would deny carrying out any kind of indecent sexual acts on his students.

	Rabbi Mordechai Elon outside Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, December 7, 2011.
	Photo by: Olivier Fitoussi

Elon, who until recently was considered one of the spiritual leaders of religious Zionism, is the former head of Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem.

The first incident in the indictment relates to a 17-year-old male student who came to Elon's office at Yeshivat HaKotel in 2003, after the death of someone close to him. On the pretext of comforting the student, who has only been publicly identified as B., Elon hugged and stroked him and kissed him on the neck, while encouraging him to discuss the pain he was feeling, the indictment said.

After B. left the office, Elon sought him out and invited the student to his home, the indictment said. B. accepted the invitation, and that night, he was subjected to similar acts for about a quarter of an hour.
Several weeks later, another similar incident occurred when B. came to Elon for a private conversation, the indictment continued.

Two years later, Elon committed indecent acts against another 17-year-old male, identified as A., the indictment said. A. was not one of Elon's students, but had sought the rabbi out at a time of personal distress at the suggestion of a friend. A. allegedly had a more sexually explicit encounter with Elon about two months later.

Elon was accompanied in court yesterday by his wife, seven of his children, and other relatives.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/sexual-assault-trial-for-prominent-zionist-rabbi-moti-elon-opens-in-jerusalem-1.400261

Zionist Rabbi Faces Sexual Charges In Israel

Thursday December 08, 2011 14:11 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that a prominent Zionist Rabbi was sent to the Magistrates Court in Jerusalem, on Wednesday, facing charges of sexual assaults against two students who sought his spiritual support.

The defense attorney stated that the Rabbi, Mordechai Elon, is willing to confess to some of the charges, but only to charges that will not constitute an acknowledgement of committing a crime, Haaretz added.

The Defense Attorney, Jacob Rubin, stated that that the Rabbi did not commit any sexual assaults against his students, or any sort of indecent actions.

It is worth mentioning that Rabbi Elon is regarded to be among the spiritual leaders of religious Zionism, and also served as the head of the Hakotel yeshiva (Jewish religious school) in Jerusalem. (a Jewish educational educational institution that focuses on traditional Jewish religious texts).

The rabbi is believed to have committed sexual offenses against a 17-year old male student who went to his office seeking spiritual support after a person, close to him, died.

Elon then hugged and kissed the youth on his neck, and after the youth left his office, the Rabbi managed to seek him out and invited him to his home. The youth accepted the invitation, and when he went to the home of Rabbi, the latter kissed and hugged them again.

The second instance of abuse was committed against another 17-year-old male who also sought the spiritual support of the rabbi after a friend suggested that he should seek his support.

The youth was allegedly also molested by the Rabbi and; two months later, he had sexual encounter with the Elon that was more explicit this time, Haaretz reported.

The Rabbi went to the court on Wednesday accompanied by his wife, seven of his children, and other relatives, Haaretz said.

In February of 2010, a rabbinical forum in charge of preventing sexual abuse in Jewish religious communities issued a statement accusing Elon with sexual misconduct.

The statement claimed that after the forum, Takana, was established in 2003, one of its first complaints was against Elon for “committing sexual exploitation by a religious authority”.

The Takana ruled that Elon should retire and he left his post at the Yeshivat Hakotel, north of the country. The Takana reportedly informed the then-Attorney General Menachem Mazuz of the agreement with Elon.

The Rabbi is believed to have maintained sexual relations with several male students, but he maintained “his innocence” and stated that the truth will come out one day.

After Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, replaced Mazuz, he instructed the police to follow up with the investigation and to conduct a criminal investigation in the issue.

The investigators then found sufficient evidence and submitted the file to the Prosecutors’ Office in Jerusalem in January 2011.

The prosecution recommended the Elon should be indicted, and in February 2011, Elon was summoned to a pre-indictment heading. He was indicted in November 2011.

http://www.imemc.org/article/62630

Rabbi: Why should Arabs live in Akko?

Safed's Chief Rabbi Eliyahu views decision to launch probe against him as unjust. 'Journalists have freedom of press. Am I the only one subject to the law?'

Ynet

Published:  12.01.11, 08:35 / Israel Jewish Scene

Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu has gained a lot of respect in his own city, but in light of his recent statements and activities – many in the general public consider him a racist.
The State authorities believe he may have crossed the line too, and last week the attorney general decided to launch a criminal investigation against the rabbi on suspicion of incitement to racism.

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Did he really break the law by saying that "a Jew should not escape from Arabs, a Jew should drive Arabs away" or "the Arab culture is very cruel"?

We'll know the answer once the State Prosecutor's Office receives the results of the investigation, but in the meantime, Rabbi Eliyahu himself believes he is being discriminated against.
"It's unthinkable that journalists have the freedom of press and are above the law, academics have academic freedom, actors have artistic freedom, every person in this country has some kind of freedom from the law – and only I have to be subject to the law? In your dreams!" the rabbi says in a special interview to Orot – Jewish Television.
"An unfair trial is not a trial. It's nothing," he adds.

According to Rabbi Eliyahu, there is an Arab attempt "to occupy the country with money" and Israel must not give in.

Asked where an Arab who wants to live in Safed or Akko should go to, he replies: "There are enough villages. Do we have to turn Arab into an Arab city? What for?"
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4154328,00.html

Yosef: Gentiles exist only to serve Jews

By JONAH MANDEL
10/18/2010 05:13

According to Rabbi, the lives of non-Jews in Israel are safeguarded by divinity, to prevent losses to Jews.

    The sole purpose of non-Jews is to serve Jews, according to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the head of Shas’s Council of Torah Sages and a senior Sephardi adjudicator.

“Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world – only to serve the People of Israel,” he said in his weekly Saturday night sermon on the laws regarding the actions non-Jews are permitted to perform on Shabbat.

According to Yosef, the lives of non-Jews in Israel are safeguarded by divinity, to prevent losses to Jews.

“In Israel, death has no dominion over them... With gentiles, it will be like any person – they need to die, but [God] will give them longevity. Why? Imagine that one’s donkey would die, they’d lose their money.

This is his servant... That’s why he gets a long life, to work well for this Jew,” Yosef said.

“Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat.

That is why gentiles were created,” he added.

Yosef’s Saturday night sermons have seen many controversial statements from the 90-year-old rabbi. In August, Yosef caused a diplomatic uproar when he wished a plague upon the Palestinian people and their leaders, a curse he retracted a few weeks later, when he blessed them along with all of Israel’s other peace-seeking neighbors.

http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?ID=191782&R=R1