Prominent Zionist rabbi indicted on two counts of sexual assault of minors

[bemildred]

An indictment was served Wednesday against Rabbi Mordechai (Moti) Elon, one of the most prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist movement, for two counts of indecent and sexual assault against two minors, one of whom was his student.

According to the indictment, served to a Jerusalem court, the incidents took place in 2003 and 2005. Rabbi Elon was head of the Hakotel Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s old city at the time.

In 2003, Rabbi Elon assaulted B., who joined the Yeshiva as a student in December 2002. B. was seventeen years old at the time of the incident, and according to the indictment, he saw Rabbi Elon as someone to look up to. The incident took place following a death in B.’s family.

In 2005, Rabbi Elon assaulted A., also seventeen years old, who was not one of his students. According to the indictment, A. approached the Rabbi for advice after going through an emotional crisis, on the recommendation of a friend.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/prominent-zionist-rabbi-indicted-on-two-counts-of-sexual-assault-of-minors-1.393348

[dtexdem]

1. Can't let the Catholic priests and bishops hog all the action.

And was this known for some time before the authorities found out? Just want to know whether it's the same syndrome as seen in other religions.

[Dick Dastardly]

3. Nope cant let them hog it all, there are sickos in all religions and they should all rot in hell.

This guy used his position of trust to take advantage of kids at their weakest who looked up to him when they were going through serious issues and were asking him for help. Preying on kids at their weakest who asked you for help is unforgivable. I am sure these were not the only two he abused. I hope he rots in hell but first gets to be Bubbas prison bitch for many years.

The article says that the abuse was discovered on an orthodox forum helping on such abuse in the orthodox community.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. This possibly belongs in R/T rather than I/P? N.T.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

5. There are a bunch who collect stories about Christian clergy committing crimes

(there's one guy who runs a series he calls "Black Collar Crimes"). I haven't seen many similar stories about Rabbis, but obviously that doesn't mean they don't exist.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "anything" but (for once) I agree with you that it appears this subforum is sometimes used more widely than I'd like - it gets threads like this one concerning Jews/Israelis *or* Palestinians, whereas I'd be inclined only to put things concerning both sides or at least with some relevance to the I/P conflict in here, and if I were posting a thread like this one I'd put it elsewhere.

But hey, DU is not my forum.

[Dick Dastardly]

6. I dont care where they go whether they are Jews, Catholics, Muslims or Martians

I only care that child abusers go by way of prison and rotting in hell.


I have two friends that had been abused as minors and I can see the damage it did.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. I feel the same way n/t

[azurnoir]

7. It could be because it happened in Jerusalem not because it was a Rabbi

I do not remember any stories here about the Leiby Kletzky the little Hasidic boy who was brutally murdered in Brooklyn apparently by a Jewish man

[Violet_Crumble]

10. It's gotten that way. I notice you post a lot of articles about Jews and Judaism in this forum...

So is yr problem with this OP only that it's a negative story instead of a positive one?

[King_David]

13. Actually this thread actually turned out to be far more revealling than could be imagined.

For the worse.

[Violet_Crumble]

16. Tell me about it! It's both revealling and appauling!

Some people don't like using spell-check. I really wish it hadn't been revealed in such a way, but what's done is done and it's not much worse than having someone do some spoiler revealling for upcoming episodes of Downton Abbey. Let's pick ourselves up and put on a brave face and try to get past this lack of respect for the important things in life...

[King_David]

18. I fail to see any humor in this thread

But good try.

[Violet_Crumble]

21. Nor do I. Slacker spelling isn't something to laugh at! n/t

[bemildred]

8. Feel free to Xpost.

Sex related issues are a busy subject here at times, LGBT, honor killings, what not, so I thought this fit right in.

[King_David]

9. LGBT is "sex" ?

Geez

[King_David]

12. Still dumbfounded by your post Bemildred, let us summaries it :

Posting about a Pedophile Rabbi , fits in with :

1.Sex Related issues
2.Honor Killings
3.What not (sex)
4.LGBT

Very revealing ,Thanks .

[Violet_Crumble]

14. You can edit yr existing post within a one hour period...

Just a tip to save you replying to the same post multiple times within the space of minutes. Of course, if someone's trying to get their post count into the stratosphere, best to pretend the edit function doesn't exist...

[King_David]

15. I thought it a problem in need of illumination.

I may even post a 3rd reply.


(as you can see I know how the edit function works )

[Violet_Crumble]

17. You could try hiring a spotlight for illumination...

But if you want to deliberately post multiple replies to the same post, go for yr life. I'm sure no-one will find it silly...

[King_David]

19. Do you also think this OP belongs in the same category as :

1.Sex Related issues
2.Honor Killings
3.What not (sex)
4.LGBT


?

[Violet_Crumble]

20. I don't really care where it belongs...

If the flood of OPs you've posted here about Jews and Judaism belong here according to you, then this one does too. What I usually do when coming across something I think belongs in another forum is to trot over to the forum and cross post it there. It's a more effective tactic than whining away about it, I've found...

[King_David]

22. I will give you a hint since you do not care

LGBT people have fuck all to do with any topic of sex,pedophilia, honor killings etc.

It is a sexual orientation and not a disease.

[Violet_Crumble]

23. And now I'll let you buy a clue!

No-one said it was a disease. Bemildred said it was a sex-related topic, which it is, seeing it's about sexuality. If you want to peddle abstinence, go find another forum to do it in. There's only so much the I/P forum can take!

[bemildred]

24. I rather expected this one to sink like a stone.

Not much comment really needed. No such luck.
Must be a slow night.

[Violet_Crumble]

26. All it takes is someone being outraged for a thread to take off...

I can't quite work out the logic behind the outrage, but outrage accounts for a good percentage of the posts in this thread :hi:

[bemildred]

33. Outrage is fun, from what I can tell,

Everybody likes to go on a tear now and then.

[King_David]

25. Yep expected such reasoning from you.

Quite disgusting actually to find it on a progressive website.

[Violet_Crumble]

27. Goodness, yr not going to break into a bout of accusations of homophobia yet again?

[King_David]

28. I think the thread is self evident

And leaving now as engaging in this further with you allows you to trivialize this ,as is your wont.


(I do not see anyone rushing to your defense btw , not even the OP )

[Violet_Crumble]

29. Okay, if you say so. I'll miss all that unfocused outrage, though!

Damn. I'll have to go enrol in some sensitivity training lest a feminist accuses me of being a misogynist when I take the piss out of her for not making a whole lot of sense about anything! I just can't have this happen again!

Speaking of making no sense at all, what's with that weird bit you added about no-one coming to defend me? Defend me from what? You? I think I can handle things all on my own, but thanks for yr concern ;)

[Dick Dastardly]

30. I certainly agree with you that LGBT have nothing to do with the OP topic or pedophiles and honor

killings except just as it would apply to straight people as a possible type of side issue. But you are wrong that LGBT people have nothing to do with any sex topic, and the same goes for straight people. In Bemildered defense she called LGBT one of the sex related issues, which it certainly is sex related, that is commonly being discussed of late.but obviously you are sensitive with it being lumped in with "any topic of sex,pedophilia, honor killings etc." even if done in a non malicious manner which is how I took it. In any case its not good to be thin skinned on any subject in a forum which I am sure you know.




BTW Pedophilia and honor killings are not diseases, they are among the foulest of crimes. To call such filthy crimes a disease shits all over the victims and is excusing responsibilty for some of the filthiest of criminals.
Now in the same way someone overly sensitive might take what you said calling pedophilia and honor killings a disease in the wrong way, but I know your intent was not to excuse these filthy animals so I ignored it and brought it up only for an example.

[King_David]

31. I agree it was not malicious

But was ignorant.

Thin skinned on this topic? I think one has to.

Thissub- forum tolerates it too much.

DU admin I bet would be surprised to see a thread

like this on their forum.

[bemildred]

32. Thank you.

I did indeed say "sex related" issues, which was not intended to equate anything to anything else, just to categorize certain issues which are common media fodder and used as emotional red flags in "debate".

I'm a guy, but it's not an unusual mistake, and you could say it's my own fault.

I actually thought that the Rabbi being a big-shot, this might prove to have some political significance, but as you can see the the conversation never got past the "sex related" part.

[Scurrilous]

34. Horrible. n/t

[azurnoir]

35. It is a terrible thing when a child is sexually abused

but more so when it by a leader of the religious community whom is being trusted for guidance

[bemildred]

36. Rabbi Elon denies sex offense charges: It's 'gossip, lies, slander'

Rabbi Mordechai Elon, who was indicted earlier this week for sexual assault and indecent behavior against two minors, denied the charges yesterday, calling them gossip, slander and lies.

"The charges are based on gossip and slander. Any claim that I confessed to these acts is a blatant, heinous lie," Elon said at a meeting with some 100 supporters and students in a synagogue in the northern town Migdal.

Elon, one of the most prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist movement, was charged in a Jerusalem court with sexually assaulting two 17 year olds, one of them a student of his, in the years 2003-2005.

During these years Elon served as head of the Kotel yeshiva in Jerusalem's Old City.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/rabbi-elon-denies-sex-offense-charges-it-s-gossip-lies-slander-1.393604

[bemildred]

37. The Rabbi Elon case: Sexual abuse in the Zionist Orthodox community

The affair began five years ago, when suspicions arose at a religious forum called Takana, set up to deal with allegations of sexual harassment in the religious Zionist community, that Rabbi Moti Elon had committed sexual offenses.

Takana had received multiple complaints that Elon, one of the most prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist community, had allegedly maintained sexual relations with minors. As a result of the complaints,

Takana forbade Elon to continue educational activities, and imposed various restrictions on him. He withdrew from his role as the head of Yeshiva Hakotel and moved away from Jerusalem with his family. He did all this, without providing any explanation.

Then Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, and current Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein were each involved in the case over the years – each during his own term. In February 2010, Weinstein instructed Israel Police to conduct a preliminary investigation into the publications and complaints that were emerging from the forum regarding Elon’s alleged sexual crimes.

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/the-rabbi-elon-case-sexual-abuse-in-the-zionist-orthodox-community-1.393537

[Scurrilous]

38. Sexual assault trial of noted rabbi Moti Elon begins in Jerusualem

Elon, one of the most prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist community, is accused of assaulting one of his students and another youth.

<snip>

"The trial of rabbi Moti Elon, indicted on two counts of sexual assault against two of his students, began on Wednesday at the Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem. Alon's attorney, Yaakov Rubin, said in court that his client will admit to some of the charges, yet only to those that do not constitute a criminal offense. He also said the rabbi intends to deny any sexual offenses against his students. The rabbi also asked for the trial to be open to the public.

Elon, one of the most prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist community, is accused of assaulting one of his students and another youth. The alleged incidents took place in 2003 and 2005, when Elon headed Yeshivat Hakotel in Jerusalem's Old City."

<snip>

"At a pre-indictment hearing with the prosecution, Elon flatly denied having committed any sexual offenses. His lawyer argued that the teens had misinterpreted innocent gestures of affection from a teacher to a student as sexual acts. However, the prosecution was unconvinced by this claim."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/sexual-assault-trial-of-noted-rabbi-moti-elon-begins-in-jerusualem-1.400171

[King_David]

39. Thanks for monitoring this sexual abuse case by a creep Jew for us .

:thumbsup: