Israeli Rabbi Arrested for Repeat Rape

Press TV
March 1, 2012

http://presstv.com/detail/229451.html

A photo released by Israel’s Ynet news website shows Rabbi Yigal Krispel as he appeared before the court over sexual assault charges.

An Israeli rabbi has been charged with repeated sexual assault on students in a girls’ school in a city north of Tel Aviv where he used to work as principal.

Rabbi Yigal Krispel, 47, was arrested last week after two former students at a school for Haredi (Orthodox Jewish) girls filed complaints against him saying he had sexually assaulted them.

The Kfar Saba Magistrate's Court has extended the remand of the Netanya rabbi, who has also been accused of raping a young teacher.

The family of the 20-year-old teacher complained that Krispel had abused his power to have sexual relations with her.

Israeli authorities said the prominent Netanya figure was now suspected of indecent acts, sodomy, sexual misconduct, nonconsensual sex and rape, involving both minor and adult victims.

Despite the rabbi’s denial, Judge Miri Ben Ari said the evidence yielded reasonable suspicion and sufficient grounds for arrest.

Some details of the affair surfaced last year when a Netanya resident who helps Haredi girls filed a police complaint based on what the girls told her of the abuse.

Israeli police, however, decided to arrest her for impersonating a psychologist and later dismissed one of the cases.