ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva
By Tova Dvorin
First Publish: 7/17/2015
The Supreme Court cleared the publication of the name of a prominent northern rabbi accused of sexual abuse overnight Thursday, revealing his identity to the press as Rabbi Ezra Sheinberg, Rosh Yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivat (Torah academy) Orot Ha’Ari in Tzfat (Safed).
Ten women have accused the rabbi of sexual abuse, up from earlier estimates of eight in Israeli media.
Since the scandal broke, Rabbi Sheinberg has been distanced from his yeshiva and from the Tzfat community for the sake of public safety.
During the hearing late Thursday, Justice Ari Shaham rejected claims that revealing the rabbi’s name would cause undue damage to his reputation and personal safety.
“I have not found that this damage…tips the balance towards preventing publication of the name,” the judge ruled. “The damage which the applicant indicates, does not differ from the risks to any person subject to criminal investigation into suspicion of serious acts.”
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