ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva
Meeting quickly descends into shouting match after well-known rabbi meets two of the women accusing him of sexual abuse.
By Uzi Baruch
First Publish: 7/14/2015
A well-known rabbi in northern Israel suspected of a series of sex offenses against women in his community has met with three of his alleged victims for the first time since the case hit headlines.
According to Channel Two, the confrontation soon descended into a loud shouting match, as the women leveled serious accusations of abuse at the rabbi – whose identity is still the subject of a court-imposed gag order.
According to the report, at one point one of the women shouted at the accused: “You are impure, I will look you in the eye. It is you who should lower your gaze!”
The rabbi reportedly stuck to his version of events, admitting to having had intimate relations with several women while denying he at any point forced himself on them.
“The rabbi confronted several of the complainants and not one of them claimed he had raped her,” defense lawyer Ephraim Dimri said. “He replied coolly and in a businesslike manner to all the claims.”
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