Former Chief Rabbi, Natan Sharansky, Others, Backed Elon Despite Evidence Against Him

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu told Natan Sharansky Elon is a "great tzaddik."

Sharansky: Elon backed by former chief rabbi
Jewish Agency chairman tells Ynet of his friendly relations with rabbi suspected of sexually abusing his students
Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

Rabbi Mordechai Elon's friends rush to defend him: Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, a close friend of the rabbi suspected of sexually abusing his students, told Ynet on Sunday that Elon was being backed by Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, considered the most senior Religious Zionism leader.

According to Sharansky, Eliyahu told him about two years ago – after the Takana forum had already ruled that Rabbi Elon was guilty – that the man was "a great righteous" and that there are those trying to damage his reputation.

The Jewish Agency chairman talked about his and his wife Avital's friendly relations with the Elon couple, which include studying Torah together.

In late 2007, Sharansky arrived at Rabbi Eliyahu's home to invite him to his daughter's wedding. He said the rabbi was glad to hear the Rabbi Elon would be conducting the wedding ceremony and implied that the man was being persecuted. "It's your gain that you can continue learning from him," the rabbi had said.

"We didn't know what he was talking about," the Jewish Agency chairman recounted. "We thought there was some war between rabbis we are not aware of… Only now, when the affair was exposed, we understood."

Asked about his feelings following last week's reports, Sharansky said, "We were surprised. We thought everyone likes him. We hear all this in deep pain and astonishment, and we're only waiting for Rabbi Motti to say something and, like he said, for the truth to come out."

As for his relationship with Rabbi Elon, Sharansky stated, "We got a lot from him. You could say that he is my teacher and rabbi as well, in addition to our long friendship."

He added that he and his wife were in touch with the Elon couple in the past few days. "With all the surprise, friendship exists to support people in tough times," he explained. "It's so natural."

Comments

[bukin86]

nebuch... some people will be hurt so bad once the truth DOES come out!

[jomadar]

the hardest thing in life to some people is to face reality especially in this situation where its inconceivable to fathom that someone in his position did something as hedious as he did

[Bilaams Ass]

Shame...I'd still sit with Elon anyday vs Haredi pedophile crooks.

[yossi]

What's the point? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Sharansky's statement. He knew nothing at the time.

Rav Eliyahu's comments are more dangerous however. Especially given the fact that he himself has "persecuted" quite a few Torah scholars with whom he disagrees. Most famously Rav Shlomo Aviner, but there are others. Plus the lack of respect he and his students exhibit towards the "Gush" crowd is legendary.

[Yissachar]

Shmarya, you are a jerk. Religious Zionist rabbis from across the board - from Yuval Sherlo to Yehushua Shapiro, from Aharon Lichtenstein to Elyakim Levanon - banded together to deal with this problem, and eventually went public with it and destroyed a pillar of their own society. But of course you only focus on the negative. Shame on you. You are a jerk.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Sheqeransky is a complicated ball of ego full of dross unable to utter a word of truth.
he was a hero of his own freedom, and a live nightmare of darkness for anybody miserable enough to depend on him,
tzaddiq or not, maariv nrg reports in:
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/061/684.html
the subheading says, that in '06,
לפני ארבע שנים הרב מוטי אלון ורעייתו נפגשו עם הראשון לציון לשעבר וככל הנראה ניסו לגייס אותו לחזית רבנית נגד "תקנה"
motty elon and his wife met with r' eliahu,
and apparently, attempted to draft him to a rabbinic front against taqana. It further says, that when R Eliahu became aware of the full weight of the suspicions against the maggid of migdal, he utilised his full weight, to see to it that elon be removed from any official capacity as a rabbi. It appears also that he pressed to see Elon and his family leaving Israel and going to exile overseas.
The exile to Migdal appears to have been a compromise.
Meyriv reports further, that sources close to r' Eliahu confirmed these details.
So what dirty disinformation is Sheqeranski playing this time?
further,
למעריב נודע כי בין היתר פנה הרב אלון גם לרב חיים דרוקמן, ראש ישיבת אור עציון ומראשי הציונות הדתית, וניסה לשכנע גם אותו להצטרף לחזית רבנית נגד פורום "תקנה". מקורבי הרב חיים דרוקמן מסרו בשמו כי הרב אינו מעוניין להגיב. ממשפחת אלון נמסר כי המשפחה אינה מגיבה כרגע לכל פרסום בעניינה.

[josh werblowsky m.d.]

First Rabbi Eliyahu is reported to have told Rabbi M.Elon to leave the country after hearing all the information about him.
Sharansky as others are understandably in denial especially because Sharansky views him as his teacher,rabbi and friend.
It would be preferable if Sharansky would get his facts first before he spoke.

[Miriam Woelke]

B"H

A few days earlier, the Israeli press reported that it was former chief rabbi Mordecai Eliyahu advising Mordechai Elon to leave the country because of so much evidence.

[Shmarya]

And?

Telling Elon to run away (and therefore be free to abuse students in another country) is not a stira to telling Sharansky Elon is a tzaddik.

[josh werblowsky m.d,]

It certainly is a stira.They would have told the people in chutz laaretz to stay away from Elon .Not let him teach or meet one on one with students.
The point is the article should have mentioned the other facts that the author knew.

[Shmarya]

They would have told the people in chutz laaretz to stay away from Elon .Not let him teach or meet one on one with students.

Please. There is no evidence Mordechai Eliyahu would have done that – just as there is no evidence he told Israeli students to stay away from Elon.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

And?
Telling Elon to run away (and therefore be free to abuse students in another country) is not a stira to telling Sharansky Elon is a tzaddik.

reb shmarya,
you are 100% right. sweeping ME under the rug of chutz laaretz, is outrageous. but this is a different sugya from that of Anatoly S.

[james carlo]

Shmarya,

Your headline makes it seem like the support of Alon came directly fron from Eliyahu and Sharansky. When one reads the article, one discovers that Sharansky said that Eliyahu supoprts Alon. That is quite different. Your headlines are misleading.