Prominent Zionist Orthodox former yeshiva head Rabbi Mordechai Elon was
convicted in Jerusalem earlier today of indecent assault and indecent
assault by force against a minor.
Rabbi Mordechai Elon
Rabbi Mordechai Elon Guilty
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Prominent Zionist Orthodox former yeshiva head Rabbi Mordechai Elon was convicted in Jerusalem earlier today of indecent assault and indecent assault by force against a minor, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Elon could be sentenced to serve as much as seven years in prison.
Elon is the former rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Zionist Orthodox flagship Yeshivat HaKotel located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Elon denied the charges against him and his powerful politically connected family and his supporters mercilessly harassed and threatened his two victims. One dropped out of the case as a result. Police did little to nothing to help the victims.
Earlier this week an audiotaped interview with Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel recorded last year was published for the first time on the Zionist Orthodox news website Kipa.
Ariel is a leading member of the Zionist Orthodox Takana Forum, which hears cases of alleged clergy abuse and decides whether police should be called.
In that interview Ariel said that Elon had admitted to the charges against him at a meeting with the Takana Forum.
“The complainants told us the story and he [Elon] admitted the facts and said it was a one-off incident and wouldn’t happen again.
“A year afterwards, additional testimony became known to us that revealed to us that during the same period that he said this was a one-off incident, and that he would no longer be alone with young students he caused a deep emotional crisis for [another] youth...Rabbi Elon admitted to all the incidents but said that he had slipped. In another incident, he admitted, but said he had done it for the boys own good and gave explanations. The bottom line is that he admitted the facts,” Ariel reportedly said, adding that Elon also admitted to much more severe sex crimes that he has yet to be charged with.
Because Takana (and then later police) mishandled the case, Elon was not charged until years had passed from the when the allegations first became known.
The morning after the audiotape was posted online a clearly upset Ariel told Army Radio that it was an injustice and damaging to the legal process for Kippa to have posted the audio before the verdict.
Elon’s attorney Asher Ohayoun denied that Elon admitted to anyone that he had committed any sex crimes.
“These things [admission of guilt] never happened.…To publish such things two days before the ruling implies that there is a blatant and ugly attempt to influence the court in any way [possible],” Ohayoun reportedly said.
Elon refused a plea bargain in which he would not have been subject to a custodial sentence if he pleaded guilty.
The indictment against Elon was reportedly filed only after Elon rejected that plea deal.