A Jerusalem rabbi who was arrested in April has been charged for sex crimes against seven women who claimed he would cleanse from their sins.
On Monday, Rabbi Moshe Yazdi of Givat Ze'ev, Israel was indicted for seven counts of rape, sodomy, and indecent assault by fraud of seven women in his community. These women were his followers who he assured that he was cleansing them of their past sins.
According to the Times of Israel, Yazdi was arrested on April 27 after he was accused of defrauding the victims of thousands of shekels by abusing his authority. The 59 year old Israeli rabbi was the head of the "Amudei Hashalom" or "Pillars of Peace" community and nonprofit, whose origins date back to the 1990s. The community runs a soup kitchen and food deliveries to those in need, as well as daily Torah classes.
Rabbi Claimed to Be a 'True Righteous Person'
Rabbi Yazdi, who would preach to "ba'alei teshuva" or those who returned to Torah observance, told his followers that he is a "true righteous person" and one of the mythical 36 hidden "tzadikim," who according to some Jewish tradition were able to communicate with the holy spirit and deceased rabbis, the Jerusalem Post reported. The Israeli rabbi falsely claimed to be in contact with the Divine Presence and required his followers to submit to his will despite it being immoral or not a violation of Jewish law.
Rabbi Yazdi convinced his victims that their sins had left "sparks of impurity" within themselves that could only be banished if they committed sexual acts with him. He told them separately that they were special and had a "special soul" then proceeded to direct them to transfer money to several bank accounts in an attempt to evade tax authorities.
Israeli Rabbi Sexually Assaulted Women on Their Wedding Days
According to police, the sexual assault cases against Rabbi Yazdi date back to more than 10 years ago, with some being as recent as 18 months ago. In some cases, the Israeli rabbi allegedly sexually assaulted women on the day of their weddings.
In May, Haaretz reported that a rabbinic court in 2004 prohibited Rabbi Yazdi from "teaching, meeting with, or advising women" after receiving complaints against him. However, the assaults continued and in 2007, the first complaint against him was filed with the police. In 2016, Rabbi Yazdi was convicted under a plea bargain of misdemeanor charges after he attempted to leave Israel despite a bailiff order against him leaving. The Israeli rabbi was issued a fine and a suspended sentence.
For Rabbi Yazdi, however, he insisted in court that "the sexual acts were meant to save Jewish lives and even prevent terror attacks," the police officer said. "It's impossible to call his actions and character anything but pure evil." But the Israeli rabbi's attorney, David Halevi claims that the police were "demonizing" the faith leader, noting that some of the alleged crimes had already gone past the statue of limitations and that complainants were merely motivated by "financial interests."
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