Trust and Teshuvah

Trust and Teshuvah

© (2005) Carrie Devorah 

Goldberg Memorial - August 29, 2005 

Vicki Polin and Rabbi Yosef Blau speaking at the JWI (2005)

Jewish Women International Magazine published an excerpt from David Berger's last letter written, 1941, before he was murdered by the Nazis. It stands to consider that David, like many other victims of Nazi degradation, was stripped of his sexual identity, head shaved, dressed in shapeless clothing, then dehumanized with verbal, physical and sexual abuse. When dead, Nazis left their victims, forgotten. David was committed to living eternally. He wrote, "I should like someone to remember that there once lived a person named David Berger." 

Victims of other abuses wish to be seen and heard, while still living. Some speak up. Social pressure and religious beliefs step in the way of their allegations being paid credence, so the abuse continues, a tradition, so to speak, passed down within families, even Jewish families, along with recipes for Passover's French toast, gefilte fish or chicken soup. Victims are reproached with, "he's a Rabbi," "you must be lying," "God forbid people should find out," "what would they think," and "it is your fault, he/she wouldn't have done it without you starting it." Plausible, except sometimes victims are toddlers, or younger. 

Abuse is no longer a Jewish myth. Trusted people- grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, rabbis, baby sitters, friends, and youth coordinators- are being reported as encouraging sexually inappropriate behaviours. The abused struggle to shed their shame. The abuser moves forward public in their life, their secret kept too often, allowing them to abuse again. Sometimes, the victim becomes an abuser themselves, even toddlers. On a recent airing of the TV show, "yes, dear," a pre-schooler mooned his kindergarten classmates. He told the teacher, he watched his Dad mooned a picnic. So, he thought it was ok to moon his classmates. Mooning may be a mild example. What does one say when a toddler performs fellatio on classmates, that children live what they learn? 

Cycling non-sectarian behaviours of violence, neglect, emotional and sexual abuse within the community, is a recipe for Jewish disaster. Crossing economic, ethnic and religious boundaries including Judaism-Orthodoxy, Reform, Conservative, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrachi, interfaith balabustahs and homemakers, "abuse" is now part of the contemporary Jewish vocabulary, with victimizations being reported from Jewish spouses, elderly parents and children. 

There is a finger to be pointed but not at the victims often shunned after making public allegations.

Two such people holding molesters and communities that harbor them accountable are The Awareness Center's Rabbi Yosef Blau and his colleague, Vicki Polin. Rabbi Blau is a member of the RCA, a graduate of Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Polin, establishing a network of Jewish practitioners experienced with sexual victimization issues and Judaism, is familiar with special needs of Jewish sexual abuse survivors. She advocated empathetic support for victims prior to starting her own Center. 

Rabbi Blau stood at the lectern, front of the Capitol Hilton meeting room, up the street from the White House in Washington, DC. Co-hosting a session with Polin, at the Jewish Women's International Conference on Domestic Abuse, "Lost In The Shuffle: Jewish Survivors of Sexual Victimization," Rabbi Blau focused his audience on the challenge the Center faces educating Jewish community leaders and others, lacking training, to recognize signs of abusive relationships and to understand victims' needs of religious and physical healing. Blau and Polin addressed victims' spiritual struggle to maintain faith in traditional teachings, such as Sanhedrin's "one who teaches another's child torah, is regarded by the tradition as one who gave birth to the child," in light of their abuser being an outwardly religious individual. 

Rabbi Blau's and Polin's eclectic audience was filled with people wanting to make a difference. Men, women, old, young, North American, Middle Eastern, were "called to action" at Jewish Women International's conference to pursue, within the framework of the Jewish Community, justice and righteousness from abuse. A representative from "Shalom Bayit," a Northern California domestic abuse shelter for women and children was present. "Shalom Bayit" advocates to victims they do not have to suffer alone, they are not to blame as often they are accused by congregants, family and community members. "Shalom Bayit," "Peace In The House," advocacy that no one deserves to be abused, recalls a hand drawn poster, probably long forgotten, victims need to reminded. A young boy is pictured. Under him the words, "God don't make no junk..." 

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Review Board requested New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice examine Catholic clergical abuse against under 18 year olds. The report investigated 10,667 abuse claims lodged against 4, 392 priests in 52 years. Some clergy reported they were abused as children. 50% plus of their victims were children aged 11 to 14 years old. 81% of their victims were male. The surveyors were asked to profile alleged abusers characteristics. They studied diocese and church records of the accuser, the accused, and the lay leader. The surveyors concluded sexual abuse is under reported. And the surveyors requested corresponding data from Muslim, Buddhist, Protestant, Jewish and other denominations and movements. 

Non-denominational statistics that bear heeding are; 95% of the abusers are men; one of every three to five women, one of every five to seven men have been sexually abused by their 18th birthday; 2.78 million men have been victim to attempted or completed rape; one out of every eight reported rape victims was male. By the time they are high schoolers, 28% of students, have experienced abuse. 48% of the abused are in grades 5 through 12. Women teachers sexually molest children too; Seattle teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, married mother of four, Florida teacher Debra LaFave, 23; Oklahoma basketball coach Elisa Nielson, 29; Tennessee physical-education teacher Pamela Turner, 27; and California teacher trainee Margaret De Barraicua, 30. Each of the four was charged with sexual assault of a male student aged between 12 and 16. A Jewish statistic- 20 to 30% of Jewish families in Israel and the United States suffer domestic violence 

Victimization practitioners are encouraging women to come forward and get help. Often, victims are unaware they are being abused. They think the behaviour is 'normal' or 'acceptable,' a sign the abuser 'likes them,' rather than danger signals. Industry practitioners release information outlining abusive behaviours. Signs of abusive behaviour include "approval withheld as punishment, locked into or out of the house, held against ones will or pushed around, punched, shoved, slapped bit, kicked, burned, choked or hit, personal items destroyed, abandoned in strange places, ridiculed or insulted, abandoned in strange locations, harassed about fictitious affairs, publicly or privately humiliated, criticized, or shamed with names called, isolating victim from family and friends, makes them feel bad, demands to know whereabouts, does not want victim to share time with others, threatens to hurt or kill sell if victim leaves," 

Rabbi Blau said, the Jewish commandment against "lashon harah," gossiping, in the matter of suspected abuse, is waived, overridden by the teaching of Lev. 19:16, "Thou shalt not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor." Abusers must be reported. It is a "hilul hashem," a moral desecration, of God's name and of the Ten Commandments, for a Jewish individual not to report suspicions of abuse. Abuse is a matter the "law of the land," "dina demalkhuta dina," can adjudicate in secular courts and must pursue. Enforcement has raised its own concerns for responding to claims of abuse within Jewish communities. Officers have reported being charged with anti-semitism in the course of their doing their job, responding to a citizen's call for help. 

As Rabbi Blau waited for his ride to the airport, I told him, a few blocks away in Lafayette Park, there stands a monument titled "Military Instruction." A sculpted older man is seated, a naked young man at his side. Then I pointed kitty corner to the hotel, a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. September 4, 2004, I told him, a pregnant twelve year old was escorted by her mother past right-to-life advocates. Blocks away from the hotel, on Constitution Avenue, I described a display at the National Gallery of Art. Mythological statues. Mercury, in all his glory, stood above a crowd of NE DC junior high schoolers. Down the corridor, on a marble pedestal, stood Bauccus, with a pan, half-boy, half goat. The pan's eye is level with Bauccus' erection. I noticed that in the photo I took of the junior high schooler's walking by, giggling. In a media week, when ober-icon Michael Jackson was accused of feeding Jesus-Juice in a can to a kid alleging sexual abuse, it was no wonder, some kids grabbed their crotches emulating the one-glove wonder's Moon Walk as they passed by. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. 

Rabbi Blau shook his head. In a world of mixed signals children are expected to sort better than adults can, distinctions between good touch bad touch, appropriate behaviour versus inappropriate, being told not to talk to strangers but answer the "nice man" talking to grandma since "convicted sex offender" isn't stamped on his forehead, get lost. 

The night before, details of the confirmed murder of 9 year old Jessica Lunsford, by a man who lived across their street, were being released. I told the Rabbi, one interview from the Couey killing stands out as textbook to facilitating citizen's understanding why abusers remain at large until a murder trips them up. A restaurant owner in Jessica's town told reporters he employed Couey, until he fired him. The restaurant owner aware of Couey's colorful background, felt badly for "the loser." So, he hired him, firing the 30' old only after Couey wrote a love letter to a 14 year old co-worker. No one complained to authorities about the incident. Until, Jessica was kidnapped, raped and sexually abused over days, before being murdered. Her community failed her. Not just the community in which she died but the global community in which other children still live. 

Heading towards the Metro, I leafed through the Jewish newspaper in my hands, filled with holiday activities for children, puppet making, noisemaker activities followed by megillah readings for kids. Growing up I heard about a rabbi, sent packing, for abusing bochers at a Yeshiva, north of our house. Eventually, news filtered north the rabbi had been accused of molesting bochers at the American yeshiva that sent him north. His resume listed many attributes Sexual offender and deviant were not amongst them. Nor did it contain those warning when he was sent packing, again. 

I looked inside the information packet for conference attendees. Amongst letters from various Democratic Congressmen was Gary Ackerman's. He wrote "If we are serious about tikkun olam, repairing the world, we need to begin in the home, the place where our values are most strongly rooted," "one home at a time." 

As I walked, I wondered if parents would ever take as much time to vett their children's caretakers- teachers, babysitters, friends parents, the kids friends themselves, families they marry into- as they take in selecting holiday outfits they wear. An ad caught my attention. A Rabbi offering Jews "may the Lord bless and protect you," if they prayed in the language of their forefathers. I thought about the young girl attacked by three classmates in the basement bathroom of her yeshiva. An older boy came to her rescue. Her parents refused to take action, after all, it had to be her fault. I stepped off the curb, asking myself who protects victims from those who prey in the language of their forefathers. Trust must be earned; granting of tikkun, repentance, sought by some abusers, remains in control of the abused.. 

BIO: Carrie Devorah is a DC based investigative photojournalist. Trained as a PI, mediator, crime analyst and profiler, she writes on themes related to faith, homeland security and terrorism. I dedicate this piece to the memory of Yechezkel Chezi Scotty Goldberg, www.goldbergmemorial.org. He will never be replaced.

Letters to the Editor - Convicted abusers just tip of the iceberg

Convicted abusers just tip of the iceberg

Baltimore Sun - August 28, 2005

It's important for there to be stricter laws regulating convicted sex offenders. But the proposed laws are only a Band-Aid to a much larger problem ("Governor promotes sex-crime measures," Aug. 21).

These proposed laws pertain only to convicted sex offenders. And it's important for residents of Maryland to be aware of the fact that the majority of sex offenders have not been convicted of their crimes.

As we all know, childhood sexual abuse and rape of adults are often crimes of secrecy and silence. The problem is compounded by the fact that only 32 percent of sexual assaults against people 12 or older are reported to law enforcement.

According to another study, 84 percent of respondents who identified themselves as rape victims did not report the crime to authorities.

And according to the U.S. Department of Justice, the majority of survivors of sexual violence are afraid to report sexual assault to the police.

Reasons include fears that reporting could lead to further victimization by the offender; fears of other forms of retribution by the offender or by his or her friends or family; concerns about the arrest, prosecution and incarceration of an offender who may be a family member or friend and on whom the victim or others may depend; concerns about others finding out about the sexual assault or about not being believed; and concerns about being traumatized by the response of the criminal justice system.

Vicki Polin

Baltimore

The writer is executive director of The Awareness Center Inc., the Jewish coalition against sexual abuse and assault.

Case of Hanan Goldblatt

Case of Hanan Goldblatt

(AKA: Hannan Goldblatt)

THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Children's Televison Actor - Israel

Teacher - Beit Nehamia, Israel

Hanan Goldblatt was sentenced to 7 years in jail for rape, sodomy and deception of two teenage girls, yet was released from prison in less then four.

It's important to note that he admitted to having sexual intercourse with two of the minors he is suspected of raping, but said both cases were consensual.  The question we all must be asking is how many teenage girls consent to rape and sodomy –– let alone for the acts to be performed by a man old enough to be their grandfather?

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Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents:  

2005

1. Internet Broadway Database - Hanan Goldblatt Video Titles
2. Hanan Goldblatt - IMDb
3. Actor Hanan Goldblatt arrested on rape charges  (08/08/2005)
4. Court extends remand of actor Hanan Goldblatt over rape charges (08/09/2005)
5. Israeli actor arrested for statutory rape  (08/09/2005)
6. Judge: Solid evidence against Goldblatt (08/11/2005)
7. Court remands TV actor Hanan Goldblatt for one more week  (08/11/2005)
8. Actor Hanan Goldblatt charged with rape and other sexual offenses  (08/21/2005)
9. Israel: Actor indicted for sex crimes (08/23/2005)
10. Actor Hanan Goldblatt charged with sixth case of sexual assault  (08/29/2005)
11. Goldblatt responds to rape charges for first time  (12/18/2005)

2006

1. Court to allow actor Hanan Goldblatt to take part in film By Zvi Harel, Haaretz Correspondent (01/19/2006)
2. Court to allow actor Hanan Goldblatt to take part in film (01/19/2006)

2008

1. Actor Hanan Goldblatt sentenced to 7 years for rape (11/06/2008)
2. Actor Hanan Goldblatt gets 7 years in jail for rape (11/06/2008)
3. Actor Hanan Goldblatt gets 7 years in jail for rape, sodomy, deception (11/06/2008)

2012

1. Convicted rapist Goldblatt may be released early (11/12/2012)
2. Convicted rapist Goldblatt’s sentence reduced (11/18/2012)

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Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) - Hanan Goldblatt Video Titles

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Actor Hanan Goldblatt arrested on rape charges

Jerusalem Post - August 8, 2005

Israeli stage and screen icon Hanan Goldblatt, 63, was arrested Monday afternoon on charges of raping, committing obscene acts, and sexually harassing a number of young girls to whom he taught acting.

Goldblatt exploited his status as both a well-known actor and a teacher and promised his female students professional success.

The police received a number of complaints and collected evidence that implicated him in the aforementioned acts, Army Radio reported.

The ensuing investigation revealed that Goldblatt's conduct toward his female students has gone on for the last 20 years.

Goldblatt gave the police his version of events, and is expected to deny the allegations as he has in the newspapers over the past several weeks.

Police will ask Tuesday that he be remanded.

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Court extends remand of actor Hanan Goldblatt over rape charges

By Roni Singer, Haaretz Correspondent

Haaretz - August 9, 2005

The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Tuesday extended by three days the remand of actor Hanan Goldblatt, arrested on suspicion of rape, sodomy and sexual assault of young girls.

Police so far received four complaints from women who allege the actor sexually assaulted them on a number of occasions over the past twenty years.

It emerged during the court session that two of the complaints date 16 and 17 years back. Goldblatt's attorney Sussi Gezz said that these allegations against his client have passed the statute of limitations.

It also emerged at court that the third complaint was submitted six months ago to Central District Police. An investigation was launched but was closed shortly thereafter due to lack of evidence. The complainant also confessed that the sexual contact she had with the actor was consensual.

In light of these facts, Gezz said that the actor is only suspected of a single charge.

A representative for police said "I have been working for the police for 30 years and I was still appalled by what I read in testimonies and by the charges."

"I hope for [Goldblatt's} sake that he is not guilty ... the acts I read about border on serial pedophilia," he said.

The fourth complaint was submitted by a young woman who alleged that in 1999, when she was 14, Goldblatt raped her. Like the other complaints submitted, the woman said in her testimony she became acquaintanted with the actor through acting lessons she took with him.

Gezz said the allegations were a conspiracy and that the actor never forced himself on a woman. He also stressed the fact his client is famous, appeared on TV many times and was a member of a musical theater group popular in the early 1960s.

"And I ask why did the complainants wake only now?" Gezz said.

The court judge decided to investigate only one charge out of the four for the reasons detailed by the defendant's attorney. She wrote, however, in her ruling that she wishes to allow police to investigate the charge further, and therefore ordered that the remand be extended by three days.

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Israeli actor arrested for statutory rape

By Avi Cohen

YNet - August 9, 2005

Veteran actor arrested on allegations of raping actresses, telling them 'it's part of a scene'; celebrities rally support for man, saying press defamed his good name

Veteran Israeli actor Hanan Goldblatt, 63, has been taken into custody on charges of rape, sodomy and other sex crimes against three young women who were then minors and students at the well-known stage and children's programming actor's school when the acts took place.

He has denied the allegations.

"These are very serious charges, and we already have testimony linking Goldblatt to the alleged crimes," a police official told Ynet. All of the acts occurred within the last 20 years, and some charges may fall under the statute of limitations.

Police decided to arrest Goldblatt on Monday, and teams were dispatched to find him when he was spotted entering his lawyer's office. The lawyer, Sassi Ghez, asked that the actor not be arrested there, but said he would bring Goldblatt in his car, while police escorted them. A gag order on the arrest was lifted Monday evening.

At the police station, Goldblatt said: "I never forced myself on anybody."

'It's just a scene'

The story came to light several weeks ago when the young women told their story in an article in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. Goldblatt and his lawyer tried to keep the story out of the press, but without success. The first of the three women went to the police with her story last week.

Noa (not her real name), 23, told police that when she was 16, the actor forced her to have sexual relations during private acting lessons.

She told Yedioth that the actor lay down on top of her in the nude, trying to convince her that it was all part of the scene.

While undressing her, she said, he said to her: "Work with me, it's OK, it's just a scene, it's not real. Nothing will be real. Whatever you don't want to happen won't happen."

She says she tried to refuse, but that the actor raped her.

Goldblatt's lawyer countered that the charges are trumped-up.

"Hanan Goldblatt never committed the acts described by these women; it will all become clear in time," he said.

Celebrity support

The Israeli entertainment community has been hit hard by the accusations against Goldblatt, with many of his friends expressing disbelief.

Yankele Mandel, head of the Israeli Artists Association, told Ynet the association will offer our support and friendship to Goldblatt "no matter what the situation and no matter what.

"As far as we know, Hanan Goldblatt has not been found guilty of anything. Until there is a trial and he is proven otherwise, he is innocent, period," Mandel said.

Friends like actors Oshik Levi and Illi Gorlitzki have been in close contact with Goldblatt since the affair began, offering their support.

The actors bemoaned the press' role in defaming the actor.

Gorlitzki said friends must stand by each other in difficult times.

"People tend to forget that the presumption of innocence is one of the basic tenets of our democratic

society," Gorlitzki said. "It's true that there are accusations, but we still haven't heard his side of the story and nothing has been proven. We pray that in time they will be proven baseless."

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Judge: Solid evidence against Goldblatt

Jerusalem Post - August 11, 2005

The Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court extended Israeli actor Hanan Goldblatt's remand for an additional seven days on Thursday. He is suspected of raping and molesting eight underage girls who studied acting with him.

Six of the complaints were lodged within the last two days, Israel Radio reported.

The statute of limitations has expired on two of the eight complaints and therefore they are not being investigated.

The judge noted that it was likely that Goldblatt had committed the crimes and that there was a strong basis for at least four of the complaints.

Goldblatt continues to deny any wrongdoing.

An Israeli stage and screen icon, Goldblatt, 63, was arrested Monday afternoon on charges of raping, committing obscene acts, and sexually harassing a number of young girls to whom he taught acting. Goldblatt exploited his status as both a well-known actor and a teacher and promised his female students professional success.

The ensuing investigation revealed that Goldblatt had been molesting his female students for the last 20 years.

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Court remands TV actor Hanan Goldblatt for one more week

By Roni Singer, Haaretz Correspondent

Haaretz - August 11, 2005

The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Thursday extended the remand of actor Hanan Golblatt by another week after six more women filed complaints of sexual assault against him.

The former children's television actor was detained earlier this week on four charges of raping, sodomizing, and sexually assaulting underage girls.

Two of the six most recent complainants claimed that Goldblatt had raped them - one 12 years ago, and the other last year. The other four charges were of sexual assault, having occurred 2, 4, and 6 years ago.

Chief Superintendent Alon Grossman said during the remand session that the complainants had all decided to come forth with their charges after reading about accusations against Goldblatt in the media, though he said all the complainants had described the events to their families and friends at the time of their occurrences.

Each of the complainants claimed that their indecent interactions with Goldblatt had occurred in his apartment.

"It's astonishing to see how familiar his method was. He promised everyone that they had the potential to be stars," said Grossman.

When asked why he presented evidence at such length during the remand session, Grossman answered, "This time, I decided it is 'without secrets,'" referring to the television show by that name in which Goldblatt had starred.

Goldblatt's lawyer, Kobi Ben Sha'aya, claimed that there was no logic in further detaining the suspect, saying that the police operated by irrelevant considerations, and was spreading a 'cloud of smoke' over the complaints filed against his client.

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Actor Hanan Goldblatt charged with rape and other sexual offenses

By Zvi Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

Haaretz - August 21, 2005

An indictment was filed Sunday morning at the Tel Aviv District Court against actor Hanan Goldblatt, charging him with five counts of sexual assault against women who took acting lessons from him.

Goldblatt, 64, a resident of Beit Nehamia, has been charged with rape, attempted rape, sodomy, indecent acts with minors, fraud and attempted fraud.

The indictment states that Goldblatt carried out these acts of sexual assault against women who turned to him for acting advice. In the majority of the cases, the sexual contact was consensual, with the women claiming he requested to train them for future soap operas roles of young women who tempt older men. According to the indictment, Goldblatt would caution the women against telling anyone what he requested of them.

The indictment recommended that Goldblatt be arrested until the end of the legal procedures against him, noting the detailed testimonies of the complainants, their families and friends and the psychologist who treated one of the complainants.

As for the danger Goldblatt poses to the public, the indictment notes that his behavior appear to repeat itself, and that when he did not succeed in gaining the consent of the women he sought to seduce, he would force himself on them.

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Israel: Actor indicted for sex crimes

By Zvi Harel

Asian Gazette - August 23, 2005

Hanan Goldblatt being brought to Tel Aviv District Court for his arraignment Monday

Actor Hanan Goldblatt was indicted yesterday in Tel Aviv District Court on several counts of sex crimes.

Goldblatt, 64, is suspected of two counts of rape, two indecent acts, two counts of sodomy and two counts of indecent acts with abuse of authority, as well as attempted rape, attempted fraud and aggravated fraud.

The prosecution said Goldblatt, a resident of Moshav Bet Nehemia, allegedly committed most of the crimes after the five plaintiffs came to him for counseling before acting auditions.

The indictment stated that in most cases, Goldblatt got the plaintiffs to agree to sex by falsely claiming that he expected them to have a great future in acting and telling them he wanted them to rehearse for auditions for the part of a young girl seducing an older man in soap operas he had written.

According to the prosecutor, attorney Rakefet Mohar, Goldblatt would warn the young women not to tell anyone what he had asked them to do, claiming that anyone not in acting would not understand.

Goldblatt allegedly committed one rape in 1988 when one of the plaintiffs was 16 years old. She met Goldblatt after she had approached the Status modeling agency to seek a job in commercials.

The indictment stated that Goldblatt told the girl he was helping her rehearse for a movie about a father who had incestuous relations with his daughter after her mother was killed in a car accident, and they needed to rehearse at his home and see if she was telegenic.

The prosecutor said Goldblatt told her that if she managed the main scene, which included a sex scene between the father and the daughter, she could play in any movie easily.

The prosecutor said the plaintiff believed Goldblatt and went to bed with him. The plaintiff said she told Goldblatt she felt uncomfortable but that he had sex with her despite her protests.

The prosecutor said the plaintiff began to cry and when she told him she wanted to go home, he allegedly responded that she was excellent and she "would have no problem with the scene."

In arguing for the entertainer's remand until the end of proceedings against him, Mohar said that the accused carried out the alleged crimes using sophisticated and systematic fraud.

Mohar said the alleged crimes appeared to show a pattern of behavior by which the accused "drew into his net a large number of young girls" and did not care what he had to do to get them.

The prosecutor added that the dangerous nature of Goldblatt's alleged acts was brought into sharper focus by the fact that he allegedly committed sexual crimes in addition to the charges he now faces, and to which the statute of limitations applied, and thus could not be prosecuted for now.

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Actor Hanan Goldblatt charged with sixth case of sexual assault

By Zvi Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

Haaretz - August 29, 2005

A sixth charge of sexual assault was submitted Monday against actor Hanan Goldblatt who faces five other charges of sexual offences, including rape.

Goldblatt, who has spent the last two weeks in detention, was charged Monday with sexual assault while using his authority over a 15-year-old girl about a year ago.

According to the indictment, the girl was a student of Goldblatt's at an acting course offered by the Status agency in Tel Aviv between August and October 2004.

Goldblatt allegedly dismissed the complainant's suggestions to have private acting lessons at her parents' home, saying they may misinterpret intimate scenes he will work on with her. The actor then told the girl the lessons would be held in his house in Moshav Menachemia.

The offences described in the charge sheet resemble the previous charges Goldblatt faces. The actor allegedly encouraged the girl to wear provocative clothes and chided her for not following his instructions. These included a seduction scene where Goldblatt was a widower and the girl his daughter who tries to become his lover.

The prosecution told the court Goldblatt also pressured the complainant to kiss him, telling her she would have to get used to kissing older men because "people love to see a lot of sex in telenovellas."

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Goldblatt responds to rape charges for first time

Jerusalem Post - December 18, 2005

Actor Hannan Goldblatt responded for the first time on Sunday to charges of rape leveled against him.

Goldblatt, whose trial began four months ago, admitted to having sexual intercourse with two of the young women he is suspected of raping, but said both cases were consensual, Israel Radio reported.

According to Goldblatt, he did not even know one of the minors who filed a complaint against him claiming indecent acts.

Goldblatt is charged with two counts of rape and three counts of indecent acts.

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Court to allow actor Hanan Goldblatt to take part in film By Zvi Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

By Zvi Harel

Haaretz - January 19, 2006

The Tel Aviv District Court will allow actor Hanan Goldlatt, charged with rape and currently under house arrest, to participate in the production of a new film.

Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Mordechai Arnon will make the film, which will be in production for half a year.

The court will also allow Goldblatt to travel to Jerusalem three times a week for filming needs. He will stay with his sister.

In his request to participate, Goldblatt called the film "educational and on the behalf of the ultra-Orthodox community" and emphasized to the court that only men will take part in its production.

The court eased last week the terms of Goldblatt's house arrest. At a physician's recommendation, Goldblatt will be allowed a daily walk in Kfar Hess, where he is confined.

Goldblatt, 64, a resident of Beit Nehamia, has been charged with rape, attempted rape, sodomy, indecent acts with minors, fraud and attempted fraud against at least five women who took acting lessons from him.

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Court to allow actor Hanan Goldblatt to take part in film

By Zvi Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

Haaretz - January 19, 2006

The Tel Aviv District Court will allow actor Hanan Goldlatt, charged with rape and currently under house arrest, to participate in the production of a new film.

Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Mordechai Arnon will make the film, which will be in production for half a year.

The court will also allow Goldblatt to travel to Jerusalem three times a week for filming needs. He will stay with his sister.

In his request to participate, Goldblatt called the film "educational and on the behalf of the ultra-Orthodox community" and emphasized to the court that only men will take part in its production.

The court eased last week the terms of Goldblatt's house arrest. At a physician's recommendation, Goldblatt will be allowed a daily walk in Kfar Hess, where he is confined.

Goldblatt, 64, a resident of Beit Nehamia, has been charged with rape, attempted rape, sodomy, indecent acts with minors, fraud and attempted fraud against at least five women who took acting lessons from him.

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Actor Hanan Goldblatt sentenced to 7 years for rape

By Vered Luvitch

YNet News - November 6, 2008

Hanan Goldblatt awaiting sentencing. 

The Tel Aviv District Court ordered veteran Israeli actor Hanan Goldblatt (66) to serve a seven-year jail sentence for the rape of two women and the assault of two others.

Goldblatt was convicted of two counts of rape, sodomy, two counts of indecent assault, aggravated fraud, an indecent act and abuse of authority in March.

The honorable Avraham Tal, Ruth Lev-Har Sharon and Yehudit Amsterdam further ordered Goldblatt to pay two of his victims NIS 50,000 ($13,000) in damages.

The defense then filed for a stay of sentence, informing the court it intends to appeal its severity with the Supreme Court. The court said it believed the chances of an appeal were slim, and denied the petition.

"It is the court's duty to clarify that the defendant's fame does not excuse imposing sexual acts on unwilling women, belittling their free will and defrauding them into submitting to sexual intercourse. These acts are reprehensible. The defendant grossly abused his position and the women's dependency… to inflict grave harm," noted the court.

Goldblatt expressed remorse for his actions during his sentencing hearing, telling the court he was "profoundly sorry": "I've become the worst kind of person. A parasite. I accept the verdict. My life is in shambles now, everything is ruined."

"It is the court's duty to clarify that the defendant's fame does not excuse imposing sexual acts on unwilling women, belittling their free will and defrauding them into submitting to sexual intercourse. These acts are reprehensible. The defendant grossly abused his position and the women's dependency… to inflict grave harm," noted the court.

Goldblatt expressed remorse for his actions during his sentencing hearing, telling the court he was "profoundly sorry": "I've become the worst kind of person. A parasite. I accept the verdict. My life is in shambles now, everything is ruined."

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Actor Hanan Goldblatt gets 7 years in jail for rape
By Dan Izenberg
Jerusalem Post - November 6, 2008

Actor continues to claim women freely consented to the sexual acts, lawyer says he'll appeal sentence.

The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday sentenced entertainer Hanan Goldblatt to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay NIS 25,000 each to the two women whom he was convicted of raping.  The court gave him 45 days to appeal the conviction and sentence to the Supreme Court but refused to postpone his imprisonment. Immediately after the hearing, he was taken to the Abu Kabir lockup where he will remain until the Prison Service decide where to incarcerate him. 

"The acts of sexual assault committed by the defendant were severe in their own right and their severity increases viewed from the perspective of sexual crimes committed by deceit, by taking advantage of the defendant's status," wrote Judges Avraham Tal, Ruth Lebhar-Sharon and Judith Amsterdam. "For when it comes to sexual crimes, we ascribe supreme importance to deterring people with power and authority over those who are subordinate to them, whether it is in the workplace, relations between teacher and student, or therapists and their patients." 

The judges also concluded that Goldblatt was not genuinely sorry for his acts. "The defendant did not make a sincere apology to the women who complained and did not express true regret for his actions," they wrote. "Only in his last address to the court did he say, without much conviction, that he understood that in certain cases he had acted irresponsibly and that a few of the women were hurt by him in one way or another. These words came too late and they can't be taken as a full and genuine expression of remorse." 

On July 3, the court convicted Goldblatt of raping two girls, both 16 at the time, and of committing indecent acts against three others. In all of the cases, he offered to give them private lessons and then made up a story that he wanted to try them out for a fictitious theatrical project of one sort or another and that in each case, the victim was to play a young seductress. During the sentencing pleas, eight witnesses testified to Goldblatt's good character. However, a clinical criminologist, Yehudit Asulin Mizrahi, described Goldblatt as "a man who had problems considering other people's needs and that he exploited them to fulfill his physical and emotional urges. He lacks empathy toward others and has an inflated sense of self and is in denial of the exploitative and aggressive elements of his personality."

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Convicted rapist Goldblatt may be released early
By Yonah Jeremy Bob
Jerusalem Post - November 19, 2012

The Board of Pardons grants an early release to actor Hanan Goldblatt, a convicted rapist and serial molester.

The Board of Pardons on Monday granted an early release to actor Hanan Goldblatt, a convicted rapist and serial molester, according to media reports.

His actual release was delayed by one week to allow the prosecution time to petition the High Court of Justice to block the release, said the reports.

Goldblatt has only served four years of a six-year sentence, which was originally a seven-year sentence.

According to reports, the Board of Pardons appeared to have granted the early release based on good behavior and Goldblatt’s participation in rehabilitation programs.

In 2011, the Supreme Court had reduced his sentence from seven to six years.

Dismissing dozens of motions by the former television star’s lawyers to appeal, Justice Uzi Vogelman decided in the end to reduce one of the charges for which Goldblatt was convicted from rape to obtaining a thing by deceit.

In 2008, the Tel Aviv District Court convicted Goldblatt of raping two young women and of committing indecent acts against three others. In all of the cases, Goldblatt, who also worked as an drama teacher, used a similar method of offering the young women private acting lessons, during which he attempted to commit – and in two cases succeeded in committing – sexual acts with them.

Goldblatt made up a story that he wanted to have them try out for a fictitious theatrical project of some sort. In each case, the victim was to play a young seductress.

Sex with Goldblatt was supposed to better prepare the aspiring actresses for onscreen love scenes, which the women were supposed to perform in their auditions.

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Actor Hanan Goldblatt gets 7 years in jail for rape, sodomy, deception

Jerusalem Post - November 6, 2008

The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday sentenced actor Hanan Goldblatt to seven years in prison. Goldblatt was convicted last July of rape, sodomy, indecent acts and five counts of deception over a period of some nine years. Since being indicted in 2005, Goldblatt has spent most of his time under house arrest at his sister's house. Judge Avraham Tal wrote in his ruling, "It has been proven, beyond all doubt, that Goldblatt at least [had relations with] young girls… who he met through an acting course on which he taught… I was convinced that [Goldblatt] exploited his position as a drama and acting teacher in order to … teach private lessons." Goldblatt continues to claim that all the women freely consented to the sexual acts, and his lawyer announced that he would appeal the sentence.

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Convicted rapist Goldblatt’s sentence reduced

By Ron Friedman
Jerusalem Post - February 18, 2011

The Supreme Court reduced the sentence of convicted rapist and serial molester Hanan Goldblatt from seven to six years in prison, in an appeal decision issued Thursday.

Dismissing dozens of motions by the former television star’s lawyers to appeal, Justice Uzi Vogleman decided in the end to reduce one of the charges of which the 69-year-old Goldblatt was convicted from rape to obtaining a thing by deceit.

In 2008, the Tel Aviv District Court convicted Goldblatt of raping two young women and of committing indecent acts against three others. In all of the cases, Goldblatt, who also worked as an acting teacher, used a similar method of offering the young women private acting lessons, during which he attempted to commit – and in two cases succeeded in committing – sexual acts with them.

Goldblatt made up a story that he wanted to have them try out for a fictitious theatrical project of some sort. In each case, the victim was to play a young seductress.

Sex with Goldblatt was supposed to better prepare the aspiring actresses for onscreen love scenes, which the women were supposed to perform in their auditions.

In the appeal, Goldblatt’s lawyers attempted to undermine the testimonies of the victims and introduce doubt as to the justness of the lower court’s decision. In all but one of the motions, the lawyers failed, and the Supreme Court judges upheld the District Court’s rulings; however, in one of the motions relating to Goldblatt’s second rape victim, the Supreme Court modified the conviction.

The modified charge had to do with a young woman who, like the others, had become convinced that Goldblatt had destined her for a leading role in a television soap opera, and repeatedly agreed to have sex with him in preparation for the role.

Goldblatt managed to convince the woman that to be a successful actress and win future roles, she had to become comfortable with performing intercourse and that having sex with him would help “loosen her up.”

“In April 2004, M.S. came to the appellant’s home in order to rehearse. The two entered the bedroom, undressed and kissed, and the appellant asked her to initiate sex between them, since in the proposed role she was supposed to seduce him. M.S. complied with his instructions and engaged full intercourse with him, after which the appellant told her he would notify her of the director’s decision,” read the judge’s ruling.

“Several days later, the appellant told M.S. that the time had not yet come for a meeting with the director and that first she had to ‘improve,’ and therefore that they had to continue practicing sex,” the ruling stated.

According to the facts of the case, the woman agreed to continue having sex with Goldblatt and did so on several occasions over the course of the summer.

Goldblatt was originally convicted of rape, despite the fact that M.S had agreed to have sex with him, because the consent had been obtained by deceit regarding the nature of the act. The disagreement between Supreme Court justices Vogleman and Asher Grunis, and the District Court judge was over whether or not the victim had in fact been deceived about the nature of the act.

The Supreme Court judges found that M.S. had not truly been deceived into repeatedly having sex with Goldblatt purely for the purpose of obtaining the role, since she had been aware of the personal gratification he received from the act and had continued to have sex with him even when it was clear that the sex was supposedly meant for her general improvement as an actress, and not for a specific role.

“The plaintiff believed the appellant’s falsities regarding the necessity for looseness and openness between them in order to improve their ability to ‘work’ together and prepare for the role. But this deceit does not touch on the ‘nature of the act,’ since the subject of the deceit was not the sexual act, but rather an external goal that got caught up in it, the professional goal,” wrote Vogleman.

In her minority ruling, Justice Edna Arbel wrote that M.S. had been deceived about the purpose of the sex acts themselves.

“She believed, due to the duplicitous ploy of the appellant, that the sole purpose of the intercourse was professional and meant to train her for sex scenes in the anticipated soap opera and for her expected audition.”

With the rape charges reduced, Goldblatt was sentenced to six years in prison.

Taking into account time served and a third of the sentence reduced for good behavior, Goldblatt is expected to be released in 2013.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is important and strengthens the knowledge that we are dealing with a serial sex offender who harmed young women, some of whom were minors,” wrote the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel in response to the ruling. “Goldblatt, like all sex offenders, belongs in jail, and the court has understood that, too.

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