Case of Rabbi Gavriel Bidany
Tel Aviv, Israel; New York City, NY
Unlicensed Marriage Counselor - Tel Aviv, Israel
Convicted on charges of groping passenger on Delta flight between Tel Aviv, Israel and New York.
Gavriel Bidany, 48, a married father of 11 children,
was sentenced to serve ONLY 60 days in a federal prison for groping a female
Israel Defense Forces officer on a Delta flight to JFK Airport.
In Israel, Bidany spends his time in Israel studying at a yeshiva and running a soup
kitchen. He is also an unlicensed marriage counselor.
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Table of Contents:
- Legal Document (04/01/2011)
- Rabbi charged with groping passenger on Delta flight (04/15/2011)
- Rabbi accused in flight grope case (04/15/2011)
- Rabbi who is married and the father of 11 kids on trial for allegedly molesting Israeli Army officer (05/04/2011)
- Orthodox rabbi Gavriel Bidany found guilty of molesting female Israeli Army officer on flight (05/05/2011)
- Rabbi and Father of 11 on Trial for Molesting IDF Officer (05/05/2011)
- Rabbi 'grab-bi' (05/05/2011)
- Orthodox rabbi convicted of molesting female Israeli soldier on flight to New York (05/06/2011)
- Rabbi gets 60 days in prison for trans-Atlantic jetliner grope (05/11/2011)
- Gavriel Bidany, rabbi convicted of molesting sleeping Israeli soldier on plane, gets 60 days in jail (05/12/2011)
- Israeli rabbi jailed for fondling sleeping woman on plane (05/12/2011)
- Rabbi who groped Israeli soldier sentenced to jail (05/13/2011)
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Legal Document
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Rabbi charged with groping passenger on Delta flight
By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - April 15, 2011
According to a complaint filed by Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Janet Ambrisco, the rabbi, Gavriel Bidany, groped a female passenger twice while she was trying to sleep during a March 27 flight.
Bidany pleaded not guilty. His attorney Saul Bienenfeld said "Nothing happened. He was fast asleep, and a woman next to him started screaming." He added that Bidany did not touch the woman and was not permitted to change his seat to avoid being seated next to a woman.
Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Delta said the airline does not comment on pending litigation.
The female passenger, who was not named in the complaint, was assigned to a middle seat on Delta flight 269 next to Bidany in the aisle seat. After falling asleep, the passenger awoke to find Bidany "had placed his hand under her blanket" and was groping her, according to the complaint. She jumped back and Bidany removed his hand, then she pulled her blanket back over herself.
Several minutes later, Bidany again reached under the female passenger's blanket, according to the complaint. In sum and substance, she then said, "What are you doing, stop touching me," and Bidany responded "It's a mistake, I'm asleep."
Bienenfeld said what Bidany actually said was, "You are mistaken, I am sleeping," and that it was incorrectly translated from Hebrew.
The female passenger went to tell the flight crew what happened, and one member of the crew described the passenger as "visibly shaken and frantic," according to the complaint.
Bidany has been released on bond under special conditions to allow him to return to Israel, where he lives, for Passover. According to Bienenfeld, Bidany will return to New York before his case is scheduled to go to trial May 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
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By Jennifer Lipman
Jewish Chronicle - April 15, 2011
A rabbi has been arrested for allegedly groping a woman as they flew to New York.
Rabbi Gavriel Bidany told the female passenger sitting next to him that he was "asleep" during the incident, on a Delta Airlines flight from Tel Aviv last month. He was later charged with misdemeanour assault.
According to US federal court records, the 47-year-old Israeli lifted the woman's blanket and twice touched her inappropriately, then, when she complained, said it was "a mistake".
Airline staff said the woman was left "visibly shaken and frantic."
Saul Bienenfeld, Rabbi Bidany's lawyer, said his client asserted his total innocence. The rabbi was released on £305,000 bail before his trial on May 4.
He is understood to have sought permission to return to Israel for Pesach.
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By John Marzulli
New York Daily News - May 4, 2011
An Israeli Army officer testified yesterday she was molested by an orthodox rabbi sitting next to her on a trans-Atlantic flight.
The alleged assailant, Gavriel Bidany, married and the father of 11, told authorities the touching of her groin and breast may have occurred while he was asleep and was a mistake.
"I want justice to be made," said the 23-year-old victim, who commands a missile defense unit back in Israel.
She was on Delta flight 269 last March 27 traveling to New York City on a fundraising trip sponsored by the group Israeli Bonds.
After watching the in-flight flick "Narnia," she lowered her head on the food tray and tried to sleep.
Bidany was sitting to her right covered by a blanket, she said. Suddenly she awoke with a start. "I felt someone touching my groin," she testified in Brooklyn Federal Court.
"He jumped also and took his hand away."
Bidany appeared to be pretending he was asleep so she wanted to catch him "red-handed," she said.
"A short time afterward his hand was on my breast," she said. "I said 'What are you doing?' And he said, 'No, no, it's a mistake. I'm asleep.'"
She reported the incident to crew members and Bidany was arrested at Kennedy Airport.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sarratt called Bidany's actions a "brazen assault."
"The defendant was leering at her with his eyes wide open," the prosecutor said.
Defense lawyer Saul Bienenfield said the rabbi has consistently maintained that he did not "knowingly" touch the woman.
On the stand, Bidany insisted he never touched her at all and could not understand why she was "slandering" him.
"I would not undertake a risk to do such nonsense and risk my entire life," Bidany, 47, said through a Hebrew translator.
The lawyer said Bidany is a respected rabbi in Israel and also performs marriage counseling in New York.
Bidany faces up to six months in prison if found guilty of the misdemeanor sexual contact charge by Magistrate Ramon Reyes.
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By John Marzulli
New York Daily News - May 5, 2011
An orthodox rabbi was convicted Thursday of molesting a female Israeli Army officer on a trans-Atlantic flight.
Gavriel Bidany was sitting next to the 23-year-old woman on a Delta jet last month and reached out from under his blanket to fondle her as she slept.
Magistrate Ramon Reyes said the victim's testimony about the assault was "compelling and wholly believeable."
Reyes, who presided over the bench trial in Brooklyn Federal Court, said there was "no question in my mind" about the rabbi's guilt.
Bidany, the married father of 11 children, showed no emotion when the verdict was announced.
The woman, a lieutenant commander of a missile defense unit, declined to comment. The Daily News is withholding her name because she is the victim of a sex crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sarratt ridiculed Bidany's claim that if there was touching, it happened inadvertently while he slept.
"If these were random reaches of a sleeping man why is it the defendant had such precise accuracy, reaching private areas?" Sarratt said.
The prosecutor also blasted defense lawyer Saul Bienenfield's argument that the victim would have pummeled the defendant with self-defense skills learned in the Army if she was attacked.
"[The victim] acted perfectly and with remarkable poise despite the defendant's repeated violations of her personal space," Sarratt said.
Bidany faces up to six months in prison when he is sentenced next week by Reyes. He is free on $500,000 bail.
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Rabbi gets 60 days in prison for trans-Atlantic jetliner grope
By Mitchel Maddux
New York Post - May 12, 2011
 |
| Rabbi Gavriel Bidany - Convicted Sex Offender |
An Orthodox rabbi was sentenced to prison today for fondling a woman
during a trans-Atlantic flight aboard a commercial jetliner bound for
New York.
Gavriel Bidany, 48, a married father of 11 children,
was sentenced to serve 60 days in a federal prison for groping a female
Israel Defense Forces officer on a Delta flight to JFK Airport.
"Rabbi
Bidany committed a serious crime...and such conduct cannot be
tolerated," said Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes, Jr. in Brooklyn federal
court.
"It took a lot of courage and personal sacrifice for [the victim] to come forward and testify," he said.
Assistant US Attorney David Sarratt told the court that Bidany's
conduct was particularly troubling, given that "he selected a victim who
is 23-years-old, but who appears much younger than that."
The
diminutive woman who took the stand last week and recounted the incident
during Bidany's bench trial was not present for today's sentencing, but
the prosecutor read aloud a letter she had filed with the court.
"I
lost, in a most human way, my most precious thing - my innocence," the
woman wrote about the in-flight assault. "I won't be trapped again. I
also won't trust again."
The woman also wrote that she was even more troubled, considering that Bidany is a rabbi who wears clerical dress.
"From
him, I expected more," the woman said of Bidany, emphasizing she hoped
he would "admit his mistake" and demonstrate unflinchingly "the behavior
of spiritual leaders who believe what they preach."
In
pronouncing sentence, the judge also noted that he was troubled by the
fact that rabbi's account of what happened aboard the aircraft was at
odds with all other testimony in the case.
"Rabbi Bidany testified falsely," the judge said.
Bidany, his wife, and children, all live in Israel in a close-knit neighborhood near the Tel Aviv airport.
Friends
who attended last week's trial said Bidany was a respected fixture in
the local Orthodox community, where interactions between unmarried men
and women are restricted.
Bidany was trained as a rabbi, but does
not serve as one, and instead studies at a yeshiva and runs a soup
kitchen, said his attorney, Saul Bienenfeld.
He was convicted of
groping the female Israel Defense Forces officer as she slept in her
seat. The two were seated next to each other on a Delta flight from Tel
Aviv earlier this year when the young woman fell asleep.
She testified at the trial that she had awaken to find Bidany's hand massaging her crotch and then her breasts.
After she accused him of molesting her, the rabbi pretended to be dozing and feigned innocence, the woman testified.
The
woman, a 23-year-old career military officer, who holds the rank of
lieutenant, said she then stood up and reported the assault to a flight
attendant.
Bidany apparently fled to the back of the plane, and the attendants found him there.
Bidany, an Israeli national, was immediately remanded to federal custody by US Marshals after the judge announced the sentence.
Before today's hearing, several of his children wrote the judge to urge leniency in the case.
One of Bidany's daughters, Eden, wrote to Judge Reyes explaining the personal dilemma she faces.
"I
am begging you your honor, I have reached an age (22) where I need to
find a groom and start a family," Eden Bidany wrote. "And without my
father it is very difficult."
"This could harm my matchmaking process - starting a home. My whole future depends on it," she wrote.
Her brother, Ariel, made a similar plea.
"Have pity on me. I have reached the age of 21, and need to find a bride, get married and have a family," Ariel Bidany wrote.
"When
my father is not with me, it is going to be very hard and would hurt my
matchmaking," he wrote. "I would like to get married properly with my
father at my side please."
At the conclusion of Bidany's bench
trial last week, Judge Reyes said that he had found the female Israeli
Defense Force officer's testimony to be "compelling and wholly
believable."
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Gavriel Bidany, rabbi convicted of molesting sleeping Israeli soldier on plane, gets 60 days in jail
By John Marzulli
New York Daily News - May 12, 2011
An Orthodox rabbi convicted of fondling an Israeli Army officer on a plane was socked with 60 days in jail.Brooklyn Magistrate Ramon Reyes considered numerous letters written on behalf of Gavriel Bidany, but when it came time for the rabbi to speak for himself on Thursday, he sat in stony silence.
"Rabbi Bidany committed a serious crime, touching a young sleeping woman on her private parts," Reyes said. "Such conduct cannot be tolerated."
The judge also praised the 23-year-old victim, a lieutenant in charge of a missile defense unit, for having the courage to come forward about the assault last month on a transatlantic Delta flight from Israel.
Bidany, 48, a marriage counselor, faced up to six months in prison for the misdemeanor crime of sexual touching without consent. He was found guilty last week by Reyes after a two-day bench trial in Brooklyn Federal Court.
The victim, whose name is being withheld by The Daily News, testified that she was sleeping in the seat next to Bidany who had covered himself with a blanket.
She awoke to find him fondling her groin area. Then he assaulted her a second time, groping her breast. When she confronted him, he claimed he was sleeping.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sarratt noted that the victim looks younger than her age and suggested Bidany "selected her because she wouldn't have the courage to report the attack."
In a letter to the judge, the victim called Bidany a "coward" who does not deserve the admiration of the people who spoke up for him.
Bidany, married and the father of 11 children, had submitted letters to the court from two sons and a daughter who feared his incarceration would jeopardize their matchmaking and marriage prospects.
"I think it's a very heavy sentence," defense lawyer Saul Bienenfeld said after the rabbi was remanded to begin serving the jail time.
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Israeli rabbi jailed for fondling sleeping woman on plane
By Aman Ali
Reuters - May 12, 2013
A Orthodox Jewish rabbi and father of 11 was sentenced to 60 days in prison on Thursday for groping his sleeping female seatmate, an Israeli soldier, aboard a transatlantic flight.
Gavriel Bidany, 48, an Israeli citizen, remained silent in federal court in Brooklyn as a Hebrew interpreter informed him of the punishment meted out by Judge Ramon Reyes.
"He is a well respected man and a well valued person in his community," the judge said. "That said, the need for the sentence imposed is great because this is a serious offense."
Bidany was convicted of fondling a 23-year-old lieutenant in the Israeli Army. She testified against him in court earlier this month.
The victim did not appear at the sentencing but issued a statement saying she expected more from Bidany considering he's an Orthodox rabbi.
"Whatever was taken away from me cannot be returned," she said. "This cannot be learned any other way. A burn leaves a scar that cannot be removed."
According to court documents, Bidany was on a Delta Airlines flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to John F. Kennedy airport in New York in March, seated next to the woman. Bidany placed a blanket over his head, appearing to fall sleep, and that's when the victim decided to place a blanket over herself too and sleep, the court documents said.
About 30 minutes later, the victim woke up to find Bidany groping her genital area and jumped back before the rabbi pulled his hands back, the documents said. The victim then placed the blanket back over herself before Bidany tried to grope her again, this time reaching for her breasts.
When the woman questioned the rabbi about what he was doing, the rabbi replied, "It's a mistake, I'm asleep," the documents said.
She immediately reported the incident to a flight attendant, leading to Bidany's arrest.
Many of Bidany's 11 children wrote letters to the judge pleading for his release and about a dozen of the rabbi's friends appeared in court at the sentencing and said they valued his for his spiritual counseling.
(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune)
Rabbi who groped Israeli soldier sentenced to jail
By Jennifer Lippman
Jewish Chronicle - May 13, 2011
The rabbi who was convicted of groping a female IDF officer on a flight to New York will spend two months behind bars.
Father-of-11 Gavriel Bidany was arrested after the woman, 23, accused him of touching her underneath her airline blanket without her consent.
Last week a court heard that she was sleeping and woke to find him fondling her groin area and groping her breast. When she confronted him, he claimed he was sleeping.
Yesterday Bidany was sentenced to 60 days in a federal prison.
In his defence Bidany claimed that he never touched the woman. But the prosecution said her account of events was "wholly believable" and he was convicted of assault.
Assistant US Attorney David Sarratt said that Bidany's conduct was shocking not least because he chose a victim who appeared "much younger" than her age.
According to the New York Post the victim gave a statement which was read by the prosecutor. In it, she said: "I lost, in a most human way, my most precious thing - my innocence."
By Aman Ali
Reuters - May 12, 2013
A Orthodox Jewish rabbi and father of 11 was sentenced to 60 days in prison on Thursday for groping his sleeping female seatmate, an Israeli soldier, aboard a transatlantic flight.
Gavriel Bidany, 48, an Israeli citizen, remained silent in federal court in Brooklyn as a Hebrew interpreter informed him of the punishment meted out by Judge Ramon Reyes.
"He is a well respected man and a well valued person in his community," the judge said. "That said, the need for the sentence imposed is great because this is a serious offense."
Bidany was convicted of fondling a 23-year-old lieutenant in the Israeli Army. She testified against him in court earlier this month.
The victim did not appear at the sentencing but issued a statement saying she expected more from Bidany considering he's an Orthodox rabbi.
"Whatever was taken away from me cannot be returned," she said. "This cannot be learned any other way. A burn leaves a scar that cannot be removed."
According to court documents, Bidany was on a Delta Airlines flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to John F. Kennedy airport in New York in March, seated next to the woman. Bidany placed a blanket over his head, appearing to fall sleep, and that's when the victim decided to place a blanket over herself too and sleep, the court documents said.
About 30 minutes later, the victim woke up to find Bidany groping her genital area and jumped back before the rabbi pulled his hands back, the documents said. The victim then placed the blanket back over herself before Bidany tried to grope her again, this time reaching for her breasts.
When the woman questioned the rabbi about what he was doing, the rabbi replied, "It's a mistake, I'm asleep," the documents said.
She immediately reported the incident to a flight attendant, leading to Bidany's arrest.
Many of Bidany's 11 children wrote letters to the judge pleading for his release and about a dozen of the rabbi's friends appeared in court at the sentencing and said they valued his for his spiritual counseling.
(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune)
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By Jennifer Lippman
Jewish Chronicle - May 13, 2011
The rabbi who was convicted of groping a female IDF officer on a flight to New York will spend two months behind bars.
Father-of-11 Gavriel Bidany was arrested after the woman, 23, accused him of touching her underneath her airline blanket without her consent.
Last week a court heard that she was sleeping and woke to find him fondling her groin area and groping her breast. When she confronted him, he claimed he was sleeping.
Yesterday Bidany was sentenced to 60 days in a federal prison.
In his defence Bidany claimed that he never touched the woman. But the prosecution said her account of events was "wholly believable" and he was convicted of assault.
Assistant US Attorney David Sarratt said that Bidany's conduct was shocking not least because he chose a victim who appeared "much younger" than her age.
According to the New York Post the victim gave a statement which was read by the prosecutor. In it, she said: "I lost, in a most human way, my most precious thing - my innocence."
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