Case of Michal Schwartz Shenbaum
(AKA: Case of the Unnamed Abusive Mother From Jerusalem)
This
page is dedicated in honor of all children who were abused by the
parents of those who followed Rabbi Elior Chen. May their healing
journey go easy and they only know nonviolent - unconditional love the
rest of their lives.
 |
| Michael Schwartz Shenbaum |
Jerusalem, Israel
This page is dedicated in honor of all children who were abused by the parents of those who followed Rabbi Elior Chen. May their healing journey go easy and they only know nonviolent - unconditional love the rest of their lives.
According to several reliable sources Michal Schwartz Shenbaum was a member of the cult ran by Rabbi Elior Chen. She was named as one of the alleged offenders in this case.
Michael Schwartz Shenbaum is the daughter of Naomi Klass Mauer (Associate Publisher of the Jewish Press) and the granddaughter of Rabbi Sholom Klass, the founding publisher of The Jewish Press.
According to several reliable sources Michal Schwartz Shenbaum was a member of the cult ran by Rabbi Elior Chen. She was named as one of the alleged offenders in this case.
Michael Schwartz Shenbaum is the daughter of Naomi Klass Mauer (Associate Publisher of the Jewish Press) and the granddaughter of Rabbi Sholom Klass, the founding publisher of The Jewish Press.
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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:
Table of Contents:
2008
- Background History
- Court denies bail to two moms in abuse cases (04/02/2008)
- Jerusalem child abuser to be indicted next week (04/03/2008)
- State helpless in face of skeletons in haredi closet (04/03/2008)
- Jerusalem mother charged with child abuse (04/06/2008)
- Police seek extradition of rabbi from Canada (04/06/2008)
- Or Yehuda 'abusive' mother put under house arrest (04/07/2008)
- Police to demand extradition of Rabbi believed behind child abuse sect (04/07/2008)
- Police arrest man allegedly tied to Jerusalem child abuse case (04/07/2008)
- Israel seeks extradition of rabbi from Canada on suspicion of child abuse (04/07/2008)
Related Cases
- Case of Rabbi Elior Chen (Jerusalem, Israel)
- Case of Shimon Gabai (Jerusalem, Israel)
- Case of Joseph Fisher (Jerusalem, Israel)
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Background History
By Levi Ford
By Levi Ford
The Awareness Center's Daily Newsletter - April 8, 2008
According to two independent sources, the mother of the daughter with the abused children is Naomi Klass Mauer, the founder of The Jewish Press — Rabbi Shalom Klass. Naomi had the bitterest of divorces from her husband Yehuda Schwartz. It was written up in New York magazine (circa 1990) where it strongly hinted she had played around.
Naomi Klass was an agunah — a chained woman because he would not give her a divorce. She says he tried to extort vast amounts of money from her in exchange for a divorce.
She became a champion of the agunot in The Jewish Press, which features a seruv section for men who won't listen to a Beit Din and won't give their wives gittim (Jewish divorces).
Moshe Dovid Tendler was the lead rabbi and guru for Rabbi Shalom Klass when he was fighting for his daughter's Get without offering a significant financial settlement to Yehuda Schwartz. Older Tendler and, yes, Mordechai Tendler, took her and her father in and became near-family for years. Michal and Naomi were constant in both Tendler homes for years. That is a reason why many bloggers complained that the Jewish Press was not only whitewashing the Mordechai Tendler affair but defending him to the bitter end.
A source writes:
Naomi's claim about her ex husbands abuse and turning her into an agunah is a lot of one-sided bs. Her husband Judah demanded a share for his building up of the newspaper which he did a great job of. She had use of the newspaper to badmouth him. Also many of her so called agunah cases are stories of women who don't want to take a get because they are trying to get money out of their husbands and will only take a get on their terms. Basically financial disputes. When you turn these cases into `Agunah' cases you cheapen the real chained women.
Btw, apparently her ex husband Judah had sympathy for Dr Ivan Mauer who was a widower at the time and allowed him and his kids to move in with his family, unfortunately his wife went with the Doctor and he got the boot. I don't think there was infidelity involved and you never know the real story, but it was a pretty strange story.
I am not connected to the Jewish Press in any way shape or form, but admit to being very biased against it.It is just so dumb and silly and so freakin' rightwing especially when it comes to many people I personally disagree with vehemently such as the rightwing settlers who are stirring up trouble all the time and one of the few newspapers to allow moronic ads about the Lubavitcher Rebbe being alive and the Messiah, when he was alive AND when he passed away! They also lack any real spine, for example years ago when Meir Kahane was banned from the Knesset they stopped his weakly column! Now I think that Kahane was a crazy nut, but if you allowed his rantings before have the balls to print them afterwords too!
Here's a law review article that mentions Schwartz vs. Schwartz.
Naomi eventually married Dr. Ivan Mauer. They lived in Manhattan Beach, CA; Brooklyn, NY. Michal went to the Shulamit yeshiva.
Michal and her future husband David Shenbaum (a Beth Jacob boy with the nicest parents) moved to Israel and became West Bank Gush Kutif type frum (I am not saying they lived there but that type) and then they moved to the old city of Jerusalem and became Breslaver Hasidim. They were introduced to some characters among the Breslavers who do drugs. These guys got nvolved in their marriage and some of them moved into the home.
YULA graduate (1986?) David Shenbaum (made aliyah in 1993) claims that once these guys moved in, he couldn't see his children. So why didn't he go see the police?
Anyone have any information on why these Modern Orthodox types would go on such a dark and deviant path?
How could their kids be so severely abused in the Old City of Jerusalem where everybody lives on top of each other?
Here are excerpts from The Jerusalem Report:
According to two independent sources, the mother of the daughter with the abused children is Naomi Klass Mauer, the founder of The Jewish Press — Rabbi Shalom Klass. Naomi had the bitterest of divorces from her husband Yehuda Schwartz. It was written up in New York magazine (circa 1990) where it strongly hinted she had played around.
Naomi Klass was an agunah — a chained woman because he would not give her a divorce. She says he tried to extort vast amounts of money from her in exchange for a divorce.
She became a champion of the agunot in The Jewish Press, which features a seruv section for men who won't listen to a Beit Din and won't give their wives gittim (Jewish divorces).
Moshe Dovid Tendler was the lead rabbi and guru for Rabbi Shalom Klass when he was fighting for his daughter's Get without offering a significant financial settlement to Yehuda Schwartz. Older Tendler and, yes, Mordechai Tendler, took her and her father in and became near-family for years. Michal and Naomi were constant in both Tendler homes for years. That is a reason why many bloggers complained that the Jewish Press was not only whitewashing the Mordechai Tendler affair but defending him to the bitter end.
A source writes:
Naomi's claim about her ex husbands abuse and turning her into an agunah is a lot of one-sided bs. Her husband Judah demanded a share for his building up of the newspaper which he did a great job of. She had use of the newspaper to badmouth him. Also many of her so called agunah cases are stories of women who don't want to take a get because they are trying to get money out of their husbands and will only take a get on their terms. Basically financial disputes. When you turn these cases into `Agunah' cases you cheapen the real chained women.
Btw, apparently her ex husband Judah had sympathy for Dr Ivan Mauer who was a widower at the time and allowed him and his kids to move in with his family, unfortunately his wife went with the Doctor and he got the boot. I don't think there was infidelity involved and you never know the real story, but it was a pretty strange story.
I am not connected to the Jewish Press in any way shape or form, but admit to being very biased against it.It is just so dumb and silly and so freakin' rightwing especially when it comes to many people I personally disagree with vehemently such as the rightwing settlers who are stirring up trouble all the time and one of the few newspapers to allow moronic ads about the Lubavitcher Rebbe being alive and the Messiah, when he was alive AND when he passed away! They also lack any real spine, for example years ago when Meir Kahane was banned from the Knesset they stopped his weakly column! Now I think that Kahane was a crazy nut, but if you allowed his rantings before have the balls to print them afterwords too!
Here's a law review article that mentions Schwartz vs. Schwartz.
Naomi eventually married Dr. Ivan Mauer. They lived in Manhattan Beach, CA; Brooklyn, NY. Michal went to the Shulamit yeshiva.
Michal and her future husband David Shenbaum (a Beth Jacob boy with the nicest parents) moved to Israel and became West Bank Gush Kutif type frum (I am not saying they lived there but that type) and then they moved to the old city of Jerusalem and became Breslaver Hasidim. They were introduced to some characters among the Breslavers who do drugs. These guys got nvolved in their marriage and some of them moved into the home.
YULA graduate (1986?) David Shenbaum (made aliyah in 1993) claims that once these guys moved in, he couldn't see his children. So why didn't he go see the police?
Anyone have any information on why these Modern Orthodox types would go on such a dark and deviant path?
How could their kids be so severely abused in the Old City of Jerusalem where everybody lives on top of each other?
Here are excerpts from The Jerusalem Report:
According to the charge sheet, the woman's relationship with her husband broke down last year, and she expressed her desire to divorce her husband, who subsequently left their Jerusalem home, leaving his eight children in the care of his wife and two men who were charged with educating her children.
The men, who allegedly carried out the abuse with the mother, received instruction from Chen on how to "fix" the children's behavior, and "cleanse" them of their Satanic possession, the indictment says.
...During a search of Chen's Betar Illit home, police found evidence that appears to link the rabbi to the abuse, including notebooks that document the violence, police said.
"Put stones on a [Shabbat] hot plate . . . when they are boiling, put them on the bodies of the children and then they will be cleansed," the instructions read.
Chen also instructs his followers how to tie up the children, and to prepare alcoholic drinks made of salt water and turpentine, which, he writes, should be given to the children in order to "vomit out the devil from themselves." Among the items police discovered at Chen's home were hammers, iron bars, turpentine, sticks, and handcuffs.
...One of the woman's eight children identified him as taking part in the abuse as well, the police representative testified in court.
The charge sheet in the gruesome child abuse case recounts that the mother allegedly forced her children to eat feces, locked them in a suitcase for three days - letting them out only for brief periods of time - repeatedly beat, whipped, and shook them, burned their hands with a lighter and a heater, and gave them freezing showers.
The abusive mother and "educators" are also suspected of pouring salt on the burn wounds of the child, stuffing his mouth with a skullcap and sealing his mouth with masking tape, and giving the children alcoholic drinks until they vomited.
The woman remains in police custody.
Since her arrest last month, the mother was repeatedly shown pictures of her children's injuries, but on most of the days she was in remand, she did not inquire about the children nor did she ask who was taking care of them, the police said.
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Court denies bail to two moms in abuse cases
By Jonathan Lis and Ofra Edelman
By Jonathan Lis and Ofra Edelman
Haaretz - April 2, 2008
The Jerusalem District Court yesterday extended the remand of two women suspected of severely abusing their children.
In the case of the Jerusalem mother, whose two children aged three and four and a half were hospitalized in serious condition, an indictment is expected on Sunday. The Beit Shemesh woman was charged yesterday with abusing a minor, along with 25 charges of assault against six of her 12 children.
During the pre-trial hearings yesterday, new details were revealed about the case of the Jerusalem family.
Parents invited rabbi into home
According to the details of the investigation, the parents of the children invited Rabbi Elior Chen and several other men to their home in order to study Torah. The men, including David Kugman and Shimon Gabai, lived in the family's home. When the relationship between the mother and the father deteriorated, the men allegedly drove the father out of the house by force, and he moved elsewhere.
Rabbi Chen allegedly told Kugman and Gabai to discipline the children, but they failed to do so.
The police said that when the routine methods of discipline failed, Rabbi Chen ordered them to use violence, which allegedly included beatings, burnings, pushing, shaking and tying. Investigators also suspect that the two men placed the children in baths of hot and cold water, and broke their bones with hammers and blows.
In the case of the Beit Shemesh woman, the indictment states that she beat her children for years with a belt, a stick, a rolling pin and an electrical cable.
The Jerusalem District Court yesterday extended the remand of two women suspected of severely abusing their children.
In the case of the Jerusalem mother, whose two children aged three and four and a half were hospitalized in serious condition, an indictment is expected on Sunday. The Beit Shemesh woman was charged yesterday with abusing a minor, along with 25 charges of assault against six of her 12 children.
During the pre-trial hearings yesterday, new details were revealed about the case of the Jerusalem family.
Parents invited rabbi into home
According to the details of the investigation, the parents of the children invited Rabbi Elior Chen and several other men to their home in order to study Torah. The men, including David Kugman and Shimon Gabai, lived in the family's home. When the relationship between the mother and the father deteriorated, the men allegedly drove the father out of the house by force, and he moved elsewhere.
Rabbi Chen allegedly told Kugman and Gabai to discipline the children, but they failed to do so.
The police said that when the routine methods of discipline failed, Rabbi Chen ordered them to use violence, which allegedly included beatings, burnings, pushing, shaking and tying. Investigators also suspect that the two men placed the children in baths of hot and cold water, and broke their bones with hammers and blows.
In the case of the Beit Shemesh woman, the indictment states that she beat her children for years with a belt, a stick, a rolling pin and an electrical cable.
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Jerusalem child abuser to be indicted next week
Jerusalem Post - April 3, 2008
A Jerusalem woman who immigrated from the US and her companion are expected to be indicted next week for allegedly abusing her two young children, police said Wednesday.
The woman's three-year-old child remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe head injuries, and is likely to remain in a vegetative state, officials said.
Police said that several months ago, the woman's relations with her husband broke down, and he was removed from their Jerusalem home by two men whom the couple had brought into their home to educate their children.
The mother told police that since they were unable to educate her children in the "standard" way because they were "mischievous," the two men "corrected" the children, a police representative told a Jerusalem court on Wednesday.
The "corrections," which took place in the mother's presence, included beatings, tying up the children, shaking them dozens of times, setting their fingers on fire, dousing them in hot and cold water, and breaking their bones by beating them with hammers and other tools, according to the testimony of the police representative.
A court order has prevented the release of the names of the woman and her companion, who on Wednesday were remanded in custody for an additional five days by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ahead of their planned arraignment next week.
The children's father, who has been released from custody, was allowed by the court to pray at his child's hospital bedside, in the presence of social workers.
The two key suspects in the child abuse case, identified by police as Shimon Gabbai and Rabbi Elior Chen, remain at large, and are wanted by police.
The Jerusalem abuse case is one of a series of grisly incidents of brutality against children that have recently come to light.
Jerusalem Post - April 3, 2008
A Jerusalem woman who immigrated from the US and her companion are expected to be indicted next week for allegedly abusing her two young children, police said Wednesday.
The woman's three-year-old child remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe head injuries, and is likely to remain in a vegetative state, officials said.
Police said that several months ago, the woman's relations with her husband broke down, and he was removed from their Jerusalem home by two men whom the couple had brought into their home to educate their children.
The mother told police that since they were unable to educate her children in the "standard" way because they were "mischievous," the two men "corrected" the children, a police representative told a Jerusalem court on Wednesday.
The "corrections," which took place in the mother's presence, included beatings, tying up the children, shaking them dozens of times, setting their fingers on fire, dousing them in hot and cold water, and breaking their bones by beating them with hammers and other tools, according to the testimony of the police representative.
A court order has prevented the release of the names of the woman and her companion, who on Wednesday were remanded in custody for an additional five days by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ahead of their planned arraignment next week.
The children's father, who has been released from custody, was allowed by the court to pray at his child's hospital bedside, in the presence of social workers.
The two key suspects in the child abuse case, identified by police as Shimon Gabbai and Rabbi Elior Chen, remain at large, and are wanted by police.
The Jerusalem abuse case is one of a series of grisly incidents of brutality against children that have recently come to light.
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State helpless in face of skeletons in haredi closet
By Yael Branovsky
YNet News - April 3, 2008
YNet News - April 3, 2008
In spite of efforts by welfare officials, local rabbis, state authorities are unable to curb rampant child abuse in ultra-Orthodox families.
One harrowing case after another, yet welfare officials stand by helpless: Faced with a string of heart wrenching cases of child abuse in the haredi community, even state officials now concede that they have only been able to reach this closed community on rare occasions, and often too late.
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| Mother accused of chld abuse |
One recent, disturbing case, for instance, in which a Netivot mother had sexually abused her son, only came to light when the son began to attend boarding school and molested a fellow pupil. The social workers who handled his case quickly realized that the child had no idea that what he was doing was wrong.
Dalia Lev-Sade, director of community services at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, stated in an interview with Ynet that seeing as the haredi community is so sequestered, haredi children enjoy less exposure to societal conventions of right and wrong.
"This is a group that is extremely closed off from the rest of the world, and so many times we are unaware of problems within the community and cannot intervene."
"The case in Beit Shemesh is a classic example," recounts Lev- Sade. "Even though the family was monitored by welfare services, the social workers involved could not fully understand the family, nor the essence of the problems it was facing, because they kept such closely guarded family secrets. Only when something drastic occurs can we actually begin to take action."
The ultra-Orthodox community, however, is slowly becoming more open, according to Lev-Sade. "The haredi community is slowly opening up and coming to realize that you can't keep the skeletons in the closet forever."
Orlet Moyal, director of welfare services at the Bnei Brak Municipality, tends to haredi families on a daily basis and knows all too well that that road to reaching this clandestine community is long and torturous. "It was nearly impossible to reach the haredi community just a few years ago, but we began to come up with creative means of reaching this community without offending its sensibilities.
"We wanted to be able to reach the haredi community before things became disastrous," says Moyal, "and so we contacted local rabbis and rabbinical councils and urged them to mediate and intervene when families were reluctant to accept help."
'More willingness to report abuse'
Dr. Yitzhak Kadman, head of the National Council for the Child, believes that it is the closed and reticent nature of the haredi community that in many instances precludes intervention by state authorities in child abuse cases.
"The haredi community firmly opposes airing its dirty laundry out in public, like we saw with many kibbutz communities in the past. The haredi community is extremely concerned about its public images, and in many cases rabbis did not allow families to go to the police and report abuse."
Kadman noted, however, that this trend is mercifully changing. "In recent years there is more willingness among haredi families to report abuse. In our council alone, 30% of individuals involved in a project tending to victims of sexual abuse are haredi."
Doron Aggasi, director of the Shlom Banecha foundation, which aids victims of sexual abuse and violence in the haredi community, stated that the recent public cases of child abuse within the haredi community indicate that the haredi world is changing for the better when it comes to reporting such crimes.
"These kinds of cases were often stifled in the past, because the haredi community was unwilling to disclose anything. Now however, people are far more aware of issues such as sexual abuse and familial violence, be it through exposure to the internet or other sources."
Aggasi maintains that it is rabbis that are at the forefront of these positive changes in the haredi community.
"Rabbis have asked me about the best treatment options for pedophilia and sexual deviance, and we are currently training social workers to treat both victims and perpetrators.
"In this respect, the haredi community has bypassed its secular counterpart by far, because this is a very motivated, obedient society that has taken heavy handed measures to help curb such phenomenon."
Roi Mandel contributed to this article
Dalia Lev-Sade, director of community services at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, stated in an interview with Ynet that seeing as the haredi community is so sequestered, haredi children enjoy less exposure to societal conventions of right and wrong.
"This is a group that is extremely closed off from the rest of the world, and so many times we are unaware of problems within the community and cannot intervene."
"The case in Beit Shemesh is a classic example," recounts Lev- Sade. "Even though the family was monitored by welfare services, the social workers involved could not fully understand the family, nor the essence of the problems it was facing, because they kept such closely guarded family secrets. Only when something drastic occurs can we actually begin to take action."
The ultra-Orthodox community, however, is slowly becoming more open, according to Lev-Sade. "The haredi community is slowly opening up and coming to realize that you can't keep the skeletons in the closet forever."
Orlet Moyal, director of welfare services at the Bnei Brak Municipality, tends to haredi families on a daily basis and knows all too well that that road to reaching this clandestine community is long and torturous. "It was nearly impossible to reach the haredi community just a few years ago, but we began to come up with creative means of reaching this community without offending its sensibilities.
"We wanted to be able to reach the haredi community before things became disastrous," says Moyal, "and so we contacted local rabbis and rabbinical councils and urged them to mediate and intervene when families were reluctant to accept help."
'More willingness to report abuse'
Dr. Yitzhak Kadman, head of the National Council for the Child, believes that it is the closed and reticent nature of the haredi community that in many instances precludes intervention by state authorities in child abuse cases.
"The haredi community firmly opposes airing its dirty laundry out in public, like we saw with many kibbutz communities in the past. The haredi community is extremely concerned about its public images, and in many cases rabbis did not allow families to go to the police and report abuse."
Kadman noted, however, that this trend is mercifully changing. "In recent years there is more willingness among haredi families to report abuse. In our council alone, 30% of individuals involved in a project tending to victims of sexual abuse are haredi."
Doron Aggasi, director of the Shlom Banecha foundation, which aids victims of sexual abuse and violence in the haredi community, stated that the recent public cases of child abuse within the haredi community indicate that the haredi world is changing for the better when it comes to reporting such crimes.
"These kinds of cases were often stifled in the past, because the haredi community was unwilling to disclose anything. Now however, people are far more aware of issues such as sexual abuse and familial violence, be it through exposure to the internet or other sources."
Aggasi maintains that it is rabbis that are at the forefront of these positive changes in the haredi community.
"Rabbis have asked me about the best treatment options for pedophilia and sexual deviance, and we are currently training social workers to treat both victims and perpetrators.
"In this respect, the haredi community has bypassed its secular counterpart by far, because this is a very motivated, obedient society that has taken heavy handed measures to help curb such phenomenon."
Roi Mandel contributed to this article
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Jerusalem mother charged with child abuse
By Aviram Zino
YNet News - April 6, 2008
Indictment reveals rabbi instructed woman to 'repair' her children through 'beating, tying, burning organs and feeding them with faeces'
As her three-and-a-half-year-old comatose son continued to lie in his hospital bed, a Jerusalem woman was indicted Sunday by the Jerusalem District Court of abusing him and his four-and-a-half-year-old brother.
The court also indicted a family friend accused of conducting a "tikkun" (exorcism) on the children under the influence of a rabbi who fled to Canada.
Shortly after the indictment was submitted, the remand of another suspect involved in the affair was extended. The man, a acquaintance of the mother, allegedly took part in the abuse.
According to the indictment, "During the months of February and March, the accused and her children moved to her mother's apartment in Jerusalem. During this period, the mother found it difficult to cope with the burden of raining her small children, and particularly with their education.
"The defendant turned to a rabbi and asked for his advice in terms of his children's education. The rabbi concluded that the children were 'possessed' with evil spirits and advised the defendant and other suspects to carry out 'tikkunim' on the children in order to help them get rid of those demons."
The indictment went on to say that the rabbi instructed the mother to conduct "tikkunim" on the children – "meaning, jolting, beating, tying, burning organs, feeding them with faeces, and more.
"Two of the suspects were put in charge of educating the children, and systematically abused them and the defendant's other children in a large number of cases, for a long time, claiming that these 'tikkunim' were aimed at removing these evil spirits from the children."
Some of the acts of abuse were also described in the indictment. "The defendant, who knew about the abuse, continued to desert her children."
The mother was accused of "cooperating with some of the other suspects in forcibly jolting the children in at least 40 cases, grasping them in the back or shoulders, or grasping them in their hands and legs and shaking them with their heads moving back and forth and from side to side.
"The defendant and the other suspects also used to tie the children's hands and legs with plastic restraints and ropes for many hours, as well as hit one of the children in the face and bend his hands behind his back, throwing him in the air."
'Police veterans were shocked'
In one of her remand hearings, the police representative presented the judge with a photo album containing shocking pictures of the children.
"The Jerusalem Police veterans found it difficult to listen to such a shocking story," a police representative said during the previous hearing.The mother admitted to the suspicions and went back on her confession, while the father and another person arrested denied the allegations.
"Evidence submitted to the court testifies to a long and harsh abuse," a police representative said during the hearing.
The small son, who was hospitalized at the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital's intensive care unit, suffers from brain damage which has left him in a vegetative state.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
By Aviram Zino
YNet News - April 6, 2008
Indictment reveals rabbi instructed woman to 'repair' her children through 'beating, tying, burning organs and feeding them with faeces'
As her three-and-a-half-year-old comatose son continued to lie in his hospital bed, a Jerusalem woman was indicted Sunday by the Jerusalem District Court of abusing him and his four-and-a-half-year-old brother.
The court also indicted a family friend accused of conducting a "tikkun" (exorcism) on the children under the influence of a rabbi who fled to Canada.
Shortly after the indictment was submitted, the remand of another suspect involved in the affair was extended. The man, a acquaintance of the mother, allegedly took part in the abuse.
According to the indictment, "During the months of February and March, the accused and her children moved to her mother's apartment in Jerusalem. During this period, the mother found it difficult to cope with the burden of raining her small children, and particularly with their education.
"The defendant turned to a rabbi and asked for his advice in terms of his children's education. The rabbi concluded that the children were 'possessed' with evil spirits and advised the defendant and other suspects to carry out 'tikkunim' on the children in order to help them get rid of those demons."
The indictment went on to say that the rabbi instructed the mother to conduct "tikkunim" on the children – "meaning, jolting, beating, tying, burning organs, feeding them with faeces, and more.
"Two of the suspects were put in charge of educating the children, and systematically abused them and the defendant's other children in a large number of cases, for a long time, claiming that these 'tikkunim' were aimed at removing these evil spirits from the children."
Some of the acts of abuse were also described in the indictment. "The defendant, who knew about the abuse, continued to desert her children."
The mother was accused of "cooperating with some of the other suspects in forcibly jolting the children in at least 40 cases, grasping them in the back or shoulders, or grasping them in their hands and legs and shaking them with their heads moving back and forth and from side to side.
"The defendant and the other suspects also used to tie the children's hands and legs with plastic restraints and ropes for many hours, as well as hit one of the children in the face and bend his hands behind his back, throwing him in the air."
'Police veterans were shocked'
In one of her remand hearings, the police representative presented the judge with a photo album containing shocking pictures of the children.
"The Jerusalem Police veterans found it difficult to listen to such a shocking story," a police representative said during the previous hearing.The mother admitted to the suspicions and went back on her confession, while the father and another person arrested denied the allegations.
"Evidence submitted to the court testifies to a long and harsh abuse," a police representative said during the hearing.
The small son, who was hospitalized at the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital's intensive care unit, suffers from brain damage which has left him in a vegetative state.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
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Police seek extradition of rabbi from Canada
By Etgar Lefkovitz and Hilary Leila Krieger
Jerusalem Post - April 6, 2008
The police will issue an international arrest warrant this week against an extremist rabbi who fled to Canada and is a key suspect in one of the worst child abuse cases in the nation's history.
Israel demands rabbi's extradition from Canada
Jerusalem Post - April 6, 2008
The police will issue an international arrest warrant this week against an extremist rabbi who fled to Canada and is a key suspect in one of the worst child abuse cases in the nation's history.
Israel demands rabbi's extradition from Canada
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| Rabbi Elior Chen - Convicted Sex Offender |
Police said Monday that Rabbi Elior Chen and his followers are suspected of severely abusing two children, aged 3 and 4, who were savagely and systematically beaten with hammers, knives and other instruments for months until the younger child lost consciousness last month.
The three-year-old suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the systematic and brutal abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and her companions, according to an indictment filed against his mother this week in a Jerusalem court.
He is expected to remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
Chen, who served as a spiritual mentor to the abusive mother and who provided explicit written instruction on how to abuse the children, fled to Canada last month after the case came to light to avoid arrest, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. He apparently does not have Canadian citizenship, Ben-Ruby said.
According to the charge sheet, the woman's relationship with her husband broke down last year, and she expressed her desire to divorce her husband, who subsequently left their Jerusalem home, leaving his eight children in the care of his wife and two men who were charged with educating her children.
The men, who allegedly carried out the abuse with the mother, received instruction from Chen on how to "fix" the children's behavior, and "cleanse" them of their Satanic possession, the indictment says.
During a search of Chen's Betar Illit home, police found evidence that appears to link the rabbi to the abuse, including notebooks that document the violence, police said.
"Put stones on a [Shabbat] hot plate . . . when they are boiling, put them on the bodies of the children and then they will be cleansed," the instructions read.
Chen also instructs his followers how to tie up the children, and to prepare alcoholic drinks made of salt water and turpentine, which, he writes, should be given to the children in order to "vomit out the devil from themselves." Among the items police discovered at Chen's home were hammers, iron bars, turpentine, sticks, and handcuffs.
The other key suspect in the child abuse case, identified as Shimon Gabbai, remains at large and is also wanted by police.
Meanwhile, another suspect arrested by police late Sunday night was remanded in custody on Monday for five days by a Jerusalem court.
The suspect, Avraham Maskalchi, a yeshiva student who twice tried to flee arrest and was nabbed after a police chase, allegedly took part in the abuse of the children, a police representative told the court.
One of the woman's eight children identified him as taking part in the abuse as well, the police representative testified in court.
The charge sheet in the gruesome child abuse case recounts that the mother allegedly forced her children to eat feces, locked them in a suitcase for three days - letting them out only for brief periods of time - repeatedly beat, whipped, and shook them, burned their hands with a lighter and a heater, and gave them freezing showers.
The abusive mother and "educators" are also suspected of pouring salt on the burn wounds of the child, stuffing his mouth with a skullcap and sealing his mouth with masking tape, and giving the children alcoholic drinks until they vomited.
The woman remains in police custody.
Since her arrest last month, the mother was repeatedly shown pictures of her children's injuries, but on most of the days she was in remand, she did not inquire about the children nor did she ask who was taking care of them, the police said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police would not confirm whether they were working with Israeli police to track down Chen, saying that releasing that type of information could harm the investigation if one were ongoing.
The Canadian Justice Ministry also declined to confirm whether it had received requests from Israel for Chen's arrest and extradition, citing the confidentiality of communications between countries.
But should Chen be found in Canada under an international arrest warrant and Israel requests extradition, a Canadian judge will determine whether the suspect can be deported under the extradition treaty existing between the two countries, followed by a review of the attorney-general, a Justice Ministry spokesman said.
According to the extradition agreement between Canada and Israel, for extradition to go forward the suspect must be accused of having committed an act that is considered a crime in both countries - as child abuse is. Extradition would also be held up if there was concern that the suspect was being prosecuted for political motives or could face the death penalty, the latter of which has sometimes complicated extradition from Canada to the United States but shouldn't affect deportation to Israel.
The main issue from Canada's perspective is "are we respecting the person's rights and the [Canadian] charter's rights," explained an aide to MP Irwin Cotler, who served as attorney-general and justice minister in the last government and has argued cases before the Israeli Supreme Court.
A Haaretz report quoted an associated of Chen's as saying that he chose to flee to Canada because "the extradition law is tough." But observers say that assertion might not jibe with the reality, though extradition from Canada can take a long time because of protections including the right to appeal at different points in the process.
"He's going to be in for a surprise," said Canadian Jewish News editor Mordechai Ben-Dat.
"This is a more law-and-order government than other governments," he said of the current Canadian leadership, meaning the attorney-general was unlikely to stay an extradition judgment.
Ben-Dat said that while the Canadian Jewish community is a tight-knit one, it also has many different haredi groups, groups which might be sufficiently cut off from the outside world and media to know that Chen is accused of committing serious crimes.
The three-year-old suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the systematic and brutal abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and her companions, according to an indictment filed against his mother this week in a Jerusalem court.
He is expected to remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
Chen, who served as a spiritual mentor to the abusive mother and who provided explicit written instruction on how to abuse the children, fled to Canada last month after the case came to light to avoid arrest, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. He apparently does not have Canadian citizenship, Ben-Ruby said.
According to the charge sheet, the woman's relationship with her husband broke down last year, and she expressed her desire to divorce her husband, who subsequently left their Jerusalem home, leaving his eight children in the care of his wife and two men who were charged with educating her children.
The men, who allegedly carried out the abuse with the mother, received instruction from Chen on how to "fix" the children's behavior, and "cleanse" them of their Satanic possession, the indictment says.
During a search of Chen's Betar Illit home, police found evidence that appears to link the rabbi to the abuse, including notebooks that document the violence, police said.
"Put stones on a [Shabbat] hot plate . . . when they are boiling, put them on the bodies of the children and then they will be cleansed," the instructions read.
Chen also instructs his followers how to tie up the children, and to prepare alcoholic drinks made of salt water and turpentine, which, he writes, should be given to the children in order to "vomit out the devil from themselves." Among the items police discovered at Chen's home were hammers, iron bars, turpentine, sticks, and handcuffs.
The other key suspect in the child abuse case, identified as Shimon Gabbai, remains at large and is also wanted by police.
Meanwhile, another suspect arrested by police late Sunday night was remanded in custody on Monday for five days by a Jerusalem court.
The suspect, Avraham Maskalchi, a yeshiva student who twice tried to flee arrest and was nabbed after a police chase, allegedly took part in the abuse of the children, a police representative told the court.
One of the woman's eight children identified him as taking part in the abuse as well, the police representative testified in court.
The charge sheet in the gruesome child abuse case recounts that the mother allegedly forced her children to eat feces, locked them in a suitcase for three days - letting them out only for brief periods of time - repeatedly beat, whipped, and shook them, burned their hands with a lighter and a heater, and gave them freezing showers.
The abusive mother and "educators" are also suspected of pouring salt on the burn wounds of the child, stuffing his mouth with a skullcap and sealing his mouth with masking tape, and giving the children alcoholic drinks until they vomited.
The woman remains in police custody.
Since her arrest last month, the mother was repeatedly shown pictures of her children's injuries, but on most of the days she was in remand, she did not inquire about the children nor did she ask who was taking care of them, the police said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police would not confirm whether they were working with Israeli police to track down Chen, saying that releasing that type of information could harm the investigation if one were ongoing.
The Canadian Justice Ministry also declined to confirm whether it had received requests from Israel for Chen's arrest and extradition, citing the confidentiality of communications between countries.
But should Chen be found in Canada under an international arrest warrant and Israel requests extradition, a Canadian judge will determine whether the suspect can be deported under the extradition treaty existing between the two countries, followed by a review of the attorney-general, a Justice Ministry spokesman said.
According to the extradition agreement between Canada and Israel, for extradition to go forward the suspect must be accused of having committed an act that is considered a crime in both countries - as child abuse is. Extradition would also be held up if there was concern that the suspect was being prosecuted for political motives or could face the death penalty, the latter of which has sometimes complicated extradition from Canada to the United States but shouldn't affect deportation to Israel.
The main issue from Canada's perspective is "are we respecting the person's rights and the [Canadian] charter's rights," explained an aide to MP Irwin Cotler, who served as attorney-general and justice minister in the last government and has argued cases before the Israeli Supreme Court.
A Haaretz report quoted an associated of Chen's as saying that he chose to flee to Canada because "the extradition law is tough." But observers say that assertion might not jibe with the reality, though extradition from Canada can take a long time because of protections including the right to appeal at different points in the process.
"He's going to be in for a surprise," said Canadian Jewish News editor Mordechai Ben-Dat.
"This is a more law-and-order government than other governments," he said of the current Canadian leadership, meaning the attorney-general was unlikely to stay an extradition judgment.
Ben-Dat said that while the Canadian Jewish community is a tight-knit one, it also has many different haredi groups, groups which might be sufficiently cut off from the outside world and media to know that Chen is accused of committing serious crimes.
Chen might be able to take advantage of these enclaves, Ben-Dat said, "if he wants to disappear."
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Or Yehuda 'abusive' mother put under house arrest
Jerusalem Post - April 7, 2008
The mother suspected of severely abusing her infant son, who was admitted to a hospital two weeks ago with cranial hemorrhages and fractured ribs, was released to house arrest with restraints on Monday.
[The mother from Or Yehuda...] The mother from Or Yehuda accused of abusing her son leaves court Monday. Photo: Channel 2
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court thereby approved the request of the woman's lawyers, citing insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, she is forbidden from contacting her husband, who is also suspected of abusing their son.
During her five-day house arrest, the mother is set to stay at a relative in the North. The boy's father was released to house arrest last week after paying a NIS 3,000 bail.
Earlier Monday, Army Radio reported that the couple would probably not stand trial after a pathology report asserted that their "behavior... falls inside the gray area."
When the baby arrived in the hospital and the story broke, the Israeli media had branded them "the abusive parents from Or Yehuda." Doctors had claimed that "the combination of cranial hemorrhaging, clouded consciousness and fractures are very typical of the 'abused baby syndrome,' hence this is a classic case of infant abuse."
Nonetheless, sources involved in the investigation assessed that it was impossible to prove that the parents had abused their child. "The pathology report does not supply any incontrovertible findings, and it now seems that the mother will not be indicted," they said.
"It could be that they are not especially good parents, but the gap between that and a criminal offense is substantial," the sources added.
The police admitted that the case was complicated but insisted that they would pursue an indictment. "I am not willing to give up in this situation, when a two-month-old baby is hospitalized in serious condition and the person who did this doesn't stand trial," a policeman working on the case told Army Radio.
The baby is still in the hospital in stable condition. However, the extent of the harm caused to him is as yet unknown.
Jerusalem Post - April 7, 2008
The mother suspected of severely abusing her infant son, who was admitted to a hospital two weeks ago with cranial hemorrhages and fractured ribs, was released to house arrest with restraints on Monday.
[The mother from Or Yehuda...] The mother from Or Yehuda accused of abusing her son leaves court Monday. Photo: Channel 2
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court thereby approved the request of the woman's lawyers, citing insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, she is forbidden from contacting her husband, who is also suspected of abusing their son.
During her five-day house arrest, the mother is set to stay at a relative in the North. The boy's father was released to house arrest last week after paying a NIS 3,000 bail.
Earlier Monday, Army Radio reported that the couple would probably not stand trial after a pathology report asserted that their "behavior... falls inside the gray area."
When the baby arrived in the hospital and the story broke, the Israeli media had branded them "the abusive parents from Or Yehuda." Doctors had claimed that "the combination of cranial hemorrhaging, clouded consciousness and fractures are very typical of the 'abused baby syndrome,' hence this is a classic case of infant abuse."
Nonetheless, sources involved in the investigation assessed that it was impossible to prove that the parents had abused their child. "The pathology report does not supply any incontrovertible findings, and it now seems that the mother will not be indicted," they said.
"It could be that they are not especially good parents, but the gap between that and a criminal offense is substantial," the sources added.
The police admitted that the case was complicated but insisted that they would pursue an indictment. "I am not willing to give up in this situation, when a two-month-old baby is hospitalized in serious condition and the person who did this doesn't stand trial," a policeman working on the case told Army Radio.
The baby is still in the hospital in stable condition. However, the extent of the harm caused to him is as yet unknown.
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Police to demand extradition of Rabbi believed behind child abuse sect
By Uri Blau, Yair Ettinger, Jonathan Lis and Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondents and AP
By Uri Blau, Yair Ettinger, Jonathan Lis and Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondents and AP
Haaretz/Associated Press - Apirl 7, 2008
Israel Police said Monday they will begin extradition proceedings against Rabbi Elior Chen, who fled to Canada shortly after one of his followers was charged with systematic child abuse including burning her toddlers, making them eat feces, and putting them in a suitcase for days.
Chen was not charged with anything, but fled as news reports of the Jerusalem mother's detention were circulated, and it appeared she had committed the abuse following instructions from him on child disciplining techniques.
During a search of his home Thursday, police found evidence that appears to link the rabbi to the abuse, including journals that document the violence.
Chen may be meeting other members of the sect in Canada, where the family of one of the members lives, according to a friend of Chen's who is familiar with the group but doesn't belong to it. The friend said Chen fled with Joseph Fisher, whose name was not mentioned in an indictment filed yesterday against the mother of the children suspected of being abused by Chen's followers. The remand of the mother was extended Sunday until April 14.
Two of the family's eight children, aged 4 and 5, were hospitalized in serious condition two weeks ago, after Chen allegedly ordered two of his followers to discipline the children by beating, burning, pushing and shaking them, and tying them up as a way of "correcting" their behavior.
The 4-year-old remains in a coma. Police suspect that Chen's supporters also doused the children in hot and cold water and broke their bones with hammers and blows. The mother was charged with forcing the children to eat feces, beating them unconscious and locking them up in a suitcase for three days.
Jerusalem police also arrested an additional suspect in the case, and have issued a gag order regarding his identity. The Magistrate's Court extended his remand by five days.
Chen and three of his supporters allegedly began providing the family with "educational lessons" several months ago. They allegedly kicked the father out of his home and began abusing several of the family's eight children, especially the two youngest.
Chen and Fisher left the country legally, and their exit was registered at border control. Afterward, their wives and children went into hiding. The Fisher apartment has been cleared out and its contents have been placed in storage.
Police said they do not know the location of Chen's and Fisher's families, but Chen's friend said they were hoping to go to Canada as well and may have already left the country.
Chen and his supporters chose Canada in part, the source said, because "the extradition law is tough" there. "Only in very exceptional cases does Canada extradite," he said.
Elior Chen's father, Yaakov Chen, told Haaretz he did not know where his son or his son's family was hiding. "I didn't see him, I don't know where he is," he said. "The last time I saw him was three weeks ago, after he had a girl. I went to his home in Upper Betar, gave him a present and that's it. I haven't seen him since. I'm sitting at home and eating my heart out."
Israel Police said Monday they will begin extradition proceedings against Rabbi Elior Chen, who fled to Canada shortly after one of his followers was charged with systematic child abuse including burning her toddlers, making them eat feces, and putting them in a suitcase for days.
Chen was not charged with anything, but fled as news reports of the Jerusalem mother's detention were circulated, and it appeared she had committed the abuse following instructions from him on child disciplining techniques.
During a search of his home Thursday, police found evidence that appears to link the rabbi to the abuse, including journals that document the violence.
Chen may be meeting other members of the sect in Canada, where the family of one of the members lives, according to a friend of Chen's who is familiar with the group but doesn't belong to it. The friend said Chen fled with Joseph Fisher, whose name was not mentioned in an indictment filed yesterday against the mother of the children suspected of being abused by Chen's followers. The remand of the mother was extended Sunday until April 14.
Two of the family's eight children, aged 4 and 5, were hospitalized in serious condition two weeks ago, after Chen allegedly ordered two of his followers to discipline the children by beating, burning, pushing and shaking them, and tying them up as a way of "correcting" their behavior.
The 4-year-old remains in a coma. Police suspect that Chen's supporters also doused the children in hot and cold water and broke their bones with hammers and blows. The mother was charged with forcing the children to eat feces, beating them unconscious and locking them up in a suitcase for three days.
Jerusalem police also arrested an additional suspect in the case, and have issued a gag order regarding his identity. The Magistrate's Court extended his remand by five days.
Chen and three of his supporters allegedly began providing the family with "educational lessons" several months ago. They allegedly kicked the father out of his home and began abusing several of the family's eight children, especially the two youngest.
Chen and Fisher left the country legally, and their exit was registered at border control. Afterward, their wives and children went into hiding. The Fisher apartment has been cleared out and its contents have been placed in storage.
Police said they do not know the location of Chen's and Fisher's families, but Chen's friend said they were hoping to go to Canada as well and may have already left the country.
Chen and his supporters chose Canada in part, the source said, because "the extradition law is tough" there. "Only in very exceptional cases does Canada extradite," he said.
Elior Chen's father, Yaakov Chen, told Haaretz he did not know where his son or his son's family was hiding. "I didn't see him, I don't know where he is," he said. "The last time I saw him was three weeks ago, after he had a girl. I went to his home in Upper Betar, gave him a present and that's it. I haven't seen him since. I'm sitting at home and eating my heart out."
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Israel seeks extradition of rabbi from Canada on suspicion of child abuse
Canadian Press - April 7, 2008
JERUSALEM — Israeli police say they have begun extradition proceedings against an Israeli rabbi who went to Canada after being suspected of abusing the children of one of his followers.
A police spokesman says two children, aged three and four, were burned and severely beaten with hammers, knives and other instruments.
The three-year-old suffered brain damage, he added.
The children's mother has been charged with abuse.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the rabbi hasn't been charged with a crime.
But police have identified the suspect being sought as Rabbi Elior Chen.
Rosenfeld says the rabbi had travelled to Canada in the past few days.
Officials at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv were not immediately available for comment Monday.
Canadian Press - April 7, 2008
JERUSALEM — Israeli police say they have begun extradition proceedings against an Israeli rabbi who went to Canada after being suspected of abusing the children of one of his followers.
A police spokesman says two children, aged three and four, were burned and severely beaten with hammers, knives and other instruments.
The three-year-old suffered brain damage, he added.
The children's mother has been charged with abuse.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the rabbi hasn't been charged with a crime.
But police have identified the suspect being sought as Rabbi Elior Chen.
Rosenfeld says the rabbi had travelled to Canada in the past few days.
Officials at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv were not immediately available for comment Monday.
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Police arrest man allegedly tied to Jerusalem child abuse case
Jerusalem Post - April 7, 2008
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of being connected to the case of a Jerusalem mother of eight who allegedly abused her children, officials said Sunday overnight.
On Sunday, the 38-year-old mother was indicted in a Jerusalem court.
The woman was arrested last month after the two children were taken to the hospital, the three-year-old in an unconscious state. The child remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe head injuries, and is likely to remain in a vegetative state.
Jerusalem Post - April 7, 2008
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of being connected to the case of a Jerusalem mother of eight who allegedly abused her children, officials said Sunday overnight.
On Sunday, the 38-year-old mother was indicted in a Jerusalem court.
The woman was arrested last month after the two children were taken to the hospital, the three-year-old in an unconscious state. The child remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe head injuries, and is likely to remain in a vegetative state.
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Israel seeks extradition of rabbi from Canada
Associated Press - April 7, 2008
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli police have started extradition proceedings against an Israeli rabbi who fled to Canada after being suspected of abusing the children of one of his followers, a police spokesman said Monday.
Rabbi Elior Chen and his followers are suspected of abusing two children, aged 3 and 4, who were burned and severely beaten with hammers, knives and other instruments, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The 3-year-old suffered permanent brain damage, he added.
Rosenfeld called Chen «one of the main suspects» in the case. Though he has not been charged with a specific crime, «He's definitely connected to the abuse,» Rosenfeld said.
He said Chen had fled to Canada in recent days. The children's mother was charged with abuse last week and remains in jail.
Although police said they were still investigating the motive behind the abuse, Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that Rabbi Chen was trying to cleanse the children of Satanic possession.
In journals describing the abuse, the rabbi wrote, «Put stones on a hot plate . . . when they are boiling, put them on the bodies of the children and then they will be cleansed,» Yediot reported.
The Haaretz daily quoted an unidentified friend of Chen's who said the rabbi chose Canada because «the extradition law is tough» there. It was not known whether Chen holds Canadian citizenship, and the Canadian Embassy did not return messages seeking comment.
In a similar case, complicated extradition laws helped New York Rabbi Avrohom Mondrowitz evade extradition for 23 years when he fled the United States for Israel in 1984 after being charged with sexually abusing children. Mondrowitz was finally arrested last fall and remains in jail in Israel.
Associated Press - April 7, 2008
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli police have started extradition proceedings against an Israeli rabbi who fled to Canada after being suspected of abusing the children of one of his followers, a police spokesman said Monday.
Rabbi Elior Chen and his followers are suspected of abusing two children, aged 3 and 4, who were burned and severely beaten with hammers, knives and other instruments, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The 3-year-old suffered permanent brain damage, he added.
Rosenfeld called Chen «one of the main suspects» in the case. Though he has not been charged with a specific crime, «He's definitely connected to the abuse,» Rosenfeld said.
He said Chen had fled to Canada in recent days. The children's mother was charged with abuse last week and remains in jail.
Although police said they were still investigating the motive behind the abuse, Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that Rabbi Chen was trying to cleanse the children of Satanic possession.
In journals describing the abuse, the rabbi wrote, «Put stones on a hot plate . . . when they are boiling, put them on the bodies of the children and then they will be cleansed,» Yediot reported.
The Haaretz daily quoted an unidentified friend of Chen's who said the rabbi chose Canada because «the extradition law is tough» there. It was not known whether Chen holds Canadian citizenship, and the Canadian Embassy did not return messages seeking comment.
In a similar case, complicated extradition laws helped New York Rabbi Avrohom Mondrowitz evade extradition for 23 years when he fled the United States for Israel in 1984 after being charged with sexually abusing children. Mondrowitz was finally arrested last fall and remains in jail in Israel.
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Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.
I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.
I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead
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