By Ben Hartman
The Jerusalem Post
February 18, 2010
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=169065
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| Decision made jointly by A-G Weinstein and head investigator Segelovich Photo by Ariel Jerozolimski |
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein ordered police Thursday to launch an investigation into the sexual abuse allegations made against Rabbi Mordechai Elon.
The decision followed a meeting between Weinstein and the head of the police investigative branch, Cmdr. Yoav Segelovich. State Attorney Moshe Lador also attended the meeting.
The allegations against Elon came to light after Takana, a rabbinical forum that investigates allegations of sexual abuse in the religious community, posted a message on its Web site Monday demanding that Elon step down from all rabbinical, teaching and community responsibilities and saying he was a threat to the public.
On Wednesday, Takana posted a statement that Elon had been accused of having sexual relations with male students in the past.
On Tuesday, police issued a statement saying that in October 2006, they had received a letter from then-attorney-general Menahem Mazuz, in which he instructed them not to launch a criminal investigation into the allegations.
The statement added that a senior assistant to Weinstein had told Takana Tuesday that any new complaints or relevant information must be handed over immediately to the police.
On Tuesday night, the Takana forum held an emergency meeting to discuss the allegations facing Elon. Takana member Rabbi Yuval Cherlow told Army Radio Wednesday that Elon had admitted to the acts during the emergency meeting, adding that the rabbi’s confession was documented in the forum’s protocol. Cherlow said that since the accusations against Rabbi Elon had been made public, 10 other students of the rabbi had filed complaints against him to the forum.
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