Northern Rabbi Denies Sex Abuse Allegations

By Tova Dvorin
Arutz Sheva
July 8, 2015

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/197856#.VZ2e4vlViko

Rabbi accused of sexual abuse

The well-known rabbi from northern Israel accused by multiple women of sexual abuse has denied the allegations against him on Wednesday, speaking just after a hearing which extended his detention by eight days. 

Eight separate women have accused him of sexual abuse, but the rabbi would not be swayed or intimidated. 

"All of that is nonsense," he told Channel 2. "We will meet the same women in court, they will have to look me in the eyes." 

The rabbi added religious context to the upcoming trial. 

"We'll check everything on its merits," he said. "The days between the 17 of Tammuz and 9 of Av are days that we work to improve on baseless hatred between people." 

The rabbi, who was the dean of a yeshiva, was arrested while trying to flee Israel at Ben-Gurion airport last week. On Friday, soon after his arrest, he was admitted to Ziv Hospital in Tzfat after feeling unwell; he was released Tuesday afternoon in apparent good health. 

He was due to be identified by the press on Wednesday afternoon following a decision by the Nazareth District Court to choose public interest over the rabbi's personal considerations.

However, that publication has been postponed due to the rabbi's legal team appealing to the Supreme Court over the issue, Arutz Sheva learned earlier Wednesday.