Ezra Sheinberg, a well-known rabbi in Israel, who was recently accused by at least ten women of rape and sexual abuse over an extended period of time, blamed forced confessions for his arrest. Sheinberg’s detention was extended by three more days on July 21 after being arrested while attempting to flee Israel at Ben Gurion Airport earlier this month.
Even though his name continues to be under the gag order, Sheinberg has refused to accept any of the charges that have been leveled against him so far, saying he would meet his accusers in court, who would look him in the eye to only admit that everything is nonsensical.
“A guiding hand has caused the complainants to complain against me; today is a holiday and the truth will come out,” Sheinberg claimed, during a court hearing in Tzfat. “One thing leads to another and one complainant comes forward, then another admits she was forced into saying what she said. Things will become clearer soon.”
Some of the women, who came forward with the allegations against Sheinberg, jointly responded to his defiant attitude in a letter.
“We read what you told the press that you don’t know who we are ... the truth is you’re right, you don’t know us, you just know our bodies. You didn’t see that we have souls, a husband, children. You crushed us.”
A week after local media exposed several shocking details about the case, including the fact that the accused did confess his crimes to the chief rabbi in Tzfat, Shmuel Eliyahu, Sheinberg went on to deny all claims and dismiss them as “nonsense.” That caused more women to publicly speak about the sexual abuse that they have allegedly suffered at the hands of Sheinberg. One woman offered a testimony to Israel’s media under a pseudonym while another published hers in an open letter.
A day before his detention was extended, prison guards looking over Sheinberg lodged individual complaints with the Israel Prisons Service, accusing the rabbi of having intimidated them with curses. Staff members of Tzalmon Prison said that Sheinberg singled out employees and noted their names from their nametags before declaring that he would place on them a kepeida. A kepeida is a religious curse bestowed upon someone that has provoked anger or offense.
Eliyahu, who also serves as the prison chaplain, said that he tried in vain to mediate and stop Sheinberg from intimidating and verbally harassing prison employees.
“I asked him to stop threatening people, but it didn’t work,” he said. “I don’t believe that the Almighty pays attention to his curses, I’ve encouraged the staff not to be afraid of him,” Eliyahu said.
Religious staff members said that they were frightened of Sheinberg and did not wish to interact with him since he kept talking of his close friendship with the chief rabbi of the prisons service, Ofer Elimelech, and how he would ensure that the employees contract certain illnesses and suffer great misfortunes.
The Israeli Prisons Service has launched an investigation into Sheinberg’s case, as they continue to assess damning physical evidence against him.
Sheinberg, who is 46 years old and married with eight children, founded a yeshiva in 1999. A highly respected and prominent figure within the nation’s religious community, Sheinberg has been lauded as an exceptionally spiritual rabbi with supernatural abilities to read the future and offer guidance on that basis to believers.
At least ten women accused Sheinberg of carrying out various sexual crimes when they approached him for religious guidance and fertility blessings. While teachers and students at Sheinberg’s yeshiva, Orot Haari, said that they were appalled at the accusations that have been leveled against the rabbi, his victims contacted a rabbinic council with their respective complaints. After the council, led by Eliyahu, investigated the women’s accusations, the police were informed.
Photo Credits: KikarNews
