State prosecutors indicted Rabbi Mordechai (Moti) Elon on Wednesday on charges of forced indecent acts. According to the indictment, Elon performed a series of forced indecent acts on a minor, and an indecent act on another minor while taking advantage of their teacher-student relationship. The indictment was submitted after Elon rejected a plea bargain which would have ensured he would not spend time in prison if convicted of the alleged crimes. According to the indictment, which was submitted to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, the acts were allegedly performed in 2003 and 2005 on two distressed minors who turned to the rabbi for help. The first accusation alleges that Elon performed an indecent act on a 17-year-old boy, whom he met in July 2005 in "Mibereshit," an organization that Elon headed at that time. The boy told Elon that he was distressed, and in response, Elon allegedly began to pet the boy and kiss him. Despite the boy's resistance, Elon was said to have held him firmly and insisted that the boy was "tense." At some point, Elon allegedly told the boy he was "messed up," the problem stemmed from his heart, and he required treatment, all the while continuously petting and kissing him. The indictment mentions that the same boy experienced the same ordeal with the rabbi on a second occasion as well. Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox! The second charge involves a crime that allegedly occurred two years earlier, in 2003. According to the indictment, Elon performed indecent acts on a different 17-year-old, while taking advantage of their teacher-student relationship, on three different occasions. Elon allegedly invited the boy to see him after he found out that the boy's close friend was killed in an accident. As in the first case, Elon is said to have sat the boy down on a couch and begun to pet and kiss him. While doing so, Elon allegedly encouraged the boy to express his anguish. Later, the indictment says, Elon invited the boy to sleep at his home, which is where he allegedly committed the same crimes. Several weeks later, Elon is said to have met the boy in his yeshiva office, where he once again proceeded to hug and forcefully kiss him. The decision to indict Elon was made by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein with the approval of State Prosecutor Moshe Lidor. Israel Hayom learned that it was Elon himself, via his attorney, who requested a plea bargain. In response to Elon's request, the prosecution prepared a deal, but Elon then reneged and refused to sign it. Friends and family members said Elon appeared sad when he was told of his indictment, but also felt relieved. "On one hand, he is hurt. On the other hand, he is glad to be given the chance to fight in the name of his innocence," Yossi Greenfeld, Elon's family member, said. "He did not feel comfortable admitting to things he did not do. He could not put his signature beneath a lie." According to Greenfeld, the indictment is "weak" and puts a teacher's relationship with his student in question. "The rabbi hugged and kissed me on the back of my neck as well, under my wedding canopy. This is a misunderstanding of the culture, and the relationship between rabbis and their students. Students come to their rabbis and share their difficult problems with them. The rabbis, in response, hug them and encourage them." Elon is scheduled to teach a class in the town of Migdal on Thursday, during which he is expected to speak about the charges against him. "Takana" forum members, who were initially responsible for disclosing the case, refused to comment on the developments.
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