A rabbi in France was questioned this week by police on suspicion that he raped a number of female minors, French media reported on Tuesday. Rabbi Daniel Farhi, 70, is the founder of the Liberal Jewish Movement of France, the country's only Reform Jewish movement. He was summoned for questioning by police on Tuesday morning and arrested following the questioning. He is suspected of having assaulted a number of young women, at least one of whom was under the age of 15 at the time of the attack. Parisian-born Farhi is a prominent spiritual leader in France who just last week was presented with one of the country's highest honors by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He is considered one of France's most influential liberal Jews and is known for making efforts to close the gaps between Muslims, Christians and Jews in the country. The rabbi is also a Holocaust survivor. During World War II, he was hidden from the Nazis by a Protestant couple, George and Juliette Ellenbach. The couple have been officially recognized by Yad Vashem and Israel as Righteous Among the Nations. Farhi has written six books on the subject of the Holocaust, and is also a close friend of Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, renowned for their efforts in tracking down Nazi criminals. Farhi's friends and colleagues reacted with shock to news of his arrest. Several of his friends said that the accusations against him were completely out of character. A top Israeli official who knows Farhi personally also reacted with surprise, saying that the rabbi's arrest would have serious repercussions for his Jewish movement. Farhi has three children, one of whom is also a rabbi.
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