An Israeli rabbi accused of sexually abusing several of his students on Sunday reiterated that he is innocent and responded to the indictment against him, saying that while he did hug and caress his students, he did so to comfort them and his actions were not sexual. State prosecutors have accused Rabbi Mordechai Elon of multiple charges of sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault. According to the indictment, originally submitted to Jerusalem's Magistrate Court in November, Elon was involved in a series of indecent sexual acts in 2003 and again in 2005. The acts, the indictment alleges, were performed on two troubled minors who turned to the rabbi for help and guidance. Elon is one of Israel's most prominent religious Zionist rabbis, and has served as the leader of various religious and social organizations. According to the indictment, in July 2005, while heading the organization "Mibereshit," Elon met a 17-year-old boy who admitted to the rabbi that he was experiencing stress and was in a fragile emotional state. In response, Elon allegedly began to caress and kiss the boy. Despite the boy's resistance, Elon is accused of holding the boy firmly while he continued caressing him and telling him he was merely "tense." At some point, the indictment alleges, Elon told the boy he was "messed up," that the root of the problem was in his heart, and he required treatment. All this, prosecutors say, was said while continuing to caress and kiss him. Prosecutors added that the rabbi allegedly placed his legs between those of the boy and later, despite his resistance, had the boy sit on his lap while continuing to caress and kiss him. The boy allegedly experienced the same ordeal a second time, at a later date. Elon's attorney, Yaakov Rubin, said that the rabbi denies all charges and that "he does not recall such a meeting taking place between himself and the individual mentioned." Rubin added, however, that if it is proven that such a meeting did indeed take place, the rabbi then acknowledges that he may have placed his arm around the boy's neck, caressed and hugged him, just as he has for decades with those who have come to him for advice and spiritual strength. Rubin insists the rabbi's actions were not sexually motivated. The second charge against Elon refers to a crime that allegedly occurred two years earlier, in 2003. According to the indictment, Elon performed indecent acts on a different 17-year-old youth, on three different occasions, each time abusing the student-teacher relationship. 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 kissed the nape of the boy's neck, hugged him and caressed him. Elon denies that the actions were sexual in nature, insisting instead that he "hugged and caressed the boy in an effort to comfort him." According to Rubin, "It is possible that the rabbi tilted the boy's head and rested it on his shoulders, hugged and possibly even kissed him." However, he said, even if the prosecution proves the rabbi kissed the boy's neck, there was no sexual motivation behind that act. "It was only a comforting hug or encouragement," Rubin said. The indictment against Elon was filed after he rejected a plea bargain, which would have kept him out of prison if convicted. Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein indicted Elon, with the approval of State Prosecutor Moshe Lador. The allegations against the rabbi were first made public two years ago. Forum Takanah, a group that aims to prevent sexual harassment by authority figures within the religious community, as well as offer support to victims, first raised suspicion about Elon's behavior in February 2010, setting the stage for the criminal investigation launched against him in August 2010. Forum Takanah members include leaders in the religious Zionist community, and it aims to, as it says, "develop a working model within the community for dealing with harassment inflicted by authority figures." Like our newsletter? 'Like' our Facebook page!
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