59-year-old rabbi indicted on 7 counts of rape

Rabbi Moshe Yazdi of Givat Ze'ev preached to his followers that he had special powers and could "mend" their "impurities," which he did by sexually and financially exploiting them.

He also convinced them to give him thousands of shekels based on fraudulent claims, taking advantage of his authority, the indictment reads.

Yazdi was the head of the "Amudei Hashalom" ("Pillars of Peace") community and nonprofit since the 1990s, which included a soup kitchen, food deliveries to people in need and daily Torah classes. His followers included ba'alei teshuva – returnees to Torah observance.

He described himself as a "true righteous person" and one of the mythical 36 hidden "tzadikim," who was able to communicate with the holy spirit and deceased rabbis. He led his followers to submit to his will even if it seemed immoral or not a violation of halakha (Jewish law).

He then sexually exploited seven women and told each of them separately that they were special and had a "special soul." He also directed them to transfer money to a number of different bank accounts in order to attempt to evade tax authorities.

Yazdi was indicted on a long list of offenses, including fraudulent rape, fraudulent sodomy, fraud under aggravated circumstances, money laundering, tax evasion and more.

Sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox world

Sexual abuse of women and children in the ultra-Orthodox community has slowly gained attention in recent years.

Allegations that surfaced against popular haredi author Haim Walder in November caused what some viewed as the beginning of a significant shift in the community's treatment of the issue.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-708652