Khaberni - The Israeli police arrested on Thursday morning, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish teacher Mordechai Yom-Tov, who is wanted for extradition to the United States for committing serious sexual crimes against minors.
The Israeli authorities were able to arrest him in his hiding place in the Tal Arza neighborhood of Jerusalem, and his detention was extended by seven days in court. The extradition proceedings will continue accordingly.
The ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish teacher Mordechai, an American-Israeli, was previously arrested in Los Angeles on December 3, 2001, at the age of 36, and was charged with ten counts related to committing indecent acts against three of his students, aged between 8 and 10 years, at an only-boys Orthodox religious school in Hollywood managed by the Chabad movement on the West Coast, a school also attended by the children of emissaries (Shluchim).
Local media from the Los Angeles Supreme Court reported that when he pled guilty, he stood wearing an orange jacket and cried intensely. Even the parents showed understanding. One of them told the "Jewish Journal," which covered the case: "We understand that he is sick. He has an addiction that cannot be treated."
In a plea deal aimed at sparing the children the need to testify, Yom-Tov was convicted based on his confession to two charges of "ongoing sexual assault on a minor" and one charge of "lewd act on a minor."
Mordechai was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by five years of probation. The court ordered Yom-Tov not to contact the victims or their families or any minors without the presence of an adult – except for his three children – and to undergo psychological treatment at the University of Southern California throughout his punishment period, including probation, in addition to being registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life. After serving his sentence, he was banned from seeking employment in any job involving teaching minors.
Nevertheless, Mordechai Yom-Tov, after serving his prison sentence, is suspected of violating the release conditions and fleeing to Israel via Mexico, where he integrated into the community and found refuge.
In this regard, the JCW organization (Jewish Community Watch) confirmed that the phenomenon of child molesters fleeing from one country to another, exploiting their Jewish identity and the possibility of immigrating to Israel, poses a significant challenge to communities and legal authorities on both sides.
JCW, a small but resolute American organization that tracks suspects in child molestation crimes, explained that this is a common pattern among Jewish offenders who exploit Israel's Law of Return. In an interview held in 2020, six years after its founding in 2014, the organization announced that it had already identified 60 such fugitives.
The founder of JCW, Meyer Seewald, told CBS News: "The same thing that's happening in the Catholic Church globally – is happening exactly in our community." He added: "The cover-up is identical, as well as the stigma and the shame."
