A 45-year-old trainer has accused Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger
of sexually harassing him some five years ago, Yedioth Ahronoth reported
Monday.
The personal fitness trainer, who is a homosexual, said he
decided to talk after the rabbi was questioned under caution by the police this
week on suspicion of bribery, fraud, embezzlement, breach of trust and money
laundering.
The trainer, who also worked as a tour guide, said on Sunday
that the alleged incident took place as he was accompanying a group of priests
who had met with Metzger at the chief rabbi's office in Jerusalem during their
visit to Israel.
"During the meeting I sensed that Rabbi Metzger did not
stop looking at me," the man recalled. "After the meeting he approached
me and said he could help me get work as a tour guide for groups visiting
Israel.
He asked for my phone number, and then asked if I would accompany him
to his office.
When we entered he closed the door, and from here things got
really weird. He asked if I worked as a trainer and said he was looking for
one. He told me he also wanted to get massages. I was shocked.
"Then he grabbed my hand and stroked it throughout the
entire conversation. I froze. I mean, this is the chief rabbi, and we were in his
office," the man said. "He said he wanted a trainer who could also
give him massages.
He said he had an apartment in Tel Aviv and that physical
fitness was important to him.
Then he pointed at his stomach and said 'feel
it.' I left his office stunned. Since that meeting he would call me from
blocked phone numbers and ask 'When are we going to schedule a training
session?' Eventually I gave him the phone number of another trainer, and that's
how I got rid of him.
"I told my close friends about the incident
immediately. It angered me that in the past he had issued a statement
condemning the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem. I remember thinking to myself:
'How is he not ashamed of himself?'
Rabbi Metzger responded to the accusations through his
attorneys David Libai and Elad Rath, who issued a statement saying the rabbi
"has no idea who this man is."
No comments:
Post a Comment