The Jerusalem Magistrates' Court sentenced Rabbi Moti Elon
to six months community service after he was found guilty in August in two
cases of sexual assault on a minor.
Elon was also sentenced to 15 months probation and must pay
NIS 10,000 in compensation to the victim a day after new details were released
about his case, revealing the rabbi's behavioral patterns and reinforcing the
conviction against him.
After hearing his sentence, Elon said that he accepted the
six months of community service with pleasure.
"I've been doing community
service for 40 years, and I would love to do until I'm 120." Elon said
that he would "act with the help of God according to the Torah's
approach," when asked about a possible appeal to his sentence.
While testifying, R.M, a social worker, recalled how she
watched the rabbi kiss and hug a boy in his car.
The case is not included in
the indictment, but the testimony was found by the court to be reliable and
relevant.
As deliberations over Elon's sentence began, Jerusalem
District Prosecutor Sagi Ofir announced his support of a 8–18 months term of
imprisonment for the convicted rabbi.
Elon's friends and family argued that he should receive
community service, and not a prison sentence.
They added that regardless of he
sentence, the disgraced rabbi will appeal the verdict.
At the time of the trial, R.M. told the court about an event
that occurred in September 2001, in which she allegedly saw Elon, who was at
the time a director of the Horeb School in Jerusalem, kissing and hugging a
minor in his car.
Shocked from what she saw, R.M hurried to document the event
in writing as to not forget any detail.
A few days after the incident, the
witness called her psychologist and consulted with her about the case without
revealing Elon's identity, but mentioning that he was a rabbi from
religious-Zionist community was involved.
Two weeks later the psychologist called R.M and told her
that she summoned the rabbi and his wife for a talk. She said that Elon
explained that the boy was upset and that he was merely comforting him.
During her testimony, the witness said that from that moment
on, she trusted her psychologist's judgment and that from her perspective the
issue was resolved.
Only after media reports emerged detailing the full scope of
Elon's actions, did R.M, via a friend, turn to the police and prosecution.
Deputy District Court President Judge Hagit Mack-Kalmanovith
accepted her testimony and determined that the witness's reliability can not be
challenged, citing the extensive details she provided.
"The detailed description provided by the witness (the
document written on pieces of paper on the night of the incident) determined
that is not consistent with the possibility that the document is
fabricated," said the Judge.
In questioning, Elon denied most of the allegations brought
against him.
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