Monday, March 18, 2013

Convicted child rapist becomes a Rebbe

YNet    Yaakov Yitzhak Rata, who was convicted of rape and sentenced to 16 years at the Maasiyahu Prison's religious wing, was released from jail last week only to become a rebbe – a position he inherited from his father, who died during his imprisonment. [...]

The father of the rapist rabbi was Rabbi Avraham Chaim Rata, who was known as the "Shomrei Emumim Rebbe" and died last summer. He led a small congregation of 200 followers based in Jerusalem. [...]

The report added that Rata was expected to serve as a rebbe in the haredi city of Beitar Illit, where the leader of the Shomrei Emunin community had yet to be appointed.

"The rabbi denied the offenses attributed to him and refused to confess to the acts, and as a result even avoided signing a plea bargain, which worsened his legal situation," reporter Israel Cohen explained in his merciful report. "His father, the Rebbe of blessed memory, had expressed his silent support for him too and believed that he was innocent."

7 comments:

  1. As far as I remember the rapes he denies doing were to his own son or daughter who testified against him. Maybe someone can clarify the matter.

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  2. As I read the will, he was assigned beit Shemesh.

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  3. Now that's what I call a Baal Tshuva!

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  4. I have nothing to say about his innocence or guilt. However, it will be interesting to see which, if any, Chassidim gravitate towards him.
    I would have liked him to refuse becoming a Rebbe due to the appearance of impropriety that surrounds him, but it's not my choice to make.

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  5. Any Chassid who believes anything the Zionist court system says even if the accused says nothing is possul (or a new style of Chassid, shhh). How can any Chassid not accept him as a totally innocent tzaddik? The Zionist court system is the greatest evil in the world of Shomrei Emunim, much worse than Christianity, Islam, Communism, Evolution and the Soton all rolled into one. The only way is to believe his niece, but she went to the secular court so she is possul also.

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