Unmasking the TikTok "Rabbi" who abused his foster sons

In April 2023, a 17-year-old boy in Houston made a desperate call to a podcast, using a burner phone and public Wi-Fi to stay hidden. He accused his adoptive father, Hayim Nissim Cohen, a 39-year-old TikTok star who called himself a Hasidic rabbi and single dad to nine boys, of sexually abusing him and his brothers for years. That call broke open a horrifying secret, exposing a web of lies and abuse that led to Cohen’s arrest.

On April 18, 2025, a Houston judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to four counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and one count of indecency with a child.

The Man Behind the Mask

To his 300,000 TikTok followers, Cohen was a saintly figure, a self-styled rabbi raising nine adopted boys, many with special needs. His videos, full of the kids dancing to Jewish tunes or making kosher treats, painted a warm picture of an Orthodox Jewish family.

On YouTube’s “Our Unique Family” channel and through Cash App donations, he sold a story of love and faith that tugged at heartstrings. He claimed a Yiddish-speaking childhood in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and said his sons were born Jewish, crafting a tale that won over fans.

But it was all fake. Cohen, born Jeffrey Lujan Vejil in Odessa, Texas, in 1984, had no Jewish roots or rabbinical training. Court records show he changed his name multiple times in 2009 and 2010, landing on Hayim Nissim Cohen, a name suggesting priestly Jewish lineage rarely used by converts.

“He’s not a rabbi,” said Sherry Chandler, an attorney for a 2019 victim, to The Times of Israel. “He just decided one day he was Jewish and changed his name.” No evidence supports his conversion, and his sons weren’t from Jewish families, per adoption records.

Cohen’s lies went deeper. He often used a wheelchair or oxygen tank in public, claiming severe illness. But at home, his sons said, he dropped the act. Prosecutors noted two 2023 hospital visits found no health issues, and the oxygen tanks gathered dust. This charade, they argued, was meant to dodge suspicion and gain pity.

A Nightmare at Home

Behind the cheerful TikTok posts, Cohen’s Houston house was a prison. The 17-year-old’s January 30, 2023, call to Blind Skinned Beauty revealed a decade of terror. He said Cohen started abusing him shortly after adopting him at 11, with the assaults continuing through 2016 and beyond.

He claimed Cohen targeted multiple brothers, using pepper spray, belt beatings, and threats to keep them quiet. Eight earlier Child Protective Services (CPS) probes, he said, fizzled out because Cohen bribed or scared the boys into lying. “I’m using a burner phone... he doesn’t know,” he told host Twaiyah Paynes, typing out the worst details to avoid saying them aloud.

The call was a last resort. Nearing 18, the teen waited until he could escape, fearing Cohen’s wrath or being ignored again. He mentioned a brother with “cognitive issues” whose claims were brushed off and said Cohen controlled their money and phones, locking younger boys in rooms except for bathroom breaks and one daily meal.

Paynes alerted CPS and police, who traced the call to Cohen’s home. The teen initially denied the allegations but confirmed them after hearing his recorded voice. Five other brothers, aged 9 to 17, later told investigators they were also abused.

Court records describe a horrific reality. Janna Oswald, a Harris County prosecutor, said Cohen locked the boys up for hours, freeing them only to demand sexual acts. A 16-year-old reported threats of pepper spray if he refused. The abuse, from 2018 to 2023, included belt beatings and pepper spray attacks. In a 2019 case, Cohen was charged with indecency for abusing a Spanish exchange student but was released on bond, returning home to adopt more boys.

A Family’s Dark Secret

It got worse. Avshalom Cohen, Hayim’s 22-year-old adopted son, was arrested in July 2023 for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old brother and human smuggling.

Court documents say Avshalom bribed the younger boy with energy drinks or a vape for sex and beat another sibling, snarling, “That’s what you get, you little ass kid.” Avshalom, one of three older sons who initially backed Hayim in court, is still in custody, his case pending. That both father and son abused the same family stunned investigators.

CPS removed the six minor sons, aged 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17, placing them in foster care. The three adult sons, including Avshalom, were beyond CPS reach. Cohen’s claim of homeschooling kept the boys isolated, likely hiding the abuse. The 17-year-old’s call was a rare crack in Cohen’s control.

A System That Failed

How Cohen adopted nine boys despite a 2019 felony charge for indecency has made people angry. “He should never have been allowed one child, let alone nine,” Chandler told the Houston Chronicle. “A single guy, no job, claiming to be a rabbi he’s not, and they kept giving him kids.”

A 2025 lawsuit by victims’ attorneys accuses CPS and other agencies of negligence, arguing they failed to screen Cohen properly. Eight prior CPS investigations, stymied by the boys’ coerced denials, have laid bare the very flawed CPS system.

The 2019 case, involving a Spanish student, saw Cohen released on bond due to a “high bar” for detention, a decision now criticized. It’s unclear which agency approved the adoptions or how Cohen, with no visible income, passed vetting. Za’akah, a New York group fighting Orthodox sexual abuse, flagged Cohen’s fake Jewish persona early, but Houston officials missed the signs.

The Social Media Shield

Cohen’s TikTok fame was his shield. With 200,000 followers and posts on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, he sold his family as a Jewish ideal, urging single men to adopt. His videos, showing the boys at Jewish holidays or with a pet snake, hid the truth while he collected Cash App donations. Prosecutors said he “used religion and social media to mask his character,” fooling followers and possibly adoption agencies.

Houston’s Orthodox community rejected Cohen, recognizing his fraud. He had no synagogue ties, and a local rabbi confirmed he wasn’t part of any congregation. By posing as Hasidic at secular Jewish events, he gained trust from outsiders. His obsession with Judaism is a mystery; his Odessa synagogue knew nothing of him. Alarmingly, white supremacists online have twisted his crimes into antisemitic tropes, falsely tying them to Jewish stereotypes.

Facing Justice

On April 7, 2025, Cohen pleaded guilty, sparing his sons a trial. Judge Danilo Lacayo sentenced him to four 40-year terms for sexual assault and 15 years for indecency, running concurrently. “You ran an interesting con,” Lacayo said. “You violated these boys, and today you face justice.” Six sons gave victim impact statements; one shared he attempted suicide 19 times. Prosecutor Oswald called the plea a mercy, avoiding trial trauma.

Cohen appeared in court bald and in a wheelchair, continuing his illness act, but prosecutors dismissed it. “He’s a great actor,” attorney Lewis Chandler told KHOU. Medical tests found no issues, and sons said he only used props publicly.

Houston’s Jewish community has wrestled with the fallout. Leaders voiced sorrow but stressed child safety, with one outlet saying, “We feel pain for another Yid, but our children come first.” They called abuse a “human race challenge,” pushing for openness to avoid cover-ups. On X, @KPRC2 and @HoustonChronicle shared sentencing updates, while users raged at CPS, one asking, “How was this guy allowed to keep kids?” The teen’s courage won praise; a Reddit user wrote, “This kid saved others.”

What’s Left to Fix

Cohen’s case lays bare flaws in adoption oversight. His 2019 charge didn’t stop him, and eight CPS probes failed. The lawsuit against CPS seeks accountability, with attorneys calling the system “awful” for placing nine kids with a jobless man with a criminal past. It also warns against trusting social media images, as Cohen’s TikTok fame hid his crimes.

For Jews, the case cuts deep, exploiting sacred traditions. Za’akah’s early alerts were ignored, and the community is now demanding vigilance. Advocates hope the case pushes for better vetting and monitoring of high-risk homes.

The six boys in foster care face uncertain futures. Cohen’s lies stole their childhoods, but the 17-year-old’s voice gave them justice.

Houston Chronicle, KHOU and The Times of Israel contributed to this article.