For 23 years
Shocking: Haredi Family Doctor Convicted of Severe Crimes Against His Daughters
The Central-Lod District Court has convicted a Haredi family doctor of committing severe offenses against two of his daughters over a span of approximately 23 years. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the mother and extended family chose to believe the father.
Today (Monday), the Central-Lod District Court convicted a family doctor from the Haredi community in central Israel in an unprecedented indictment. He was found guilty of committing numerous serious and severe crimes against two of his daughters, spanning roughly 23 years, from their early childhood until each reached the age of 18.
The court fully credited the daughters’ testimonies and found the defendant entirely untruthful, rejecting his claims that the daughters fabricated the allegations. He had argued that the elder daughter, referred to as A.A., suffered from a personality disorder and invented the story due to failed therapy, claiming false memories, and alleged resentment toward him over disputes, mainly regarding faith and religion.
Regarding the younger daughter, B.B., he claimed she imitated her older sister, who influenced her, and concocted the story to leave home at 18 and out of animosity toward him.
The court dismissed all defense arguments, ruling there was no evidence that A.A. suffered from a personality disorder or mental illness. On the contrary, evidence indicated she suffers from complex post-trauma syndrome, a result of abuse from early childhood to adulthood. Defense witnesses who testified otherwise had never met A.A., and their “assessments” were based on false information provided by the defendant.
The offenses came to light when B.B. left home at 18 and sought a restraining order against the defendant to prevent further abuse. The court handling the request referred the matter to the police, who then contacted the daughters. Initially, they refused to file a complaint but were eventually persuaded.
The court found the defendant manipulative and duplicitous: a professional, compassionate doctor and family man on one hand, and an abuser on the other. It entirely rejected the defense’s thesis and noted the heavy price the victims paid for speaking out, most of their family, including their mother, turned away, choosing to believe the father.
Regarding the mother, the court noted she had firsthand signs and information provided by the daughters but still unconditionally believed the defendant, relying on her “maternal instinct” and personal knowledge of him, despite acknowledging she knew her daughters well and believed they were not lying.
The court also highlighted the support the victims received from courageous individuals, including teachers, therapists, and rabbis, who helped them seek justice despite the immense difficulty of exposing such crimes within the Haredi community.