Six years after an investigation revealed his actions: The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court today (Tuesday) sentenced Rabbi Yosef Mugrabi, head of a community and yeshiva from Holon, to a year in prison, who was convicted of committing serious acts against his students.
Rabbi Mughrabi, 56, was originally accused of committing serious acts against several students over a long period of time, sometimes using religious excuses.
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As part of a plea agreement, the indictment was amended and he pleaded guilty to some of the charges.
The investigation into Rabbi Mugrabi's actions was broadcast on the main edition of Channel 13 in July 2020, and it was revealed that for years the minor students of the rabbi, who headed the 'Yagel Yaakov' institutions and served as director of yeshiva and comprehensive schools, had complained that he was committing serious offenses among them.
The day after the investigation was broadcast, he was arrested, but it was later revealed that the evidence against the rabbi had reached the police a year and a half earlier - but the investigators chose to ignore it.
The explanation for the rabbi's strange instructions can only be understood when you hear the testimonies of the boys who were there. "One day the rabbi came to me, told me I was proud. Then he told me, 'To reduce this pride, you need to make a correction,'" said David (not his real name), who was offended by Rabbi Mughrabi.
Rabbi Asher Melamed, CEO and founder of the Israeli Center for Protection, which has been accompanying the victims for several years with the police and the prosecutor's office, said: "Today a little justice has been done and the authorities and the community have recognized the severe harm they suffered at the hands of Rabbi Yosef Mughrabi.".
