Israelis Arrest Rabbi for Allegedly Enslaving Women, Children

Jerusalem police have detained a 60-year-old ultra-Orthodox rabbi accused of having held as many as 50 women and children as young as five against their will. The arrest of the rabbi and nine others suspected of involvement – including his wife – came after some of the women escaped and lodged a complaint with a group that advocates on behalf of cult survivors, according to a televised news report. The rabbi was reportedly arrested over similar accusations in the past, though without charges being brought. The TV report said the women and girls were given “multiple lessons in modesty,” adding that the girls allegedly had their fingers pushed into flames “to make them understand what hell is.” The rabbi told a reporter that he expected his latest arrest to end the way the previous arrests turned out – with his release. When asked about the children, he reportedly said: “Maybe they are my grandchildren who came over.”