The parents of teen girls sent to Orthodox seminaries in Israel are suing the rabbi in charge, stating he sexually assaulted the girls and falsely presented the seminaries to entice the parents to pay thousands of dollars to attend the schools.
According to the court documents filed at the NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, the plaintiffs who are american citizens sued Rabbi Elimelech Meisels, and four subsidiary Jewish seminaries Peninim, Binas Bais Yaakov, Chedvas Bais Yaakov and Keser Chaya which are located in Israel.
The lawsuit states that Meisels, traveled to and participated in personal, in-person recruiting meetings with the plaintiffs and their daughters at various Orthodox schools across the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and California to entice them to enroll in his seminaries.
“From approximately 2004 until the present date, defendant Elimelech Meisels engaged in a fraudulent and unlawful scheme to induce Orthodox Jewish parents from across the United States to send their daughters to various seminaries in Israel that he controlled under the guise of educational and spiritual development,” says the complaint
“In truth, defendant Meisels’ true aim was to fraudulently and unlawfully take thousands of dollars from each of these parents and to induce these girls, by telephone, mail, wire and other means, to travel thousands of miles outside the United States and away from their parents for the purpose of sexually assaulting these vulnerable young girls.”
The claim goes on to say that Meisels would lure the girls to late night coffee meetings to sexually assault them, and that he would intimidate the victims into silence by telling them nobody would “believe that a rabbi and author with his reputation would have done such a thing.”
He also said if the girls ever told he would ruin their reputations and would ensure they would never marry.
The plaintiffs accuse the staff of actively and passively hiding the assaults, and that it was “widely known” that Meisels was having late inappropriate meetings with the girls.
Last month, the Chicago Bais Din, a Jewish religious court, heard testimony from several of the victims and ruled that the students at Meisels’ seminaries were “at risk of harm.”
Hebrew Theological College and Tuoro College suspended their relationships with the seminaries, which meant that a student attending the seminaries couldn’t receive college credit for her attendance at American educational institutions.
The complaint describes how Meisels and other defendant created a scam where they would say Meisels sold the seminary and it was now under a new ownership, making it safe for the girls to return and therefore reaping the profits from the tuition deposits.
The plaintiffs seek punitive damages for racketeering, fraud, breach of contract, emotional distress, conspiracy and conversion.
Meisels has of course denied all the accusations, “The allegations are completely false,” Meisels told JTA
in an email. “My attorney has advised me to pursue legal action against all those who are wronging myself and the seminaries.”
Aside from Meisels, other administrators of the seminaries are also names in the suit.
Meisels had admitted everything to the Chaicago Bais Din!
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| The Seminary Tzadik, Meisels |
The lawsuit states that Meisels, traveled to and participated in personal, in-person recruiting meetings with the plaintiffs and their daughters at various Orthodox schools across the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and California to entice them to enroll in his seminaries.
“From approximately 2004 until the present date, defendant Elimelech Meisels engaged in a fraudulent and unlawful scheme to induce Orthodox Jewish parents from across the United States to send their daughters to various seminaries in Israel that he controlled under the guise of educational and spiritual development,” says the complaint
“In truth, defendant Meisels’ true aim was to fraudulently and unlawfully take thousands of dollars from each of these parents and to induce these girls, by telephone, mail, wire and other means, to travel thousands of miles outside the United States and away from their parents for the purpose of sexually assaulting these vulnerable young girls.”
The claim goes on to say that Meisels would lure the girls to late night coffee meetings to sexually assault them, and that he would intimidate the victims into silence by telling them nobody would “believe that a rabbi and author with his reputation would have done such a thing.”
He also said if the girls ever told he would ruin their reputations and would ensure they would never marry.
The plaintiffs accuse the staff of actively and passively hiding the assaults, and that it was “widely known” that Meisels was having late inappropriate meetings with the girls.
Last month, the Chicago Bais Din, a Jewish religious court, heard testimony from several of the victims and ruled that the students at Meisels’ seminaries were “at risk of harm.”
Hebrew Theological College and Tuoro College suspended their relationships with the seminaries, which meant that a student attending the seminaries couldn’t receive college credit for her attendance at American educational institutions.
The complaint describes how Meisels and other defendant created a scam where they would say Meisels sold the seminary and it was now under a new ownership, making it safe for the girls to return and therefore reaping the profits from the tuition deposits.
The plaintiffs seek punitive damages for racketeering, fraud, breach of contract, emotional distress, conspiracy and conversion.
Meisels has of course denied all the accusations, “The allegations are completely false,” Meisels told JTA
in an email. “My attorney has advised me to pursue legal action against all those who are wronging myself and the seminaries.”Aside from Meisels, other administrators of the seminaries are also names in the suit.
Meisels had admitted everything to the Chaicago Bais Din!
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