Famed Israeli Rabbi, Mordechai Elon, stands accused of numerous sexual indiscretions with students. And if the charges are true, he deserves to be punished to fullest extent of the law. The abuse of power, trust and faith when religious teachers take advantage of their students is almost indescribably damaging and destructive.
But even if the charges prove to be false, Rabbi Elon has no right to charge his accusers with formulating a “blood libel”, as he did in a statement released earlier today. Blood libels were charges concocted by anti-Semites to stir fear and hatred of Jews, playing up presumptions about our predatory nature. Is that what Rabbi Elon believes about his colleagues who, if anything, protected him from these accusations for too long?
I pray that Rabbi Elon is not guilty, but given the cautious nature of the group which evaluated the charges, Takana, it’s hard to believe that something is not very wrong here. The coming days will tell, but in the meantime, nobody including Rabbi Elon, is well-served by leveling charges of Jew-hatred at people committed to protecting the safety of students and the integrity of the institutions in which they study.