The Nazareth District Court sentenced Safed Rabbi Ezra Sheinberg to seven and a half years in prison for sexual offenses he perpetrated against eight different women who had turned to him for spiritual guidance. The two and a half years Sheinberg has spent in prison during his trial will count toward his sentence.
Sheinberg was convicted in July 2017 after pleading guilty in an amended indictment filed against him by the Northern District Attorney's Office as part of a plea bargain between the rabbi and the complainants.
In the previous indictment, submitted two years earlier, Sheinberg was charged with 13 counts of sexual assault, including rape and sodomy, against 12 different women.
The trial was held behind closed doors, and in the past two years, two of the most serious offenses were removed from the charges. In addition, the testimonies of four of the women who initially filed complaints against Sheinberg were removed from the indictment after they failed to appear at the hearings.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said that during the trial, "The defense presented new and significant evidence. As a result, the judicial panel decided to send the sides to criminal mediation proceeding before a mediator judge, Yifat Shitrit-Hadad, who recommended concluding the case with a plea bargain."
Sheinberg's victims were among those who protested the verdict at the entrance to the courthouse. Only one of the complainants, however, was present for Tuesday's sentencing.
In a statement on the amended indictment at the time, the prosecutor's office said: "Within the framework of the mediation proceedings, complainants in the case met with the mediation judge as well as the Northern District Attorney's Office, who explained to them, among other things, their rights as well as in general the essence of the new evidence and its possible repercussions/consequences from a legal and personal perspective."
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor asked for Sheinberg to be given eight years and nine months in prison. The Nazareth District Court, however, only partially ceded to this request.
Sheinberg's conviction was met with mixed emotions by his relatives.
In a statement, attorney Sara Marcovich, who represented some of the complainants, said, "Serial sexual offender like Sheinberg deserved a much harsher sentence, but the sentence that was given was harsh enough."
Sheinberg's defense attorneys, Menachem Rubinstein and Moran Saadon, said, "In this case, a much more moderate sentence could have been issued." They said that regarding a possible appeal, they would read the verdict before making any decision on the matter.
The Northern District Attorney's Office also noted they would examine the possibility of submitting an appeal.
