Meron rabbi arrested over serious sex-crime allegations

Rabbi Yosef Shoveli, 54, of Meron, was arrested overnight Thursday on suspicion of serious sex offenses following a covert Northern District police investigation.

The investigation into Shoveli was opened after several complaints were filed over the past month, police said, adding that evidence connecting the suspect to the allegations led to his arrest. He was taken for questioning and is expected to appear in court for a remand hearing.

Police urged anyone who was harmed or has relevant information to contact the nearest police station or call 100.

In a public warning letter, Eliyahu and several other rabbis said they had received serious testimony against a man who presented himself as righteous while allegedly committing grave acts. The rabbis said they could not detail the allegations “because of modesty,” and cited claims of intimidation against those who said they were harmed.

“Due to the severity of the testimony, we express our view and call on the public to distance themselves from him and his bad deeds, and not to listen to his guidance or lessons,” the rabbis wrote, according to the letter cited by Ynet.

The Israeli Center for Cult Victims said it had gathered 16 testimonies since 2011 about a group in the Safed-Meron area allegedly led by Shoveli.

The testimonies described patterns of control, dependence, family estrangement, unpaid labor, fear, humiliation, and exploitation, the center said. Some witnesses alleged that members in Shoveli’s inner circle subjected personal and family decisions to his approval.

Four testimonies included allegations of sexual harm under spiritual authority, with alleged acts described to victims as part of a “spiritual process,” “rectification,” or “special closeness,” according to the center.

Shoveli denied the allegations through his attorney, saying he “categorically rejects everything stated and dismisses the claims outright.”