A sexton at a synagogue in the coastal city of Ashkelon was indicted for sexually abusing seven boys, according to a charge sheet cleared for publication Tuesday.
According to the indictment, which was filed last month at the Ashkelon District Court, 63-year-old Yitzhak Almakayes would kiss boys and indecently assault them while giving them lessons in Torah reading, Hebrew media reported.
Most of the alleged incidents occurred in the sexton’s office in the Or Hachaim synagogue building between 2010 and 2017, and most of the boys were minors at the time.
Some of the victims were students studying the Torah portion ahead of their bar mitzvahs.
In other cases, Almakayes allegedly assaulted victims visiting the synagogue.
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Prosecutors requested the sexton be held in custody until the end of the legal proceedings.
Almakayes denied all the charges against him.
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