Targeted religious women (illustration)
Photo: Haim Ziv
'Saint with pure semen' imprisoned
Former Defense Ministry employee says his semen is holy liquid, physical contact with him heals body and soul. Number of women fall under his influence after he tells them he is one of 36 righteous people in Judaism
Nissim Aharon, a former Defense Ministry employee convicted of severe sexual offenses, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Petah Tikva District Court as part of a plea bargain.
Aharon was convicted of rape, sodomy, indecent acts, aggravated fraudulent acquisition, making threats, forgery, using a forged document, and attempted disruption of legal proceedings.
Aharon, a resident of Rishon Lezion, was arrested last August. The indictment issued against him said that for many years he presented himself as a righteous holy man with healing properties in order to prey on women and perform sexual acts on them. In addition, the women gave him large sums of money under false pretenses.
The indictment also revealed that Aharon, in his 60s, targeted a religious audience or those seeking to become religious. He lied to them, saying he is a holy, pure rabbi whom other rabbis consult. He would say that he is a hidden righteous man, one of the 36 righteous men in Judaism and fixes broken souls and controls angels.
To this end, he would tell women that his semen is a holy liquid, and whoever comes in physical contact with him will be healed in body and soul. He even went as far as to say that it is a religious commandment to touch the body of "Rabbi Nissim Aharon." He claimed that his holiness is transferred to others via physical contact and that it purifies them.
Judges: Monstrous behavior
The indictment also saidthat Aharon luied to some of his victims, telling them that he holds senior positions in the Shin Bet and the Mossad that take him on military missions beyond enemy lines and is in regular contact with the prime minister, government ministers, and senior dignitaries.
The judges wrote in their sentence: "His behavior is deviant, even monstrous… Likewise, there are no words to describe the ugliness of his actions and the disgrace and contempt that should be felt towards them. The sexual offenses are grave and numerous, as are the fraud offenses.
"His sexual appetite could not be satisfied. The defendant was willing to take any measure to take advantage of the women – old and young – in disgraceful sexual exploitation."
In 2008, the defendant was tried in the disciplinary court for public servants and was convicted on account of his confession provided as part of a plea bargain for sexually harassing a 21-year-old woman whom he was in charge of.
The court accepted the plea bargain and ruled that he be reprimanded and his salary would be withheld. Outside the plea bargain, it was also agreed that he would retire on his own accord.
