Mondrowitz arrested in Israel

By · November 16, 2007

Accused pedophile Avraham Mondrowitz was arrested in Israel.

Mondrowitz, a fervently Orthodox hasid who fled to Israel to escape arrest on charges that he molested underage boys, was apprehended Friday by Israeli authorities. Mondrowitz’s extradition had been requested earlier this year by the Brooklyn district attorney, Charles Hynes, according to a spokesperson.

The arrest came just hours before a scheduled press conference in New York meant to intensify public pressure for action on the case. Michael Lesher, an attorney who represents six of Mondrowitz’s alleged victims, told reporters he was grateful for the arrest, but that celebrations were premature.

“There is too much left to do,” Lesher said.

Mondrowitz was indicted in Brooklyn in the 1980s on several counts of abusing underage boys, including acts forced sodomy. According to Lesher, who said he confirmed the arrest with a spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Justice, Mondrowitz is scheduled to have a hearing Sunday afternoon.

Last Sunday, an Israeli court ruled that another accused pedophile who fled to Israel, Stefan Colmer, could be extradited to the United States.

Lesher was joined at the press conference by several activists who deal with the subject of sex abuse in the Orthodox community. They said that, while abuse may not be more prevalent among religious Jews, the stigma against reporting cases to the authorities has only recently begun to lift.