Zalman Cohen one of 5 men arrested in September for allegedly sexually abusing dozens of minors in Jerusalem.
By JOANNA PARASZCZUKRape victim(photo credit: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich)
The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office announced on Sunday that an indictment has been filed charging a Jerusalem man with sexually abusing minors in the capital.Zalman Cohen was one of five men arrested in September for allegedly sexually abusing dozens of minors in Jerusalem.RELATED:Pedophile found working at daycare center, arrestedIsraeli software protects kids from pedophilesShattering the quietThe indictment, filed by attorney Shulamit Ben-Yitzhak last Wednesday, describes how Cohen and another man allegedly abused several minors in a house in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem in 2009 and 2010.In one incident, Cohen and other men allegedly abused several boys and girls, by forcing them to undress and pair up in “couples” and perform sex acts. Cohen is alleged to have threatened two of the children with a toy gun, saying that if they told their parents about the abuse, he would kill them.The indictment describes another incident in which Cohen is alleged to have abused two young girls in the bathroom of his house.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem District Court published on Sunday a ruling denying Cohen’s request to hold the trial behind closed doors.Cohen said a public trial could damage his reputation and livelihood, and could endanger his ex-wife and grown children.However, Judge Orit Efaal- Gabay said in her ruling there was no basis for a closed-door trial.
