The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office is expected to file an indictment against Rabbi Yosef Paryzer for using a false identity to deceive multiple women into romantic and sexual relationships, as the police concluded their investigation in the case on Monday.
The police said a prosecutor’s statement was filed, and the court approved the extension of Paryzer’s detention until September 14. The so-called “Yeshiva Deceiva” was arrested on August 22 by Jerusalem police.
An investigation by the fraud department tracked down over 30 women that the suspect had allegedly met on online dating websites and applications. Last Sunday, police claimed to have secured 32 testimonies. Some of the women Paryzer dated said they don’t support his prosecution and have preferred to focus on repairing their lives rather than giving testimony.
Who was "Jake Segal"?
Paryzer, a 34-year-old married father of two and now fired rabbi at a yeshiva, presented himself to women as “Jake Segal,” a bachelor who trained seeing-eye dogs.
The US citizen promised women long-term relationships, marriage, and families, but as far back as 2012 had relationships with different women at the same time. Some of the relationships lasted as long as seven years.
In Israel, it is a crime to have sexual intercourse with consent obtained through deception of one’s identity.“The acts of deceit and fraud of the suspect who led a double life, led to harm to many women, harm that accompanies them to this day,” said the police. “The unusual scope of the victims shows the method he used time and time again to carry out his plot. The Israel Police will continue to act against sex offenders who use social networks.”