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.
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