fbpx

American Rabbi Suspected of Running Baby Trafficking Network

(JTA) — Israeli police have arrested five people, including an American rabbi who heads a yeshiva, for allegedly running an international baby trafficking ring that targeted mentally disabled mothers.

The Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday identified the rabbi as Shmuel Puretz, 44, a businessman who divides his time between New York and Jerusalem, according to The Times of Israel. He and at least four other suspects were arrested in February, but details of the three-year investigation against them had been subject to a gag order until the court lifted parts of it on Thursday.

All the suspects have been released pending an indictment and trial.

Puretz, who denies the allegations, is accused of sending Israeli expectant mothers in need or suffering from a mental disability from within haredi Orthodox communities to the United States so they would give birth there. The babies would be given to childless foster parents who allegedly paid Puretz and others for the babies.

Many details about the affair, including how much money the handlers allegedly charged, are still subject to a gag order.

Yediot Aharanot reported in a 2017 expose about the affair that they charged a $100,000 to $150,000 “handling fee” per child.

One alleged accomplice is Rivkah Segal, a rabbi’s wife from Migdal Haemek, a city in northern Israel. She is suspected of abusing her legal guardianship over an expectant mother with mental health problems. The mother said that Segal had her flown to New York highly pregnant, deliver a boy in a Caesarian procedure and had him taken from her.

Segal denied the charges. But an Israeli court last week ruled she should pay that mother $144,000 in damages.

Did you enjoy this article?

You'll love our roundtable.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Jewish Journal, 3250 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90010, http://www.jewishjournal.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Enjoyed this article?

You'll love our roundtable.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Jewish Journal, 3250 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90010, http://www.jewishjournal.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Culture

Latest Articles
Latest

Why Funerals are a Crucial Ritual of Community Life

Nothing can touch us as profoundly as the end-of-life experience.

The Unfinished Sofa of My Youth — A poem for Torah Portion Re’eh

Everything I command you that you shall be careful to do it. You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it.      Deuteronomy 13:1 It’s hard not...

With LA Vaccine Proof Mandate, Lawmakers Aren’t Considering the Entire Picture

While I am all in favor of beating this horrific virus, and I am by no means anti-vaccine, I believe lawmakers are not looking at the entire picture.

LA Times Editorial: UTLA’s Pro-BDS Motion “Neither Needed Nor Wanted”

The editorial called on the union to “reject the measure, which can do no real good for the union or schools, and certainly could hurt both.”

Why Are Jews So Charitable?

Charity for Jews is about more than caring for the poor; it is about transforming the world.

Hollywood

Podcasts

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Jewish Journal, 3250 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90010, http://www.jewishjournal.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

x