Israeli prosecutors on Wednesday filed an indictment in the Nazareth District Court against Moshe Saada, 65, from Safed, accusing him of a series of sexual offenses against seven children while he taught at the "Pri Chohanim" Torah school in the city.
According to the indictment submitted by attorneys Marina Rosenfeld and Tom Yaari, Saada allegedly committed the offenses between 2010 and 2026, when the children were 9 to 12 years old. The indictment says he would bring pupils into the classroom, sometimes give them candy or games, lock the door, and then assault them. In some cases, he allegedly ordered them to give him back or shoulder massages and exploited their innocence and physical proximity to carry out indecent acts.
The filing says that for some of the children, the abuse continued for a long period and included many separate incidents, including in the school bathrooms. In some cases, after the assaults, he allegedly gave the child special treatment in class and stopped calling the parents to complain about the child’s behavior. Some of the offenses were carried out using force.
Saada was arrested about a month ago and his remand has been extended several times. At the time, police asked the public to help identify additional victims. Police said it was a “difficult and complex investigation” handled “with determination and without compromise” by Northern District officers, and added that after the evidence was assembled, a serious indictment was filed. They said Israel Police would continue to act with “zero tolerance” toward anyone who harms minors, especially an educator who allegedly abused his position, and promised to pursue offenders until justice is done.
