A second complaint has been filed against pediatrician Dr. Leonid Zeitlin, who is already under indictment for indecent acts involving a young woman with special needs who worked with him and had previously been his patient. The new complaint was reported Wednesday morning on Kan News radio’s “Habayoker Hazeh.”
The complainant said Zeitlin abused her during childhood treatment at his clinic in Modi'in Illit. She said she had been his patient since about age 12 and alleged that he touched her without gloves in intimate areas. “It was contact beyond what a doctor is supposed to do,” she said, adding that the experience was “horrible” and “shocking,” and that she can still feel “his hands on my body.”
She said she did not understand as a child that anything was wrong, but around age 20, after a severe personal crisis and therapy, the memories resurfaced. She described Zeitlin as a highly respected doctor in Kiryat Sefer, saying he was considered “the number one pediatrician in Maccabi,” and that she feared no one would believe her because people told her she was “too sensitive.” After seeing news earlier this month about the indictment against Zeitlin, she decided to come forward. She said she hopes his medical license will be revoked permanently and urged other possible victims to file complaints.
Attorney Ravit Zilberfarb of the Legal Aid Department, who represents the complainant, said the indictment against Zeitlin for sexual offenses against a woman who worked under him gave the victim the courage to report what happened to her in childhood. A Magen sexual assault support center, which is accompanying her, said the case shows how abuse can occur even in settings that are supposed to be safe, including in front of parents, and urged other victims to seek help. Police said a criminal investigation was opened and is ongoing. Zeitlin’s lawyer, Sharon Nahari, said his client denies all allegations and will fight them in court, expecting acquittal.
