Beit Shemesh Man Indicted for Sex Offenses Against Minors

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment Tuesday at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court against Yechiel Yehoshua Brand, a 33-year-old resident of Beit Shemesh, for committing sex offenses against four minors aged 13-16. The alleged incidents occurred in synagogues, a mikveh, and a public place within the city. The indictment charges Brand with indecent acts, indecent acts against a minor under 14, and attempted indecent acts. According to the indictment, submitted by prosecutor Bracha Ben Adret-Zerachia, Brand exploited opportunities when the minors were at the mikveh and in synagogues to commit indecent acts against them. These events reportedly took place between 2024 and 2026.

In one instance described in the indictment, Brand allegedly pressed himself against a minor during prayers at a Beit Shemesh synagogue and touched the minor's genitals multiple times while he was praying. Despite the minor's attempts to move away, Brand reportedly continued the contact for an extended period, even following the minor to another prayer location. In other cases, the indictment states Brand committed indecent acts against minors at a local mikveh, including touching a minor's genitals as they exited the immersion pool and touching another minor's buttocks in the changing area. The indictment also details indecent acts against another minor at a mikveh and a supermarket in the city.