Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu: "They tried to sexually assault me when I was 10, it's like murder"

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu revealed in the podcast "Hakol Patuach" that as a child, at age 10, a gardener tried to sexually assault him. He described how he escaped and told his mother, who immediately fired the gardener. The rabbi compared the severity of sexual assault to murder, emphasizing the need to remove blame from victims, support them, and act decisively against perpetrators.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu revealed in the podcast "Hakol Patuach" with Avi Shoshan that as a child, when he was 10 years old, a gardener working in the apartment block where his family lived tried to sexually assault him. According to him, the gardener "came to cling to me," but he managed to escape and immediately told his mother, who "flew" that same day. The rabbi compared the severity of sexual assault to murder, citing the verse "When a man rises against his neighbor to murder him." He emphasized that all blame must be removed from the victim, and recounted a conversation with a victim named Midad: "You are pure, you are clean, you are not a sinner, the blame is not on you." The rabbi spoke about his public activity: he operates a team of ten rabbinical judges who handle dozens of cases each month. He called for breaking the code of silence, raising awareness among parents, and listening to children. "You cannot build a Temple on injustice," he said, adding that failing to stop a perpetrator may allow him to harm additional victims. The central message: believe victims, provide support and backing, and act without compromise.