Israeli women report abuse in ‘sadistic sexual rituals’ by Knesset members

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – A number of Israeli women testified in a Knesset session about being assaulted in “sadistic sexual rituals” in religious ceremonies attended by Knesset members and other senior figures.

“You have no idea what ritual abuse is. The human brain cannot comprehend,” Yael Shitrit, one of the victims, said in her testimony cited by The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“You can't imagine what it means to program a three-year-old girl through rape and sadism so they can do whatever they want without anyone knowing.”

Shitrit said that she was trafficked across the country, “from ceremony to ceremony,” where “naked men stood in a circle.”

“The police have known about this for a year, but they don't have the tools to deal with it. The people who will fall are very, very senior figures. These people run communities and government agencies,” she said.

Yael Ariel, another victim, said she received many testimonies from several women who were abused by “doctors, educators, police officers, and past and present members of the Knesset.”

The Israeli woman said that she had filed a complaint with the police about the abuses, but it was closed a few months later.

- Sadistic abuse

Naama Goldberg, the head of Lo Omdot MeNegged (Not Standing Idly By), an Israeli human rights group, said she had received many testimonies and descriptions of “sadistic abuse of children."

“They described gang rape by men, and sometimes by women. The abuse was filmed, and drugs were used. There were ritual practices and symbolism,” she said.

Another victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she was tortured and starved at the hands of well-known and prominent individuals.

“I suffered harm in endless ways. There were public events, and there were internal ceremonies where I was tied to a tall post with handcuffs,” she said.

Commenting on the testimonies, Anat Yakir, a representative of the Israeli Police, said a national unit was reviewing all cases and that the complaints were “a top priority in the intelligence division.”