Israeli police arrest harem 'messiah' Goel Ratzon

Israeli police have arrested a self-styled Jewish sage and disciplinarian who ran a tightly controlled cult of at least 17 women with whom they believe he fathered dozens of children.

Goel Ratzon, whose name means "saviour" in Hebrew, is now on remand in a Tel Aviv jail awaiting a court appearance.

Police painted a disturbing picture of a man who commanded his household according to a "rulebook", laying down severe restrictions and financial penalties for the women in his life. Many of the women, who dressed in conservative Orthodox clothes, appeared deeply committed to him. Some bore tattoos of his name and face. His lawyer said he denied any wrongdoing and all his relationships were consensual.

Ratzon appeared in an Israeli television documentary last year which showed dozens of women and children in the house. Several of the women then said they were married to Ratzon and they were shown combing his hair and feeding him. They threatened to kill themselves if anyone ever tried to harm their leader.

One said: "He is the messiah everyone is talking about. He is already here and he hasn't been revealed yet. The day he decides to reveal himself, the land will shake." His children all had names that were variations on his, Goel. Police believe he may have fathered up to 40 children with the women.

During the documentary, Ratzon, who has long white hair and a thick white goatee, said of himself: "I'm perfect. I have all the qualities a woman wants."

An undercover investigation was started in June last year after one woman came forward to complain of abuse. Police then raided the house in Tel Aviv, arresting Ratzon this week. He has not been formally charged but is being held on suspicion of enslavement, rape and extortion. A gagging order was imposed on the press, as is common in major police inquiries here, until today.

Found in the house was a rulebook setting out a strict code of conduct for the women, with different financial penalties for infringements. "No women shall marry nor shall any woman attack another, either verbally or physically," said the first rule. The fine was listed as 2,000 shekels (£33). Other rules banned conversation anywhere but the living room and stopped the women from asking Ratzon questions. "No woman shall sit idle when there are dishes to be washed, cleaning to be done, children to look after," said another.

"The evidence shows the suspect controlled his women with a firm hand, including their possessions and their money," said a police statement. "He would dictate what they could and could not do, limit their movements and impose sanctions and various punishments, including the use of violence if they refused to obey."

Ratzon's appointed lawyer, Shlomtzion Gabai, said around 30 women and 60 children were involved with him. "As far as he is concerned, no sexual crimes have been committed," she told Israel Radio. "The women consented willingly to relations … He may be different, but he's not a criminal."

The children have been turned over to the authorities and some of the women have been let free. Ratzon appeared to have at least three apartments, which were dark, overcrowded and filthy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/14/goel-ratzon-harem-police-arrest

 

After reading this, I am starting to believe in his religion and thinking this guy is really the messiah.

 

Rebecca's rules:

1 Disregard all of Ratzon's rules.

 

I like the rules on fighting. Did you guys know that Islam allows wife beating? Chapter 4 verse 34.

 

What a funny story. Why would any woman submit herself to such a relationship in a free society? It kind of reminds me of the FLDS/Warren Jeffs story in America, though it doesn't appear there was any incest or captivity involved, but I suppose the investigation will turn that up.

Isn't this the story every man tries to sell a woman he is trying to lure into the sack?

 

Well, I don't really see what's wrong with this.

This guy had a good line at a bar and picked up a bunch of chicks, it's their fault for believing any of it.

I had this friend who was a girl, bitching about guys using her, and I was very upfront in telling her that she would continue to get used if she didn't close her legs and say the occasional "no"

This guy controls the womens' finances and what they do: sounds like a marriage (maybe in reverse)

 

That guy also had sex with underage girls

 

Then he should and likely will get whatever the penalty is for that crime. It makes me wonder what the legal age in Israel is. Based on first hand knowledge, it is not uncommon for a 13 year old girl to be committed to marriage in the Muslim land of Morroco, apparently with no complaints by the governance. I doubt it is much different in many other such states.

 

you old romantic ratzballs.

 

It's 16 in Israel; although a person of 14 or 15 can legally have consensual sex with a partner providing that he/she is no more than 3 years his/her senior.

I'll agree with Rebecca's rules here ^-^;

For all the joking about this; it's a very sad story, and by most accounts it sounds as though the children were abused.

Stories like this always make me feel incredibly sad; but then I feel a little bit better given that where I live the majority of men would be as appalled at these "rules" as I am.

 

The tragic thing about islam is it convinces women that they should fight for thier "right" to be opressed. It actually has them believing that if others try to give them the right of education, the right to vote, the right to hold her own opinions and the right to not be property they are in some way the opressors. This is the kind of mind poison we are dealing with when it comes to religion, and islam in particular.

 

Is this based on a study of Islam? or you thought about it, and discovered that Christianity is a religion, and Islam is a religion, therefore, both are the same in regards of women?

I m very interested in knowing where in Islam you found that it convinces women that they should fight for their right to be oppressed?

you are a British from what I understood, there is something in the judges there in UK, one female judge that was specialized in cases related to Muslim women there in UK, reverted to Islam:

British Judge converts to Islam

another British judge speaks to a criminal, who later after committing his crime, reverted to Islam by saying:

these people are specialized in rights, I m willing to open my mind for you, and listen and see in which way you feel you better understand than these people, or what is there that you know, and they did not know?

shouldn't you go and tell them what they failed to see or know about Islam? in regards to women rights? If you really cares? did you send them emails for example, to make it clear for them, if yes, what did you say in these emails?

 

Yeah it's from experience. It's quite easy for women to convert to Islam in Britain because they are protected from your primitive rules by our progressive laws.

It always makes me laugh when you post these examples. It says about as much about Islam as me posting instances of people becoming heroin addicts says about heroin. You say it as if people never do stupid shit.

It's also quite funny that you think I'm in anyway entitled to email women who I don't know and tell them where they are goIng wrong. I'm from Britain, not some primitive little beheadestan province, I can't, and don't want to, tell women what to do.

 

From experience? I did not know that you were a Muslim woman before.

 

I was fortunate enough to have been born an Englishman. But I have seen them beaten in the streets, stoned to death, prosecuted for being raped and sold off into paedophile rings. Of course, Muslim or not, these things are illegal in my glorious nation And women, Muslim or not, are protected from the barbarity of your rules by our laws and superior morality.

 

I am sure you also have seen, read, and heard about Christian, Jewish, Atheist, Hindu... etc men beating their wives, killing them, burning them in your glorious nation, let me know if you need any sources,

the question again, was your post based on a study of Islam?

by the way, the judge who said:

was not a Muslim, or a revert to Islam.

 

Yeah I have seen a lot of religions act abhorently. Your excuse for the mistreatment of women in your religion isn't a comparison to other examples of mistreatment of women is it? It's a bit like a rapist defending himself by pointing at another rapist and saying "well he raped women as well" as if that in any way diminishes how disgusting his own crimes are.

 

There is no excuse for the mistreatment of women, stop trying to divert, and try to follow the flow of the thread, you were accusing Islam of mistreating women, was this based on a study of Islam?

 

Yes it was based on a study of both the contents of your book and a study of typical Muslim behavior around the world. Heard of Somalia? They are very Islamic.

Let me ask you some questions. Just reply with moral or immoral so we can get an idea of the level you, as a Muslim, operate at.
1. Children being sold to old men for marriage?
2. Rape victims being prosecuted for not being modest?
3. Women having to have sex with their husband when he demands it?
4. Men beating and or starving their wives for refusing sex?

There is four for you to be getting on with. Let's see if you really think there is no excuse for the mistreatment of women.

 

Non of the points you mentioned are moral, they are all immoral, now let's try to link them with my book and since it was based on a study by you, I do not think it will be hard for you to quote these text in my book that link to these points you mentioned.