An esteemed religious counselor in New York City's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community was sentenced today (January 22, 2013) to 103 years in prison for molesting a girl who came to him with questions about her faith, according to the Washington Post website.
Nechemya Weberman was convicted in December of 59 counts, including sustained sexual abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, and sexual abuse. He testified in his own defense, saying he "never, ever" abused the girl, and maintained his innocence at sentencing.
Brooklyn is home to the largest community of ultra-Orthodox Jews outside Israel -- more than 250,000. Both Weberman, 54, and the accuser belong to the Satmar Hasidic sect there.
The accuser -- now 18 -- had testified that Weberman abused her repeatedly behind his locked office door from the time she was 12 until she was 15.
This case is unique and significant, because it runs counter to a long-held ultra-Orthodox Jewish belief that any conflict must be dealt with and resolved from within the Orthodox community itself, and not be referred to law enforcement officials.
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