Extradition from Israel to the United States : Abraham Mondrowitz

Abraham Mondrowitz, a 60-year-old member of the ultra-Orthodox Gur Hasidic Jewish sect accused of sexually abusing children while posing as a rabbi and psychologist, was arrested at his home in the ultra Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahlaot on Friday, November 16th.^[1] Mondrowitz was investigated by the New York Police Department in 1985 on accusations that he sexually abused the children he counseled in the unlicensed private clinic he ran out of his home in Brooklyn.^[2] He subsequently fled to Jerusalem via Canada.^[3]

The U.S. Justice Department attempted to extradite Mondrowitz from Jerusalem in 1985.^[4] Israeli officials ordered Mondrowitz's expulsion in 1987, but were unable to enact it as the extradition treaty between the United States and Jerusalem did not cover sodomy related offenses.^[5] However, in January of 2007, the treaty was amended and extraditable offenses were redefined as offenses punishable by more than one year's incarceration.^[6] Mondrowitz faces a New York state charge of sodomy, punishable by up to twenty-five years incarceration, and a New York state charge of sexual assault, punishable by up to seven years incarceration.^[7]

Mondrowitz's criminal defense attorney David Ofek challenged the legality of any extradition of his client to the United States, based on the fact that the allegations against Mondrowitz are over twenty years old, and thus the statute of limitations has expired.^[8] Judge Shimon Feinberg, vice president of the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court, rejected Ofek's argument and found that Mondrowitz was a possible candidate for extradition.^[9] Israeli officials have also requested and received certain undisclosed clarifications to the U.S. extradition request.^[10]

The extradition process is expected to take several months.^[11]

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^[1] Regan E. Doherty, Israel May Extradite Sex Abuse Suspect, Associated Press Newswire, November 19, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] AP Staff, Israel Requests Clarification of U.S. Extradition(Request for Sex Suspect)", Associated Press Newswire, November 19, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Doherty, Supra note 1.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] Id.
^[11] Id.