Reflection: What kind of machine is Mr Goel? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/world/middleeast/15harem.html?ref=global-home
Israel Raids Polygamist Compound By ISABEL KERSHNER Published: January 14, 2010 JERUSALEM - A cult-like Israeli figure who lived openly with at least 17 women and fathered dozens of children was remanded in court on Thursday on suspicion of enslavement, sexual abuse and possible rape. Skip to next paragraph Yossi Zeliger/European Pressphoto Agency Goel Razon, a 60-year-old Israeli, was brought to court in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is accused of sexual enslavement, rape, extortion and sexual assault. The police said that the suspect, Goel Ratzon, was either 59 or 60, and was arrested early Tuesday after a seven-month investigation. A gag order on the case was lifted Thursday. Mr. Ratzon, considered the "savior of the universe" by his followers, has aroused the curiosity of the public, the police and the social services for years, and were the subject of a television documentary last year. But so far Mr. Ratzon has not been charged with any crimes. He was legally married to one or two women, according to the police, though he considered all the women his wives. Mr. Ratzon maintained his community in a compound consisting of several apartments in a residential neighborhood of south Tel Aviv. The police entered three apartments on Tuesday and found 17 women and "at least 40 children," a police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said. Mr. Rosenfeld said that Mr. Ratzon is suspected of keeping people in conditions of slavery, an offense under an Israeli law against human trafficking that was passed in 2006, as well as other crimes. He added that Mr. Ratzon had set up closed circuit cameras in the various apartments where the women and children lived and was "watching them 24 hours a day." Some of the women worked outside the compound to help pay the bills. The extended family lived according to Mr. Ratzon's "book of rules," according to the police, and the women were required to pay hefty fines for a long list of violations. Among other things, it was "forbidden to talk nonsense" ($55 fine) or - the heftiest penalty, at around $800 - to work "while a 'man' of over 12 years of age is in the house." Mr. Ratzon denied breaking any laws and told the authorities that the women lived with him by choice and were free to come and go. Gabi Zohar of the Center for Cult Victims in Israel told Israel Radio on Thursday that his organization gathered evidence against Mr. Ratzon, leading to his arrest. "What took place inside this house was a form of terror," Mr. Zohar said. "There was very serious abuse," he said, adding that the women had joined Mr. Ratzon willingly at first, but had undergone brainwashing and lived in a hierarchy where the women kept their eyes on each other. The documentary, broadcast on Israel's commercial Channel 10 last year, offered a rare glimpse into Mr. Ratzon's world. Some of the women in the film described Mr. Ratzon, spectacled with a flowing mane of white hair, as a kind of messiah. Explaining what he saw as the attraction, Mr. Ratzon said, "I am perfect. I have all the attributes a woman wants." Many of the children's names included a form of Goel, Mr. Ratzon's first name, which is Hebrew for savior. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
