An Orthodox rabbi accused of using a fake profile to trick dozens of women into sex and romantic relationships has been formally charged.

According to police in Israel, Yosef Paryzer used aliases such as Jake Segal on Tinder and other dating apps to connect with women in Jerusalem.

The 34-year-old, a married father of two who was born in the US, would present himself as a secular Jew who worked for a guide dogs charity.

He would swap his strictly-Orthodox clothes for more secular clothing in his profile pictures and told the woman he was looking for a long-term relationship and marriage.

Israeli police claimed to have secured 32 testimonies and the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed a formal indictment on Thursday.

Some of the women Paryzer dated said they did not support his prosecution and have preferred to focus on repairing their lives rather than giving testimony, however.

One woman who submitted a complaint about Paryzer told Israel’s Channel 12: “We were together for five months, during which he got to know my family and joined me at a family event.

“When I became a little more interested in his personal life, I got a bad feeling in my gut.

“She sensed something was wrong when he withheld personal details.

“I never saw his home but I didn’t push for it at first because I didn’t want to be that pushy girl.

“When I offered to talk to his mom, it never worked out. We never shopped together on Fridays. I told him, ‘I feel you are hiding something from me.’”

A lawyer representing Paryzer said the rabbi's actions "were immoral but not criminal." The lawyer said: "All social media networks and especially dating apps are full of lies, every adult knows this so anyone claiming these were serious relationships lacks logic and common sense.

"Once we have all the material for the case, we will be able to prove that."