Israel
Israeli rabbi fired by yeshiva after he catfished dozens of women on secular dating apps
Yosef Paryzer told dozens of women his name was Jake Segal and that he was an unmarried immigrant
August 29, 2023 10:17
Yosef Paryzer told dozens of women his name was Jake Segal and that he was an unmarried immigrant
August 29, 2023 10:17An Orthodox rabbi allegedly duped dozens of women into romantic relationships by using fake profiles.
According to police in Israel, Yosef Paryzer used the alias Jake Segal to connect with women on dating sites 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 ultra-orthodox clothes for more secular clothing in his profile pictures and told the woman he was looking for a long-term relationship and marriage.
After complaints by several women, Israeli police arrested Paryzer last week for creating a false identity and making false promises to trick women into sex.
He was also sacked by the religious school in Jerusalem where he taught.
At the time of his arrest, the police had the testimony of five women. Since then, 30 women have come forward claiming to have been his victims.
The special fraud unit has now collected testimony from 18 women, Israeli Police said on Monday.
One of the first women to submit a complaint about Paryzer told Israel’s Channel 12, speaking under the pseudonym “Kinneret”: “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.’”
Another told The Times: “He’s my current boyfriend, we’ve been together for ten months. Last week he came and met all my family. Obviously, it was all very shocking and was not an easy thing to hear.”
A third said: “His profile seemed very legit, he used multiple photos of his face and a full name; there was nothing he concealed on the site, so it all seemed very normal.”
Prior to his arrest, three women had confronted Paryzer and filmed him admitting to maintaining relationships with several women, the longest of which lasted several years.
Eventually, it was revealed that he was married, had two sons — one only four months old — and was a rabbi.