'Jake Segal' pleads guilty to 12 counts of deceiving women

Rabbi Yosef Paryzer, known as "Jake Segal," pleaded guilty to defrauding 12 women out of a total of 30 counts into relationships by using false identities, which is considered rape under Israeli law.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 13, 2025 10:31

"Jake Segal" was not who the women he seduced online thought he was. (photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE SPOKESMAN)

Rabbi Yosef Paryzer, indicted for deceiving 30 women into simultaneous relationships under the persona of "Jake Segal," pleaded guilty to 12 counts of defrauding women on Sunday, according to a report by KAN News.

Paryzer is an American citizen in his 30s who worked at Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim.

In August 2023, when the prosecution started, one of Paryzer's victims wrote that “Consensual sex performed under false pretenses, i.e., the false identity of the perpetrator, is a criminal offense that is legally defined as rape.”

It is against Israeli law to have consensual relations obtained by deceit respective to one's identity. However, the legal provision for rape-by-deception has been a controversial clause in the criminal code section on sexual offenses.

"Segal" varied how he presented himself with different levels of religiosity, depending on the women he dated, ranging from secular to traditional.

An artistic illustration generated by artificial intelligence of a rabbi surrounded by roses, symbolizing heartbreak and deception. (credit: The Jerusalem Post)

How did he do it?

Statements from his alleged victims claim that Paryzer utilized various dating apps and social media platforms in order to find women.

Michael Starr contributed to this report