LAKEWOOD, N.J. (VINnews) — A yeshiva administrator who fled Israel ahead of his arrest has been taken into custody in the United States on suspicion of committing sexual offenses against minors between 2020 and 2023, authorities said.
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Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, 43, left Israel shortly before police were set to arrest him, evading authorities as an investigation into the allegations intensified. An international notice was later issued through Interpol.
In recent days, Farkash was located and arrested in Lakewood, where investigators said he had been hiding after fleeing Israel and relocating to the United States.
Israeli police allege that Farkash committed multiple indecent acts against minors in various settings. “He was an educational figure who exploited his position to commit sexual offenses,” a police official said. “The children and their parents trusted him, and he violated that trust in a severe way.”
The investigation in Israel initially proceeded covertly, but just before authorities moved to detain him, Farkash fled the country, first traveling to New York and then settling in New Jersey. Israeli authorities shared information with U.S. officials, leading to his identification and arrest.
Farkash has appeared before a local court in the United States, where a judge ordered that he remain in custody. Israeli authorities are seeking his extradition, and if he does not contest the process, officials estimate he could be returned to Israel within about two weeks and taken into custody upon arrival.
ICE HSI and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, a foreign fugitive from Israel who was wanted in his home nation for alleged sex crimes against children. Our team arrested him at his home in Lakewood, N.J.
ICE HSI Atlantic City will coordinate with ICE… pic.twitter.com/gPzqO0r9nX
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) April 30, 2026
The big shame here is he was/is a Yeshiva Administrator, who is suppose to be a torah model for our kids! If the allegations are true (and one here assumes since he ran rather than defending himself) I would not want to be in his shoes for his final judgement! Whatever is done here in olem haza, will not compare to his final din ve heshvan !
he fled israel just before he was to be arrested, so somebody tipped him off. i hope that person is caught and punished as well.
These sexual deviants and perverts, must be expeditiously dealt with, without many years of delays, as was the case of the perverted Israeli woman, who sexually assaulted a number of female Yeshivah students in Australia. A few years ago, there was an Israeli female IDF Major who was traveling on Delta Airlines, on the way from Israel to NY. Seated to her right was an Israeli Rabbi, who was the Father of eleven children. While the Major fell asleep, she could feel his hand poking around under her skirt. She immediately jumped up, and reported that pervert. The flight crew was notified, and that pervert was arrested. He could not speak a word of English, but his defense was that “his hand inadvertently wound up under her skirt”. The Judge did not buy that bubba meises, and sentenced that creep to 90 days in federal prison. Afterwards, he was deported, and will forever be banned from reentering the USA.
Y’asher Koach! BH if true, once less pedo predator on the streets.
Chedarim & Yehshiva Ketanas need in Chul & EY need a centralized independent B”D reporting system confidential hotline that’s able to internally IMMEDIATELY investigate with all the due diligence chakiras you cross examine witnesses/reports giving the Rebbi paid leave with proper kavod & tznius with the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
What 43 years old looks like that?
According to charging documents, Farkash tried to sexually assault a boy on several occasions in Israel, including in a hot tub while at a bed and breakfast, at a waterpark, in a vehicle on a drive and in an apartment he rented.
He tried to kiss and touch another boy in a car while on a shopping excursion, according to charging documents.
Farkash fled Israel on Jan. 4, 2024 after the first victim reported him to a staff member at the Jewish boarding school.
Finally. A constructive and welcome action by “NICE”.
And how many people knew he was hiding in Lakewood and did nothing?
nebech a sick man those who knew him wshould have retained him by force and handed him ovwer to authouraties if this whole report is true mel waternman hes not only ma menuval he is a big rachmanesto his famaly akewuooed and world jewry
All your judgmentalisms is responsible for all these deviant behaviors. Stop looking outside yourselves when someone from inside your own community ie yourselves, behaves this way. Do a little internal soul searching and you’ll find that these deviant behaviors come from your olom.
Hang him
All commentators here love SHMUTZ
This is disgusting. Lashon Hara. Why do they have to post name and details????? Utterly disgusting. Nauseates me