Is haredi mother mentally healthy?
Photo: Eli Mandelbaum
Orthodox sources: Psychiatrist says 'starving mother' mentally healthy
Haredi sources: Evaluation shows charges against mother said to have starved son a 'blood libel'
A psychiatric evaluation showed that the haredi mother suspected of starving her child is mentally healthy and does not pose a risk to others, ultra-Orthodox sources said Wednesday night.
The so-called "starving mother" will be brought to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court Thursday for a hearing on the terms of her house arrest.
However, the psychiatrist who examined the mother, Dr. Yaakov Weil, refused to discuss the evaluation's results in a talk with Ynet. Earlier, when asked whether he formulated an opinion in the case, the psychiatrist said this kind of information was privileged.
Op-Ed
Dudi Zilbershlag
‘Starving mother’ case part of campaign of persecution against Orthodox, Dudi Zilbershlag says
While the suspect's relatives refused to address the issue before the evaluation is officially submitted, a close associate of the family hinted in a talk with Ynet that evaluation results prove that the woman is mentally healthy. Another close associate who is said to have seen the report told Ynet that the woman poses no danger whatsoever to her children, and that she is a completely normative individual.
"We are very satisfied and we believe that this is a harsh blow to the Prosecutor's Office and to police," he said.
Members of the Eda Haredit sect who have been accompanying the mother's struggle said that the psychiatrist's report will prove her the case against her is a "blood libel." The sources expressed their hope that the court will release the woman immediately.
Meital Yasur Beit-Or contributed to the story
