Bayit Yehudi MK facing sexual harassment allegations won't leave post
Despite facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment and a Facebook campaign attempting to locate more possible victims, MK Nissan Slomiansky of Bayit Yehudi refuses to vacate his post in the Knesset.
Despite the allegations, Slomiansky has made clear his intention not to setp down from his post. "MK Nissan Slomiansky has never harassed women. After a meeting with several rabbis, he understood that his warmhearted behavior, which is the same toward everyone, is sometimes interpreted in a different way, and for that he is sorry. MK Slomiansky has been serving the public for 40 years, including time in the Knesset, and he will continue to do so," said an official on his behalf.
Slomiansky also denied a report by Army Radio that he was leaving his post in the Knesset.
Despite protesting his innocence, pressure mounted on Slomiansky with Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein saying in an interview with Army Radio, "It is time for Slomiansky to suspend himself and conduct an inquiry outside of the Knesset."
The Chief Rabbi of Safed, Shmuel Eliyahu, formed a fact-finding team in light of the allegations, and told Army Radio during an interview Thursday morning that "even in the absence of police complaints, we still need to say that there is no place for this type of behavior in society.
"The fact that he apologized means that there was something. If there was nothing, there would be no need for an apology. There are things that are unacceptable and wrong and we need to avoid them. I don't want to get into specifics, but he decided to publish an apology," he continued.
A storm broke out on social media in the last two weeks about the attempt to locate any witnesses and statements against Slomiansky by Hagit Moriah-Gibor.
"The stories are stacking up and the silence is deafening to me," she wrote in a post. "There is a senior public official who is attacking women. For years. I know of an older incident and now more stories are coming to me. Disgusting. We are trying to put together a group of witnesses, even anonymously, in order to expose this man. I ask and beg for anyone who has been hurt or knows someone who has been hurt, come to me. Secrecy is guaranteed."
Officials in the political establishment said the leaders of Bayit Yehudi knew of the allegations, but did nothing. Party leader Naftali Bennett said Thursday that he spoke with the MK and that "the MK in question completely denied the allegations."
"Minister Bennett is calling on anyone who feels she has been hurt, and any person in any position, to go and complain to law enforcement authorities," his office said.
