WWW- Veteran Israeli actor Hanan Goldblatt, 63, has been taken into custody on charges of rape, sodomy and other sex crimes against three young women who were then minors and students at the well-known stage and children’s programming actor’s school when the acts took place.
He has denied the allegations.
“These are very serious charges, and we already have testimony linking Goldblatt to the alleged crimes,” a police official told Ynet.
All of the acts occurred within the last 20 years, and some charges may fall under the statute of limitations.
Police decided to arrest Goldblatt on Monday, and teams were dispatched to find him when he was spotted entering his lawyer’s office. The lawyer, Sassi Ghez, asked that the actor not be arrested there, but said he would bring Goldblatt in his car, while police escorted them. A gag order on the arrest was lifted Monday evening.
At the police station, Goldblatt said: “I never forced myself on anybody.”
The story came to light several weeks ago when the young women told their story in an article in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. Goldblatt and his lawyer tried to keep the story out of the press, but without success. The first of the three women went to the police with her story last week.
Noa (not her real name), 23, told police that when she was 16, the actor forced her to have sexual relations during private acting lessons.
She told Yedioth that the actor lay down on top of her in the nude, trying to convince her that it was all part of the scene.
While undressing her, she said, he said to her: “Work with me, it’s OK, it’s just a scene, it’s not real. Nothing will be real. Whatever you don’t want to happen won’t happen.”
She says she tried to refuse, but that the actor raped her.
Goldblatt’s lawyer countered that the charges are trumped-up.
“Hanan Goldblatt never committed the acts described by these women; it will all become clear in time,” he said.
The Israeli entertainment community has been hit hard by the accusations against Goldblatt, with many of his friends expressing disbelief.
Yankele Mandel, head of the Israeli Artists Association, told Ynet the association will offer our support and friendship to Goldblatt “no matter what the situation and no matter what.
“As far as we know, Hanan Goldblatt has not been found guilty of anything. Until there is a trial and he is proven otherwise, he is innocent, period,” Mandel said.
Friends like actors Oshik Levi and Illi Gorlitzki have been in close contact with Goldblatt since the affair began, offering their support. The actors bemoaned the press’ role in defaming the actor. Gorlitzki said friends must stand by each other in difficult times.
“People tend to forget that the presumption of innocence is one of the basic tenets of our democratic society,” Gorlitzki said. “It’s true that there are accusations, but we still haven’t heard his side of the story and nothing has been proven. We pray that in time they will be proven baseless.”