Israeli police arrested Mordechai Yom Tov in Jerusalem on November 20, 2025, after authorities located him more than two decades after he fled the United States while on probation following a criminal conviction involving sexual offenses against minors. Yom Tov, described as a Chabad-affiliated rabbi and teacher, was wanted in the United States and faced an extradition process.
Yom Tov was arrested in Los Angeles in 2001 and charged with 10 counts of indecent acts involving three male students between the ages of 8 and 10. According to the report, the students said that Yom Tov molested them in a classroom during recess.
Prosecutors ultimately dropped eight of the counts as part of a plea agreement. Yom Tov pleaded guilty to two counts and was convicted. A contemporary local report cited by The Times of Israel stated that he could have faced as much as 40 years in prison had he been convicted on all of the charges.
Yom Tov was released from prison approximately one year later and placed on probation. According to police, he violated the terms of his probation by leaving the United States and traveling to Israel. Israeli police said he subsequently concealed his identity and avoided obtaining documentation that could have assisted authorities in locating him.
Police also said Yom Tov was due to stand trial in another case in the United States when he fled to Israel. The circumstances and outcome of that separate case were not detailed in the report.
Several weeks before his 2025 arrest, extradition permits were issued for Yom Tov. Israeli police subsequently located him in a hideout in Jerusalem's northern Tel Arza neighborhood and arrested him.
A Jerusalem court extended Yom Tov's detention following the arrest. The extradition process remained ongoing, with Israeli authorities expected to determine the next steps for his possible return to the United States.
Yom Tov's arrest followed a conviction in the United States for two sexual offenses involving minors. His subsequent flight to Israel while on probation resulted in his remaining outside the jurisdiction of U.S. authorities for more than 20 years.
The case involved criminal conduct established through Yom Tov's guilty plea and conviction, as well as the subsequent enforcement of an outstanding U.S. legal matter. The 2025 arrest in Jerusalem was connected to the extradition process rather than a new conviction in Israel.
At the time of the arrest, Israeli authorities were pursuing Yom Tov for extradition to the United States. His detention and the extradition proceedings were separate from the original criminal proceedings in California.
The case illustrates the use of international extradition procedures when a person wanted in one country is located in another. Israeli authorities' arrest of Yom Tov followed the issuance of extradition permits and the identification of his location in Jerusalem.
