The Awareness Center is The Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA)
Case of Rabbi Michael Ozair
AKA: Rabbi Michael Ezra - Kabbalah Coach
AKA: Rabbi Michael Ezra Ozair
AKA: Rabbi Michael
Beverly Hills, Culver City, CA
(Photo: California Sex Offenders Registry)
The Los Angeles D.A.'s office stated that Ozair
had pleaded no contest on November 5th, 2002, to one count of oral copulation
of a person under 16 (the girl was 14-years-old). Among other things, he
was sentenced to 5 years felony probation, 1 year in county jail, a mandated
term of sex offender treatment, and is required to register as a sex offender.
The D.A.'s office could not tell me whether he would be legally allowed to
use an assumed name, though he likely would be allowed to so long as he's
registered under his real name; they couldn't tell me at the moment how I
could verify if he's properly registered as such. -- Steven I. Weiss
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General
Timeline
2002
Charismatic Rabbi Faces Charges (08/23/2002)
2003
2004
2005
2006
Also see:
Charismatic
Rabbi Faces Charges
By Wendy J. Madnick
The Jewish Journal of Orange - August 23, 2002
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=9090
Michael Ozair is, by many accounts, charming, charismatic and an excellent teacher.
He is also in jail.
The once-popular instructor at schools like Shalhevet High School on Fairfax Avenue and Sinai Akiba Academy on Wilshire Boulevard, who was an active participant in the Happy Minyan at Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, was arrested earlier this month and charged Aug. 15 with the 1997 sexual molestation of a then-14-year-old girl. At press time, he was in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, with bail set at $95,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 4.
The complaint first came to the attention of the Los Angeles Police Department about a year ago, according to Lt. Dan Mulrenin, who oversees the LAPD's Sexually Exploited Child Unit.
"The reason it waited so long is because the victim was apparently in therapy and did not report this to the police until Aug. 22, 2001," Mulrenin said. "There is one additional victim, but that victim has refused to cooperate and does not want to pursue this matter."
Police and prosecutors were guarded about who initiated the
charges — three counts of a lewd act on a child and one count of oral
copulation of a child under 16. Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles
County District Attorney's office, said that in general "when allegations
of rape or sexual assault occur, the victims are taken to the hospital and
there are a long list of questions they must undergo. With an older case,
we have to have independent corroboration, someone who can testify. It cannot
just be the word of the victim." Robison also mentioned that "by law, there
are people who are mandated reporters [of sexual assault], including clergy.
So if the victim were to tell a teacher or a therapist or a clergy member
about the attack, [that person] would have to report it."
Ozair, 33, could not be reached for comment and his attorney, Daniel Hustwit, did not return repeated calls from The Jewish Journal.
This is the third arrest of a rabbi charged with child molestation this year. What makes this case unique was the esteem with which Ozair was held by a variety of influential people and organizations. In addition to his involvement in the Happy Minyan (of which he was not the leader, members insisted, despite press reports to the contrary), Ozair led the Mystical Wednesdays program for OLAM for about a year, from summer 2000 until 2001. He was featured in an OLAM Magazine article titled "You Had Me at Shalom" (which characterized Ozair as "the cool, charismatic, ex-Dead Head and self-acknowledged Seeker of Truth") and in a June 2000 Jewish Journal article about an event called "Building Bridges of Spiritual Unity." Ozair also was scheduled to lead a Yom Kippur spiritual service at the Roxbury Park Community Center in Beverly Hills.
Ozair's problems began to surface several years ago. In June 1997, the year of the alleged incident, he left his full-time teaching position with Sinai Akiba. It was not until September 1998 that he landed another teaching position, this time with Shalhevet. However, his employment was terminated for undisclosed reasons in August 2000, according to Shalhevet president Dr. Jerry Friedman. Ozair then returned to Sinai Akiba for a brief stint in early 2001, said headmaster Rabbi Laurence Scheindlin.
"He was coming once a week to do some work on tefillah with some of the classes," Scheindlin said.
Both Friedman and Scheindlin stated that there were never any complaints about Ozair's behavior at their respective schools. Indeed, a number of people interviewed noted that parents and students at each school were fans of Ozair.
"To his credit, there are a number of students on whom he had a very positive influence at Sinai Akiba," said Rabbi Steven Weil, leader of Beth Jacob. "He launched them on a path of morality, decency and theological searching. Many of these young men have become outstanding stars in the community."
Despite the rabbi's popularity, Weil said leaders at his shul decided to expel Ozair last year.
"He was banned from Beth Jacob Congregation over a year ago by myself and by Marvin Komorsky, our executive director, because we felt he was a threat," Weil said. "We were concerned for the safety and well-being of certain individuals in the community."
Weil said he was saddened to see an organization like the Happy Minyan, which has operated out of Beth Jacob for about eight years, taken in by someone like Ozair.
"Because they are such a welcoming, open community, they attract people who are often needy or searching. Unfortunately, such people can often be taken advantage of," Weil said.
Although Weil declined to elaborate whom the congregation was protecting with Ozair's expulsion, some people close to Ozair have said that it was around the same time that Ozair's marriage fell apart and that his wife and children sought protection at a battered women's shelter.
An incident last year might also provide some insight: According to Sgt. Steven Seeger of the Beverly Hills Police Department, Ozair turned himself in to that department on Aug. 15, 2001, and was briefly in custody on a probable cause warrant.
"This was in regard to a warrant issued for his arrest under Penal Code Section 422, making a threat, which means making a credible, criminal threat to do harm to someone else," explained Seeger, adding that an underlying crime report showed the initial complaint that led to the warrant involved a charge that Ozair had made a threatening phone call or calls. The case was dropped within days by the district attorney's office because of insufficient evidence.
(Several sources also questioned Ozair's credentials as a rabbi. Ozair's Web site states that "his rabbinical training was at Kol Yaacov Torah Center in Monsey, N.Y." However, administrators at Kol Yaacov tell a different story, saying he applied to the school and visited it in August 1997, but never enrolled.
"He said he wanted to try it out, so he popped in for a couple of hours a week for about six weeks, but he was never officially accepted as a student," said Rabbi Leib Tropper, the school's educational director.)
Douglas Schiller, like other members of the Happy Minyan, was reluctant to discuss Ozair, who was one of the group's founders and mainstays.
"I can see easily why somebody would call him charismatic or a good teacher," Schiller said. "I think we're all surprised and saddened by what has happened."
Weil said it was important to see that it is possible for a person to have good qualities and still commit a crime.
"These people, the Baruch Lanners and the Michael Ozairs, are multidimensional individuals, which is why the Ozair incident has been very painful to many people whose lives he touched in a legitimate sincere way," Weil said.
Rabbi Charged With Molesting Girl,
14
LA Times - August 16, 2002 Friday
Home Edition - California Metro; Part 2; Page 4; Metro Desk
A 33-year-old rabbi has been charged with sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl, the district attorney's office said. Michael Ozair pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. If convicted, he could be sent to prison for 10 years.
Ozair is a former teacher at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles and Sinai Akiba in Westwood, according to the district attorney's office.
He has lectured and taught at several congregations in West Los Angeles and Venice, prosecutors said.
The alleged molestation took place in June.
Rabbi Charged With Molesting A
Student
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles District Attorney's Office - August 12, 2002
Contacts: Joe Scott, Director of Communications
Sandi Gibbons, Public Information Officer
Jane Robison, News Secretary
(213) 974-3525
http://da.co.la.ca.us/mr/081202b.htm
LOS ANGELES – A 33-year-old Rabbi and former teacher at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles has been charged with sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl, the District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Deputy District Attorney Renee Korn said Michael Ozair (dob 1-4-69), a freelance rabbi in the Los Angeles area, has been charged with three counts of lewd act on a child and one count of oral copulation of a child under 16 in case No. SA046100. Ozair has lectured and taught classes as a rabbi with severall local congregations, including the Happy Minyan congregation in Beverly Hills, Metivta congregation in West Los Angeles, and Mishkon Tephilo Synagogue in Venice. In addition to teaching at Shalhevet, Ozair also was employed as a teacher at Sinai Akiba in Westwood up until 2001.
Ozair, who pleaded not guilty at his Aug. 8 arraignment, is scheduled to be in Airport Court, Department 145, on Sept. 4 for a preliminary hearing. Bail was set at $95,000.
Ozair is suspected of sexually assaulting the victim in 1997. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.
http://splendor.hypermart.net/bio.htm
Rabbi Michael Ozair has served as an inspirational rabbi at
the Happy Minyan of Los Angeles since its conception. Rabbi Ozair was mentored
by the late Hasidic master, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and continues his teacher's
path of tolerance and spiritual outreach. He is the founder of the Hidden
Splendor and is a Jewish educator whose passion for the deep wisdom of Judaism
and Kabbalah coupled with his compassion and sensitivity for all humanity
has inspired many on the spiritual path. Currently, Rabbi Ozair's focus is
with OLAM (One Light for All Mankind) and leads theweekly Mystical
Wednesdays gatherings among many other innovative projects.
In the summer of 1998 Michael had received orthodox rabbinical ordination under Rabbi Yehoshua Reich of Efrat, Israel. His rabbinical training was at Yeshivat Kol Yaacov in Monsey, New York. His spiritual training came from his own extensive study, practice and personal inner journey.
As a pioneering teacher, Michael has given hundreds of workshops and classes on personal empowerment through simple and practical spiritual technologies, teachings and exercises, both ancient and current, Kabbalistic and New Age. Rabbi Ozair coaches others along their spiritual journeys toward greater happiness, health and realization.
When asked about his background, Rabbi Ozair explains that his roots are those of a Sephardi while his wings are those of a Hasid. Through his father's side, Michael is a direct descendent of the Prophet Ezra of the Bible while also a descendent of a long line of some of Babylon's greatest rabbis from the Talmud, and most recently included is the chief rabbi of Basra, Iraq who is his great uncle. His hasidic wings come from his mother's side in Galicia, Poland and were returned to him through the inspiration of the Hasidic master, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zt"l who was both a close friend and teacher of Michael for 14 years. Emulating his rebbe Shlomo, people find Michael incredibly sincere, approachable, inclusive, compassionate and one who speaks from the heart.
Domain Name: KABBALAHCOACH.COM
Registered through: GoDaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Created on: 10-Jan-04
Expires on: 10-Jan-05
Last Updated on: 22-Feb-04
Administrative Contact: ozair, michael ezra chemdah@yahoo.com
kabbalahonline.com
3848 Overland Ave, Apt. 419, Culver City, California 90232
Meet Rabbi & Spiritual Coach - Michael Ezra
http://kabbalahcoach.com/MeetMichaelEzra.htm
R' Michael Ezra has been providing spiritual guidance for the last 15 years to a very wide and diverse range of people. He is an ordained rabbi, a well sought after scholar in the area of Kabbalah, published author, motivational speaker and spiritual counselor. Michael's expertise stems from merging his knowledge as a rabbi of metaphysics with his experience in practical counseling.
Michael has been asked to speak in person to a variety of groups over the years and has also reached a wide audience through various television and radio appearances. He has positively influenced and helped reshape the lives of many people, including graduate students, people from the entertainment world, politicians, company presidents and CEOs. While Michael is a rabbi, his language is Universal, and is held in very high esteem by highly regarded spiritual leaders from various communities. His articles have been featured in OLAM, the worlds largest Kabbalah magazine, with a circulation of over three million.
Michael's educational background includes:
Rabbinical ordination by R' Yehoshua Reich, a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
A fourteen year mentored relationship with R' Shlomo Carlebach, one the 20th Century's most influential Hasidic masters.
Masters in Education from University of Judaism. Bachelors in Religious Studies. Years spent learning in various yeshivas in Israel and New York.
Michael's Family Background:
In addition to the formal training Michael has had, he also comes from a long line of Rabbis and Kabbalists from Iraq, all the way from the Biblical Ezra the Scribe (origin of family name), R' Azaryah of the Talmud, his great uncle - the Chief Rabbi of Basra, and his grandfather who was ordained by Kabbalist, R' Yaacov Chaim (son of the reknown Kabbalist - the Ben Ish Chai).
Michael Ezra's work today as a spiritual coach:
While in the past Michael was very active as a Jewish spiritual teacher teaching hundreds of classes and workshops, today Michael's private practice has turned towards helping the INDIVIDUAL reach their greatness through personal empowerment coaching and spiritual consultation. His approach with clients consists of a very practical action-oriented way of coaching with a main focus on producing RESULTS.
As a spiritual coach, Michael has created several unique ways for clients to understand their own "soul map" using Kabbalah tools, archetypal profiling, and various proven self assessment tests. Clients benefit by learning new ways of seeing themselves and all that is around them, enabling them to face the present and future with a new sense of confidence.
By Steven I. Weiss
Blog Spot - May 3, 2004
http://protocols.blogspot.com/
L-R: Michael Ezra's homepage photo, Awareness Center's Ozair photo.
Some intrepid readers have taken note of the link in Uri's post yesterday to a man who calls himself Rabbi Michael Ezra, the Kabbalah Coach, and declared that he looks similar to Rabbi Michael Ozair, listed on the Awareness Center's page for charges relating to sexual abuse of a minor.
These readers have further investigated and found that the URL for Ezra's KabbalahCoach.com is registered under the name Michael Ozair.
I spoke with the Los Angeles D.A.'s office this morning, and they told me that Ozair had pleaded no contest on November 5th, 2002, to one count of oral copulation of a person under 16. Among other things, he was sentenced to 5 years felony probation, 1 year in county jail, a mandated term of sex offender treatment, and is required to register as a sex offender. The D.A.'s office could not tell me whether he would be legally allowed to use an assumed name, though he likely would be allowed to so long as he's registered under his real name; they couldn't tell me at the moment how I could verify if he's properly registered as such.
You'll note that the Awareness Center has already updated its page with the Ezra alias and his plea; those people are quick. posted by Steven I. Weiss | 1:30 PM | comment (0) Comment
The Kabbalah Coach has updated his site, too
By Steven I. Weiss
Protocols - Tuesday, May 04, 2004
http://protocols.blogspot.com/
The Kabbalah Coach has updated his site, too. Now it calls him "Rabbi Michael Ezra Ozair." That's the high speed of the Internet, man: Updates on blogs, updates at The Awareness Center, and updates at the Kabbalah Coach. Meantime, my dead-tree story for the Forward has to keep changing to keep up with the Web. posted by Steven I. Weiss | 4:26 PM | comment (0) Comment
JTA - Breaking News
Thursday, May 06, 05:25 p.m. ET
http://www.jta.org/brknews.asp?id=106488
A convicted Los Angeles sex offender is trying to teach Kabbalah. Michael Ozair, 34, who was sentenced in 2002 to one year in jail and five years probation after pleading no contest to having oral sex with a 14-year-old girl, is advertising himself as a "Kabbalah coach" who is a "spiritual guide and life coach combined," the Forward reported. Ozair told the Forward he only teaches adults, so there is "no problem."
Sex Offender Becomes 'Kabbalah Coach'
By Steven I. Weiss
Forward - May 7, 2004
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=weiss200405051149
A convicted sex offender in Los Angeles has used an assumed name to market himself as a rabbi and Kabbalah instructor.
Michael Ozair, who pleaded no contest to oral copulation of a 14-year-old girl in 2002, had until earlier this week been advertising himself as Rabbi Michael Ezra, the "Kabbalah Coach."
The KabbalahCoach.com Web site, registered to Ozair, describes a kabbalah coach as, "a spiritual guide and life coach combined. A person who has the metaphysical tools to see what lies beyond the physical in your soul's journey while having the expertise to help you identify, map out and accomplish your life's mission."
The site contains numerous quotations endorsing Ozair's work from a diverse list of individuals, including actress Tatum O'Neal and Pir Zia Inayat Khan, president of the Sufi Order International.
Ozair's 2002 sentence, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, was for 5 years of felony probation, with 1 year in county jail. In addition, he was required to register as a sex offender and receive treatment. The D.A.'s office was unable to provide information confirming Ozair's registration as a sex offender. The office did tell the Forward that advertising under an assumed name would not represent a violation of Ozair's probation.
In a phone interview with the Forward, Ozair said that he has not been instructing minors as part of his Kabbalah coaching. Asked if he intended to do so, Ozair replied: "Absolutely not."
Ozair said that he sees no problem with his providing kabbalah services to adults. "If there's adults," he said, "there's no problem."
Shortly after Ozair's interview with the Forward, the KabbalahCoach Web site was changed, with the instructor now being identified as Rabbi Michael Ezra Ozair.
Ozair was initially charged two years ago with "three counts of lewd acts on a child and one count of oral copulation of a child under 16," according to the D.A.'s press release at that time. The press release noted that the Ozair was, "suspected of sexually assaulting the victim in 1997," and that Ozair had taught at two area schools and acted as a rabbi in several area synagogues.
Marvin Komorsky, executive director of the Beth Jacob Congregation, which describes itself as "Centrist Orthodox," said that Ozair had led one of the synagogue's prayer services in 2002, but had been asked to leave before his arrest. According to Komorsky, Ozair "was not paid by the synagogue" and "his leaving the synagogue had nothing to do with his arrest," but was simply a matter of dissatisfaction with the kabbalistic focus of his teaching.
Ozair's use of an assumed name was discovered by Internet users who saw his Kabbalah Coach photo and thought that they noticed a similarity to a picture of Ezra posted on TheAwarenessCenter.org, a Web site that maintains profiles of abusive rabbis.
Ozair said that all of the endorsements on his Web site from celebrities and religious figures "are all old quotes" from beforehis arrest and subsequent decision to refer to himself as Michael Ezra. Asked if those endorsees were familiar with his arrest or knew of his Kabbalah coaching activities, he said, "I'm not in touch with anybody now."
Ozair's credentials have come under question in the past. When he was arrested, the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles reported that his Web site stated that "his rabbinical training was at Kol Yaacov Torah Center in Monsey, N.Y." The Jewish Journal reported that administrators at Kol Yaacov said that "he applied to the school and visited it in August 1997, but never enrolled." An administrator at Kol Yaacov confirmed this version of events for the Forward through a secretary.
The Kabbalah Coach Web site claims that Ezra received ordination from "R' Yehoshua Reich, a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel," but the Israeli-based rabbi could not be reached .
The University of Judaism, a Los Angeles-based institution that offers Jewish studies courses, confirmed that it had awarded Ozair a masters degree in education and a bachelor's degree in religious studies from the University of Judaism.
California Sex Offender
Registry
http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
Feb. 20, 2005
Last Name: OZAIR First Name: MICHAEL Middle Name:
1. Description
Last Known Address: 90034
County: LOS ANGELES
Zip Code 90034
Date of Birth: 01-04-1969
Sex: MALE
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 190
Eye Color: BROWN
Hair Color: BROWN
Ethnicity: WHITE
2. Offenses
288a(b)(2) ORAL COPULATION WITH PERSON UNDER 16 YEARS
3. Scars/Marks/Tattoos
PIERCED EAR
4. Known Aliases
OZAIR, MICHAEL EZRA
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Last Updated: 02/20/2005
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