It's the Orthodox-Rabbi-who-groped-a-female-Israeli-army-officer-on-an-airplane story that just keeps giving! The children of convicted grabby-hands Rabbi Gavriel Bidany pleaded with the court for leniency for their father, who faces up to six months in prison, because it hurts their chances to get married: "Today I am 21 and I need to start my own family...and without my dad it is impossible. It would hurt my match-making possibilities," said Avishar Bidany.
Rabbi Bidany was found guilty last week of groping a female Israel Defense Forces officer while on a trans-Atlantic flight in March; he had claimed that his hands were moving involuntarily while he slept. One of his daughters argued that without Rabbi Bidany, a 48-year-old marriage counselor who has 11 offspring altogether, she would have a very hard time finding a husband: "I am begging you your honor, I have reached an age (22) where I need to find a groom and start a family. And without my father it is very difficult. This could harm my matchmaking process -- starting a home. My whole future depends on it," wrote Eden Bidany.
Her brother, Ariel, offered a very similar plea: "Have pity on me. I have reached the age of 21, and need to find a bride, get married and have a family. When my father is not with me, it is going to be very hard and would hurt my matchmaking. I would like to get married properly with my father at my side please."
Bidany's children's words may have helped a little: He was sentenced to serve 60 days in a federal prison for groping the female passenger. Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes, Jr. told the Brooklyn federal court that he had testified falsely, and added: "Rabbi Bidany committed a serious crime...and such conduct cannot be tolerated."
