A 54-year-old ordained rabbi and counselor accused of sexually harassing two teenage girls bonded out of jail Tuesday night, marking the second time he has been arrested on molestation charges in less than a month.
Shaya Lunger, a rabbi and counselor from North Miami Beach, ran from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and into a waiting car without comment. He is accused of molesting two girls, who were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the alleged crimes.
According to investigators, the first set of allegations detailed in the report occurred in May 2021, when Lunger was visiting the victim’s family home in Miami. He allegedly offered to get supplies and took the 14-year-old girl with him to a Publix grocery store. Police say Lunger made inappropriate comments and held her hand while in the store.
The arrest report states that on the way back, Lunger continued making inappropriate comments “by asking her if she recalled all the places he loved and missed her.” The report says Lunger then “placed his hand on the victim’s breasts over her clothing for approximately one minute” and leaned toward the victim, attempting to kiss her lips.
The victim in that case, who is now 19 and lives in Israel, came forward after hearing of Lunger’s arrest in March for a separate case involving a 15-year-old girl.
In the March incident, police allege Lunger was at the girl’s home when he entered her bedroom and closed the door. He allegedly told the victim to “put away her sexy things” when referring to her breast area. Investigators say he then kissed and hugged the victim multiple times, kissing her near the lips and asking her to kiss him back before leaving the room. Police say Lunger expressed a desire for the victim to turn 18 years old during multiple interactions.
Bruce Lehr, Lunger’s attorney, disputed the severity of the charges.
“The allegations made in the arrest form, in my opinion, do not substantiate the charges,” Lehr said. “Also curious is that a case like this, where there’s basically — the allegations not even to be admitted — are a hug and a kiss on the head basically.”
Lunger’s attorney says he looks forward to clearing his client’s name. Lunger has been ordered to stay away from unaccompanied minors.