Criminal9/17/2026

Professor Arieh Levin Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Rape

The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced pediatric gastroenterologist Professor Arieh Levin, a former department director at Wolfson Hospital, to six years in prison. He admitted the facts of the amended indictment, which included rape, committing indecent acts, and abuse of authority.

Key facts

•Court: Tel Aviv District Court
•Sentence: Six years in prison
•Prosecution’s request: 13 years in prison
•Compensation deposit: NIS 750,000
•Civil settlement: NIS 612,500
•Law: Patient’s Rights Law

What He Was Convicted Of

One charge concerned the rape of the mother of a minor patient, who came to Levin’s office in 2013 to obtain her son’s medical records. In addition, the court convicted him of committing four indecent acts against a patient who suffered from colitis during 2017–2018, and another act of the same kind following the examination of a different patient in March 2021.

Abusing His Authority as a Physician

Levin was also convicted of abuse of authority over invasive examinations he performed on a patient during 2010–2012, without her informed consent or that of her mother. According to the indictment, he exploited his professional authority and violated the patient’s rights under the Patient’s Rights Law.

Plea Agreement and Sentence

Levin admitted the facts of the amended indictment as part of an agreement that did not include an agreed sentence. The prosecution requested a sentence of 13 years in prison, but the court set the sentence at six years. Before arguments on sentencing, Levin undertook to deposit NIS 750,000 as compensation for the victims, cease practicing medicine, and ask the Ministry of Health to revoke his license permanently.

What the Court Took Into Account

The court considered each incident separately because they involved different victims and different periods. In determining the sentence, the court emphasized the breach of trust and the imbalance of power in the physician-patient relationship, as well as the severe psychological and physical harm. In Levin’s favor, the court considered his age—about 69—the fact that he had not previously served a prison sentence, and his request to have his medical license permanently revoked.

What this means for you

The case illustrates that the absence of free consent or informed consent to medical procedures may have not only professional consequences, but criminal ones as well. The court separately examined both the physician’s exploitation of trust and authority and the harm caused to each victim. Ceasing to practice and revocation of the license did not replace criminal punishment, although they were taken into account in determining the sentence.

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Case analysis based on court rulings