The non-jury trial of an internationally-known rabbi, accused of being a pedophile, is underway.

Moshe Menachim Taubenfeld is accused of sexually molesting a 9-year-old boy who sought his solace hours after the 9/11 attacks.

Prosecutors told the judge in detail how the rabbi allegedly sodomized the boy until he was 13 years old.

A guilty verdict in the trial would lead to the first prison sentence for a sex offender from the Hasidic village of New Square. Victim advocates say abused children often remain silent because they feel threatened.

Taubenfeld's claims he is not guilty. His accuser will tell his side of the story when he takes the stand Thursday.