<p>JERUSALEM — The head of Israel’s renowned ZAKA rescue service stepped down from his post on Friday and relinquished a prestigious national prize amid sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1980s.</p>
<p>Israeli media said police opened an investigation.</p>
<p>In a statement, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, 61, denied the allegations detailed by the Haaretz daily a day earlier. The newspaper said it had interviewed six accusers and obtained evidence of sexual assault and exploitation going back decades, including of teenagers and younger children. </p>
<p>The allegations surfaced just days after Meshi-Zahav was awarded the nation’s most prestigious honor, the Israel Prize, for his work in ZAKA, the search and rescue organization he co-founded.</p>
<p>The organization, drawing from thousands of volunteers, became internationally known in the 1990s when it responded to a wave of attacks by Palestinian militants.</p>
<p>In a letter addressed to ZAKA volunteers and released Friday, Meshi-Zahav rejected the allegations against him. He said that “these stories are unfounded, gossip and the settling of scores against me.”</p>
<p>He said he was temporarily stepping down from his post because of concern over the “damage that may be caused as a result to this important organization.” He also said he was also relinquishing the Israel Prize.</p>
