Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Yechiel Metzger’s recent interview with BaKehilla Magazine has led to calls for an in-depth investigation into allegations of fraud. Rav Metzger explained that rabbonim employed by the state often accept cash to perform weddings, and this is illegal. They are prohibited from accepting money for performing such services.

As a result of the interview and the statements attributed to the outgoing chief rabbi, the ITIM and Hiddush organizations are calling for a full-scale investigation into what they believe is wide scale fraudulent activity. The chief rabbi’s spokesman has since issued a statement insisting he was misquoted by Aaron Klyger and Shlomo Gil in the article, but the organizations calling for a probe are not convinced, determined to pressure authorities into launching an investigation. Perhaps ironically, Rav Metzger himself was the subject of investigations for allegedly committing the very same offenses prior to assuming his post about a decade ago.

During the interview Rabbi Metzger was asked to comment on the public criticism against the regulation that prohibits one to get married outside the jurisdiction of a local religious council without obtaining permission from the council in advance. The chief rabbi was quoted as saying “If outside rabbis come and conduct weddings in the neighborhood where a rabbi serves, then we harm his income,” adding the fee for processing a wedding file, 600 NIS, provides income for the local religious council as well.

Many feel that the Chief Rabbinate’s opposition to Tzohar Rabbonim performing marriages stems from the loss of revenue to the state employed rabbonim, who in many cases perform numerous weddings weekly, amounting to a significant annual income that is not reported to tax authorities. Tzohar rabbonim do not accept money, as is the case with Tzohar mohelim, committed to performing the service as part of the organization’s mission to the tzibur and outreach to the public at large.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)