Jerusalem Chief Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Stern Shlita is the first chief rabbi in the capital for over a decade. Since assuming office, Rabbi Stern has championed the battle to clean up what appears to be widespread corruption in the city’s local religious council and its related kashrus services. Working at the rav’s side is a longtime talmid from his kollel, Avinoam Kushner, who serves as the rav’s bureau chief. Those in the know credit Kushner with bringing the rav to the forefront during the elections for the city’s rabbonim.
Suspecting that Kushner is directing Rabbi Stern’s corruption investigation against local religious council officials, the latter instructed Kushner to report for a pre-dismissal hearing, meeting with council head Rabbi Yehoshua Yishai, a major suspect in the corruption case being the rabbi is building.
Rabbi Stern has been reviewing records and following the reported actions of mashgichim responsible for the Jerusalem Rabbinate kashrus and he has learned there are no shows on the payroll and mashgichim who seem to do little else other than collecting their salaries. Rabbi Stern and his assistant have followed mashgichim and documented their actions as they continue to build their case.
In response to Yishai summoning Kushner for a pre-dismissal hearing, Rabbi Stern told the press “I am shocked and astounded by his intentions to fire my aide who has been visiting stores and checking on the kashrus. To the contrary, I expect to see support and backing for his actions”.
The rabbi adds that just as he is entitled to check the level of kashrus in stores, the same holds true for his assistant. Rabbi Stern plans to call on additional rabbonim to begin doing the same, entering restaurants and conducting inspections towards elevating the level of kashrus around the city so that everyone will be able to dine out without kashrus concerns regarding stores displaying a Jerusalem Rabbinate kashrus certificate.
Yishai accuses Kushner of assaulting an employee, making threats and leaking information to the media.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Let all those who claimed that there was no need to elect Chief Rabbis for Jerusalem take note. Where the rabbinate is not headed and overseen by rabbis of stature and integrity, corruption flourishes amongst the clerks.
It has been a known fact for years that religious political parties award friends & family with plum religious jobs…(little work or effort equal nice salaries)
#1 You got it all wrong.
What happened was that the new Rabbi brought in an assistant with integrity, who exposed the monkey business and corruption that was going on there before, when all the appointees were Shas stooges.
The new Rabbi is Religious Zionist, as is his assistant, and they wanted to root out hte corruption.
Because this policy of honesty threatens their ability for “business as usual,” those who got caught are now trying to have the honest assistant fired, on trumped up charges.
#3- Agreed. What made you think that I was blaming harav Stern shlit”a or his assistant?