(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
Former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Yona Metzger on Tuesday, 5 Iyar 5777, entered Massiyahu Prison to begin serving a 3.5-year jail term. The former Chief Rabbi was convicted of fraud, breach of trust and tax evasion charges.
The rabbi was originally sentenced to a 4.5-year jail term and appealed to the nation’s High Court of Justice for leniency. The High Court reduced the sentenced to 3.5 years and a NIS 5 million fine.
The state established the rabbi pocketed a great deal of funds that he collected for charity organizations while serving as Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi. The rabbi reportedly purchased apartments for family members as well, a form of money laundering to avoid income tax officials.
There were efforts to have the case dismissed by the rabbi’s legal team, albeit unsuccessful and on Tuesday morning, Memorial Day in Israel, Rabbi Metzger joins the list of former senior state officials convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison. He is the one and only former Chief Rabbi included in this reprehensible list.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Why is this something you so gleefully report about? YWN seems happy to post the pictures, not feeling satisfied with”just” a post. Yes, this is a terribly sad situation, but one that YWN probably should not be so excited to report about. A Talmid Chochom he obviously is, the rest- I’ll leave to G-D, and YWN, to judge. Mistakes- big ones- he obviously made but are we ready to stand in front of Hkb’h to be judged? I know I’m not. If we HAVE TO discuss anothers errors, can we at least feel the pain when we do so?
But he’s wearing his black homburg, so all is okay.
He broke the law. That seems clear. But did he do anything wrong? Most Americans average three felonies a day, the pundits tell us.
The article writes that he pocketed a great deal of the money he collected for charity, which is par for the course. Many fundraisers take as high as 49%! Again, it may be against the law, but its standard operating procedure. And he bought apartments for his children, which is interpreted as money laundering. Many people I know have bought diras for their children too.
Whats up with this?