There are several versions of the story making their way around town, a story that emerges from the Har Nof area of Yerushalayim, involving a gabbai of Chanichei Yeshivos. According to one version, appearing on the Chadrei Chareidim website, the gabbai has fled the country, fearing he is being sought by elements in Israel’s underworld community.
It appears the gabbai and shul have fallen prey to some dishonest folks, and the matter has reached NIS millions proportions. It appears that someone from a company supplying the shul with cleaning products for a number of years made off with blank checkpoints of the shul and the gabbai, and someone has been writing checks in their names amounting to NIS millions.
The checks of course bounced, and apparently people turned to Israel’s ‘gray market’ not known as a law-abiding enterprise, to collect the funds. Their boys appeared at the gabbai demanding they he and the shul make good on a number of hefty checks, along with demands for additional funds which they explain are their collection fees. The gabbai, who fell victim, explained he simply does not have the means to cover the checks, explaining they were stolen from him and that he or the shul never wrote them out.
The agents of the ‘gray market’ are accustomed to excuses and pleas, but they reportedly told the gabbai that if he does not honor the checks, they cannot be responsible for what may occur.
The gabbai, who was more than a bit shaken up, conferred with the rav of the shul, who happens to be a member of the beis din of HaGaon HaRav Nissim Karelitz Shlita, who advised him to back and flee, at least until a solution can be found.
A notice was hung in the shul explaining to mispallalim that checks were stolen and until further notice, the account was closed and future donations should be given to different people, who were mentioned, not the gabbai. The rav spoke to his kehila on Friday night as well, instructing the tzibur to do tshuva as a result of the entire matter that has impacted their shul and their lives.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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4 Responses
There are a number of points in this story that simply do not add up.
Firstly, I suppose that the word “checkpoints” was used instead of “check books”. Sloppy English and even sloppier sub-editing.
Secondly, if the shul’s check book was stolen or mislaid why did the gabbai not contact the bank immediately to cancel the missing checks?
Thirdly, if “someone from the cleaning company” was suspected of stealing the check books, why did the gabbai not call the police in immediately?
Fourthly, if the gabbai was not involved as an accomplice in this matter – and no one has suggested that he is – why did the rav of the shul (no matter what his rabbinical yichus may or may not be) advise the gabbai to run away? Stupid advice at best, extremely suspicious at worst.
Fifthly and lastly, if anyone should be doing teshuva it should be the errant gabbai (who was the trusted and responsible person in charge of the shul’s finances) and not the rest of the kehila.
#1,
1. …unless it’s an English translation of whatever the hebrew is for what we refer to as a check-book.
2. maybe the suspected theft happened recently and he wanted to make sure he hadn’t simply misplaced it first.
3. see #2
4. The plain fact is that if these under-world elements are after him then why should he not save his life by running away, no matter how innocent?
5. Who are you to judge someone else? Maybe it was not his fault nor his error? Besides, if the kehilla as a whole does teshuva for anything they may have done wrong, surely this would be a zechus for the embattled gabbai, who seems to be running for his life, Hashem Yishmireihu viyizakeihu, and for the shul whose finances and order have been compromised.
Englisher Yid,
The article clearly states that the Gabbai was threatened. He fleed for his safety. His location is known to authorities. He is just trying to remain alive while this is sorted out.
Let’s not always jump to the worst conclusions.
First of all it’s not Chaneichei Yeshivos, but Bnei Torah. Secondly why was this posted today? The sign in shul was from friday and Chadrei charedim had this at least from Sunday. Were you waiting for developments/clarifications? Then maybe it would have been better to continuing waiting…