Police: Indict Haredi Former Chief Rabbi For Bribery And Public Corruption

“[Metzger] allegedly received, over the years, illegal sums worth millions of shekels in exchange for performing activities and making decisions in various areas related to his role as chief rabbi – donations, conversions, rabbinic appointments, corrupt ties to tycoons" and more, police said today.

Former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger

Police: Indict Haredi Former Chief Rabbi For Bribery And Public Corruption
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Israel police has now completed its investigation and announced today that it recommends haredi former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger be put on trial for bribery, public corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, obstruction of justice and related crimes, Ha’aretz reported.

Metzger was arrested last year while still serving as Ashkenazi chief rabbi.

Police say they have enough evidence to prove that Metzger accepted both monetary and material bribes while serving as chief rabbi. Those
bribes allegedly totaled several million shekels.

“[Metzger] allegedly received, over the years, illegal sums worth millions of shekels in exchange for performing activities and making decisions in various areas related to his role as chief rabbi – donations, conversions, rabbinic appointments, corrupt ties to tycoons" and more, police said today.

Metzger denies the allegations against him.

The case has been transferred to the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office for review. From there it will be sent to Israel’s attorney general who will make the final decision on whether or not to indict Metzger.

Metzger also has a long history of alleged unethical and illegal behavior stretching back to, at the very least, the decade before he became chief rabbi in 2003, including alegations of heterosexual and homosexual sexual harassment.

Nonetheless, despite those allegations being made public over that decade, haredi leader Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv strongly supported Metzger's candidacy for chief rabbi.

When asked by this writer more than a decade ago if he knew about those allegations before supporting Metzger's candidacy, Elyashiv responded that he had known but supported Metzger anyway to "restore the glory to the chief rabbinate."

Comments

[S M L]

Pitiful and sad. A so-called leader of Jews playing right into the antisemites' stereotype.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

yiikes