Haredi former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger has been indicted for allegedly taking at least NIS 10 million ($2.6 million) in bribes and other crimes.
Above: Rabbi Yona Metzger
Haredi Former Chief Rabbi Of Israel Indicted
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Haredi former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger was indicted today for allegedly taking at least NIS 10 million ($2.6 million) in bribes, NIS 7 million ($1.8 million) of which he allegedly kept for himself, Ynet reported. The rest allegedly went to co-conspirators or to charities Metzger used to launder the bribes.
In one alleged case from 2011, Metzger and a foreign rabbi arranged for the conversion to Judaism of the children of a Russian businessman who had relocated to Israel. Metzger and the other rabbi were allegedly bribed by the businessman with $180,000 each.
A donation of $72,000 earmarked by the donor for Beit Hatavshil, which feeds the poor. But the $72,000 was allegedly split between Beit Hatavshil and Metzger, who took approximately $22,500 without the donor's knowledge.
Sometimes entire donations were allegedly stolen. In one case, $28,000 which donated to a yeshiva located in Metzger's synagogue. Instead, the money was allegedly taken by Metzger and his personal assistant Chaim Eisenstadt for their own personal use.
Metzger also allegedly received bribes disguised as gifts, in one case receiving $500,000 spread out over 10 separate payments.
In yet another case, a relative of a rabbi nominated to fill an official position allegedly gave Metzger $70,000 at the ceremony announcing the nomination.
Metzger also allegedly obstructed justice, told Eisenstadt to lie to police, hid income from tax authorities and committed other crimes.
Metzger will likely be charged with bribery, fraud, breach of public trust, fraudulent receipt of a benefit under aggravated circumstances, theft, money-laundering, tax violations and conspiracy to commit a felony, all carried out in large part through using his position as Israel’s Chief Rabbi.
He was arrested in June 2013 while still serving as Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, and eventually suspended himself. Metzger maintained his title and position, but held no official roles for the remainder of his term, which ended at the end of that year.
Metzger was elected Chief Rabbi of Israel through a deal brokered by then-Ashkenazi haredi supreme rabbinic leader Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyahiv, despite Metzger’s alleged public corruption and sexual immorality when he served as a neighborhood rabbi in north Tel Aviv. Through a spokesman, Elyashiv told this reporter in 2003 that he admitted he knew about the allegations against Metzger before backing him for Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, and said that he supported Metzger for that job in order to “return the glory to the Chief Rabbinate.”
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