Scandal Tremors: William Rapfogel?s resignation under a cloud of scandal is already having repercussions for the Met Council on Jewish Poverty that he headed. Image by met council

New York has reportedly suspended all funding to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty following the firing of its longtime CEO, William Rapfogel, over alleged financial misdeeds.

“All pending awards have been put on hold until an investigation by the New York Department of Investigation is completed,” said mayoral spokesman Kamran Mumtaz, according to a report in The New York Post.

Unnamed sources quoted in the Post report says the move is holding up millions of dollars in payments from pending city contracts. The bulk of the organization’s revenue comes from federal, state and city funding. William Rapfogel allegedly inflated insurance bills and pocketed the overcharges for himself.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Met Council removed Rapfogel, 58, from his positions following an internal probe discovered “financial irregularities and apparent misconduct in connection with the organization’s insurance policies,” the organization said Monday. The social service agency, which provides employment services, crisis intervention, emergency food and other programs for poor Jewish households, said in a statement it would “work diligently to appoint a replacement as quickly as possible.”

On the same day, Rapfogel in a statement through his lawyers said, “I deeply regret the mistakes I have made that led to my departure from the organization.”

Rapfogel’s lawyer reportedly said that Rapfogel’s wife, Judy, and her boss, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, were unaware of the scheme.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount