Ex-Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger Arrested for Million-Dollar Bribes
Image by getty images
Former Israeli chief rabbi Yona Metzger was arrested on suspicion that he received bribes, as well as committed money laundering and fraud, during his time as Ashkenazi chief rabbi.
Metzger was arrested Monday, following a several-month-long investigation. A Petah Tikvah court remanded to police custody for nine days.
The Israel Police National Fraud squad believes Metzger accepted monetary and material bribes in exchange for advancing the interests of several non-profit organizations. The amount of the bribes equals several million shekels, according to reports. Metzger also is accused of trying to silence witnesses and interfere in the investigation, according to reports.
Metzger was questioned about the case in June, at the end of his stint as chief rabbi. He was placed under house arrest at the time.
Metzger served as chief rabbi from 2003 until earlier this year.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
