After first accusing his son-in-law, Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, of using him to launder money, Argentine Chief Rabbi Shlomo Ben Hamo retracted his claim in an agreement that was given the force of a verdict by the Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Ben Hamo said on Thursday that the retraction was “part of an arrangement made for legal reasons and to preserve domestic tranquillity.”

Last month, Haaretz published passages from an affidavit Ben Hamo submitted in response to a lawsuit. In the suit, the developer of a luxury residential project accused Ben Hamo of failing to pay the balance due on two apartments he had purchased.

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)

In his defense, Ben Hamo claimed that the debt belonged to the Pintos. In his affidavit, he described at length how his daughter and Pinto persuaded him to open a bank account in Argentina for them in his own name. He said he did so because his daughter told him his refusal was causing discord between her and her husband.

In 2007, the Pintos came to Ben Hamo and informed him that they had purchased two apartments in the prestigious Jerusalem of Gold complex. According to the affidavit, Ben Hamo agreed to serve as a guarantor of the Pintos’ contract with the developer.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount