David Stav has based his campaign to become Israel’s next Ashkenazi chief rabbi on a message of inclusion, friendliness and tolerance. But in an exclusive interview with JTA, he spoke harsh words against those who have attacked him in recent weeks. The attacks began two Saturday nights ago, when Rabbi Ovadia Yosef used his weekly…
Police placed Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yona Metzger, under house arrest following a 10-hour interrogation on corruption allegations. According to The Jerusalem Post, police ordered Metzger not to leave his home for five days at the end of his interrogation Thursday. Investigators from the National Fraud Squad raided his home and offices as part of…
Michael Applebaum, the first Jewish mayor of Montreal, resigned on Tuesday, a day after he was charged with fraud and corruption in the latest major Canadian municipal scandal. “I am going to put my energies into my defense and into my family,” said Applebaum, who had promised to clean up Canada’s second-largest city when he…
Mark Stern likely cut a familiar figure when he approached several New York politicians offering cash and lucrative real estate deals. A member of the Satmar community, Stern is one of scores of fixers on the New York political scene, bearded men who serve as go-betweens connecting ultra-Orthodox Hasidic groups with elected officials. Unlike other…
Any hopes that Avigdor Liberman had for a quick trial in time to become part of Israel’s new government were dashed today, when his trial opened in Jerusalem and looked set to become a slow affair. Yisrael Beytenu party head Liberman, who was Foreign Minister until he resigned to face his charges shortly before the…
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will be indicted for fraud and breach of trust, charges that may lead him to resign, but the Justice Ministry dropped more serious corruption allegations in a nearly 12-year-old case. The announcement comes just weeks before a Jan. 22 election in which the right-wing party of Lieberman and Prime Minister…
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday the replacement of the city’s entire ethics board with seven new members, saying the new board will have the professionalism to do the job in a city notorious for corruption. “These nominees will ensure that everyone in public office understands exactly where they stand and who they serve,” said…
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced to one to three years of probation and fined about $19,000 for a breach of trust conviction. Olmert was sentenced Monday in Jerusalem District Court. He could have faced up to three years in jail. The state had recommended a six-month jail sentence. The sentence in the…
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