Monday, December 24, 2012

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron indicted for giving phony semicha

YNET  Former chief Sephardi Rabbi Eliahu Bakshi-Doron was indicted for fraudulent receipt of goods or services under aggravated circumstances on Monday for his role in the so-called "rabbis' file" affair, in which hundreds of security forces officers were ordained as rabbis in order to qualify for a pay raise.

According to the indictment, which was filed with the Jerusalem District Court, between 1999 and 2003 some 1,500 police officers, soldiers and cadets attended various religious colleges for a number of hours a week but were granted diplomas for completing five years of studies. The certificates enabled the individuals to receive pay raises from the State.[...]

The Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office claimed that when he instructed Ohana to issue the certificates Bakshi-Doron was aware that the security officers did not meet the criteria.

The indictment further claimed that Bakshi-Doron was aware the diplomas would grant the officers significant State-funded salary increases. The former chief rabbi authorized the illegal operation to avoid a confrontation with those who sponsored and managed the religious colleges attended by security personnel, according to the prosecution. 

6 comments:

  1. So once again the corruption of the rabbanut rears its ugly head. So the brisker Rov is proved right over and over again about the issur of stepping into heichal shlomo.

    but according to tzadok and eddie and shaul shapiro and james it's rabbi gestetner who is corrupt. a completely false world.

    if the head of the organization can take bribes how can one expect anything from anyone else associated with such Rishus?

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    1. And how would the Brisker Rav explain all the Charedei 'money laundering' and fake 'psycho tests' as IDF deferrment?
      Seems in most cases only those issues that deal with Government Fraud is touched upon by the Briskers.

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  2. Asa former Chabad shaliach in my town once said, "Semicha these days is so worthless that even I have one!"

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  3. I think the idea of a chief rabbinate must be thoroughly re-examined. Chiefs are for Indians.

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  4. "but according to t.... and eddie and s... and j.... it's rabbi gestetner who is corrupt."

    Merry Xmas Stanley - I didn't notice you comment on the haredi violence post, where non Rabbanut Eda beat up editors of their opponent's newspapers.

    And I didn't claim that Gestetner is corrupt, I asked for you to provide evidence to support your claim that he is of a previous generation in his level of Torah.

    Brisker Rav's position was not "in case" a future Chief rabbi will dole out fake Semicha. Besides, we previously saw a quote from r' Elyashiv saying that it did not apply to him.

    One last qn. Stanley - using your logic, would you agree or allege that the Brisker Rav was not so frum, because years after his passing, there was a geula mikve abuse scandal?

    If you want to prove him correct, you need to look at what his actual claim was. BTW, IF it is proven that Bakshi Doron was selling Semichas - and it hasn't been proven, then I agree that he should have his own semicha removed, regardless of my politcal affiliations.

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  5. Historical precedentDecember 25, 2012 at 6:19 PM

    There may be a historical precedent to giving smichos that are not legitimate, though the parallel is not too great. It is said that Rav Meir Simcha Hachoen of Dvinsk, known for his authorship of the Meshech Chochmoh and the Ohr Someach, was apt to give smicha to anyone moving from Europe to America. The content of the ksav, as I heard described, did not authorize the "musmach" to pasken shailos, but it did provide the label of Rav. The explanation was that he feared that those who will settle in America will be less likely to drop shmiras mitzvos if they possessed such a ksav. The intent was that they would fill positions as shammes or gabbai, or similar functions, not as rabbonim. This was told to me many years ago when someone was being discussed as a musmach of Rav Meir Simcha, and someone cautioned to take that with a grain of salt until it is known what the ksav says.

    The parallel to this situation as described is quite poor, but false smichos are not exactly new.

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