Israel's VIPs (Very Important Prisoners)




There's a Chief Rabbi, a Prime Minister and a President in a cell together....

What sounds like the beginning of a joke, is painfully close to Israel's reality.

Ex-Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yona Metzger will be imprisoned for three and a half years for corruption, having pocketed millions of shekels in illicit funds during his tenure as Chief Rabbi.

He may have the distinction of 'sitting' with ex-Prime Minister Olmert, and he narrowly missing hob-nobbing with ex-President Moshe Katzav (who has been recently released after serving time for rape).

With at least four investigations against Prime Minister Netanyau, perhaps something will stick and Bibi might join these celebs.

Before the current batch of Very Important Prisoners, Shas Minister Aryeh Deri did his time, and Ariel Sharon's son Omri also; Prime Minister Sharon Minister may well have been imprisoned with Omri also, had it not been for Gush Katif and then his vegetative state following a stroke.  

Israel seems unique among Western democracies for the amount of leading politicians who cross into criminality and get caught & punished. Perhaps only Italy is close behind.
 
Perhaps being criminally inclined is a helpful factor to progress in Israeli politics - or the operating itself environment is intrinsically corrupt, and so corrupts many of those who enter it.

This is aside from the awful chilul Hashem/desecration of God's name, from such a prestigious Rabbi going behind bars.

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