The four rabbis from various Israeli cities whom police arrested Wednesday on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining police "fitness certificates," that testify to a criminal-free past and would enable them to qualify for the post of "City Rabbi," have been sent to house arrest with limiting conditions. The investigation is ongoing.
The four allegedly fraudulently obtained the certificates without having taken the rabbinic ordination exams. In addition, they falsified scores of tests they never took, sent impostors to sit for the exam in their stead, and even appealed directly to the examiner to ease the test process and scoring for them.
Detectives of the Lahav 433 unit arrested the four suspects and searched their homes in order to seize documents that were allegedly linked to the offenses attributed to them.
The rabbis are suspected of fraud and breach of trust, receiving benefits fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, falsifying corporate documents, impersonating another person, and aggravated forgery.
Police emphasized that, throughout the investigation, they received the full cooperation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.The police also clarified that the suspicions are directed against the rabbis themselves, and not at the Chief Rabbinate or anyone operating on its behalf.