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Last update - 09:32 26/07/2009
U.S. money laundering suspects linked to Shas spiritual leader
By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Shas, Israel news, Rabbis 

Government sources believe that one of the aftereffects of the massive money-laundering and illegal organ trading case that broke this week will be a sharp decline in donations to Israeli yeshivas, particularly those linked with the ultra-Orthodox party Shas and its spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Three New Jersey mayors and several rabbis were arrested last Thursday in a sweeping federal investigation into political corruption that also uncovered human kidney sales and money laundering from Brooklyn to Israel.

Sources say that the wave of donations received by Israel's Sephardic yeshivas will significantly diminish as the scandal breaks, even by Jewish bodies unrelated to the affair who want to distance themselves from it.
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One of the main suspects in the money laundering case is Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Haim, who is a close associate of Rabbi David Yosef, Ovadia Yosef's son. Ben Haim is also very active in the Yechavei Da'at organization, headed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's family.

David Yosef heads the Yechavei Da'at kolel, an institute for advanced studies of the Talmud and rabbinic literature, in Jerusalem. Ben-Haim has helped elicit donations from rich U.S. Jews for the institution in the past. These donations are expected to cease.

Another suspect in the case is Rabbi Edmond Nahum, who is considered to be a close confidant of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef himself. Nahum also transferred donations to the Yosef family.

The Israel Police is set to investigate several Sephardic yeshivas, among them those linked with Shas, under suspicion of money laundering as related to the case. Police sources speculate that the investigation may expand to include banks that may have been involved in the possible money laundering operation.

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      1.   What a surprise 10:16  |  SJ 26/07/09
      2.   The Stench of these religious maddoff is almost too much 10:34  |  Shylock 26/07/09
      3.   U.S. money laundering suspects linked to Shas spiritual leader 10:48  |  YA 26/07/09
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      5.   Oh dear! Just as Aryeh was about to step back 11:50  |  sh 26/07/09
      6.   shas illegal activities -- duh 13:20  |  lu 26/07/09
      7.   Look Deeper 14:12  |  Abe 26/07/09
      8.   Latent hands of External entities 15:03  |  Brod 26/07/09
      9.   Parasitic life time Kollel system lives on stolen money. Hmmm 16:07  |  Ben 26/07/09
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      11.   AMERICAN JEWS ARE AGENTS IN THE SERVICE OF ISRAEL 16:20  |  JOHN BROWN 26/07/09
      12.   U.S. money laundering suspects linked to Shas spiritual leader 16:39  |  Ben 26/07/09
      13.   sh, Keep Arye Deri out of this! 17:00  |  Zev Davis 26/07/09
      14.   No. 2, Shylock 18:03  |  W 26/07/09
      15.   Wow all the posters above are having a field day. 18:22  |  Dan 26/07/09
      16.   Judge Favorably Until Judgment 18:27  |  L. 26/07/09
      17.   Haredim are inherently corrupt 19:58  |  Nathaniel 26/07/09
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      19.   Was Ben Jabo among the arrested? 20:38  |  Aounist 26/07/09
      20.   mayhem 20:56  |  annonymous 26/07/09
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