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Rabbinate defrocks rabbi who stole Torah scrolls
Organization says honorific will be stripped from any rabbi convicted of wrongdoing
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, center, at the Chief Rabbinate (photo credit: Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
The Chief Rabbinate announced Wednesday that Yehuda Rosilio, the former rabbi of Moshav Brosh in southern Israel, would be stripped of his honorific due to his conviction for the theft of Torah scrolls from his own community.
Rosilio was convicted last week.
The rabbinate said the move indicated a new policy to strip the title of any rabbi proved guilty of a crime.
Rosilio was convicted of stealing seven Torah scrolls from his synagogue and replacing them with rolls of paper and cardboard during Simchat Torah celebrations last year.
The incident happened in the small Negev town of Moshav Brosh. According to police, the parchments’ worth was estimated at about NIS 500,000 ($130,000).
