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| Israeli chief rabbis |
The Israeli Rabbinate ruled that it will strip the “Rabbi Title” from any rabbi convicted of any crime, according to press reports in Israel.
The Israeli Rabbinate announced the decision on Wednesday, in specific to Rabbi Yehuda Rosilio, the former rabbi of Moshav Brosh in southern Israel. The rabbi was stripped of his honorary degree because of his conviction of stealing Torah scrolls from his own community.
Rosilio was sentenced last week.
The Rabbinate said the move indicated a new policy to strip the title of any rabbi found guilty of a crime.
Rosilio was convicted of stealing seven Torah scrolls from the synagogue and replacing them with paper rolls and cardboard during a Simchat Torah celebration last year.
The incident happened in the small Negev town of moshav Brosh. According to police, the scrolls are worth an estimated about NIS 500,000 or $130,000.
As we previously reported, a rabbi cleaned out his own synagogue of the Torah scrolls during the recent holiday of Simchat Torah, according to police reports.
Seven Torah scrolls were stolen from a synagogue and replaced with rolls of paper and cardboard. Police suspected the rabbi of the congregation to be behind the robbery.
Police said the Torah scrolls went missing on Simchat Torah celebrations on Monday night.
The incident happened in the small southern Israeli town of moshav Brosh. According to police, as
revelers danced with Torah scrolls during the traditional celebrations of the festival of Simchat Torah, which began on Monday night, the thieves took several precious Torah scrolls, estimated to be worth about NIS 500,000 or about $129,523.
Thieves used paper rolls with the same form of Torah scrolls as decoys while escaping.
Police arrested the rabbi of the synagogue on Tuesday, after the faithful confronted him about the theft.
The rabbi was convicted of the theft.