In the Sunday Rosh Chodesh Kislev daily Maariv, columnist Ben Caspi opts to address the district court verdict against defendants in the Holyland real estate case — not the verdict of all the defendants, just former Jerusalem Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky. Following is the crux of his column.
Most of the accused have appealed, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert but I am not writing about them today, I am writing about Uri Lupoliansky. I wanted to say something. I do not know the man, and to the best of my knowledge we never spoke. I read the verdict, the evidence, the sentence and the arguments for the appeal. The case of the Uri Lupoliansky, a modest chareidi Jew, almost an ascetic, whose life’s work is Yad Sarah and there is no doubt that he never took a penny for himself but only for that wonderful institution to purchasing medical equipment for the needy, is nothing less than scandalous.
In my opinion, Justice Rosen lost his human moral justification. I have no idea how he is able to send Lupoliansky, who is also battling a difficult illness, to six years imprisonment. Honestly I haven’t a clue how. What does the court want to tell us with his verdict? How does he look at himself in a mirror? What is he trying to prove to us? It is beyond me!
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Hi let me get this straight….
Its OK to take bribes in order to give to charity??
The answer my dear friend is NO NO NO – it is a chilul Hashem of the highest order – please see Masechet peah the very last Mishna
It’s disappointing, though not surprising, that he fails to draw the logical conclusion; the Israeli justice system discriminates against Chareidim.
Dear Efraim312, despite your erudition, you fail to realize that this editorial was written by a non religious Israeli. He doesn’t know Mishayos. Yet he sees a destinction between what Rav Lupolianky is accused of and what all the others have been accused.
Efraim312 my friend, please read the court transcript for yourself. You will be totally shocked and dismayed.
P.s. the impression I personally had was that despite no wrongdoing – or rather – [that money offered to a politician’s preferred tzedaka (even voluntarily) constitutes a bribe as if he had received it personally] – the judge wanted to send a message; don’t think that being a good person will get you out of trouble.
Its vastly misplaced…