Police investigate former chief rabbi Metzger on suspicion he molested teenage boy
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Former Ashkenazi chief rabbi Yona Metzger is being investigated by police after he was accused of molesting a boy under 16 years old, authorities said Tuesday, in the latest criminal allegation to embroil the disgraced religious leader.
Metzger was called in for questioning then released on bail a few hours later, a police spokesman said. The case against Metzger, 71, began in the fraud division of the Tel Aviv police department, according to the Ynet news site.
The investigation follows both a previous complaint — which was received in 2020 and briefly probed, after which police closed the case — and a new one, Hebrew media reported.
The new complaint, according to Ynet, citing people close to Metzger, concerns an event that took place on a beach, where the rabbi spoke with several teenagers and told them he would “teach” them about lifeguarding.
The young people demonstrated some of their rescue exercises to the rabbi, and Metzger took the phone number of one of the youths, who later filed the complaint against him, according to the report.
It was not immediately clear when the alleged “indecent act” took place.
Yehudah Fried, Metzger’s attorney, said in a statement that his client was “astonished” by the investigation and “denies everything,” saying Metzger has faith in investigators and fully participated in the process, and that he and his client “have no doubt that it will shortly become clear that there is no basis” for the claims.
Content retrieved from: https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-investigate-former-chief-rabbi-metzger-on-suspicion-he-molested-teenage-boy/.
