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Israeli police battle ties between rabbis, organized crime

Israeli police arrested Israeli Rabbi Yoram Abergel for involvement in an extortion deal, unraveling a dangerous triangle of rabbis, criminals and local politics in Netivot.
A Jewish worshipper throws a candle into a fire during a ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shalom Ifergan at his grave-site in the southern town of Netivot June 13, 2013. Organised by Rabbi Shalom Iregan's son, Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Ifergan, the annual memorial ceremony draws hundreds of Israelis who throw candles into a bonfire near the Rabbi's grave-site. Picture taken June 13, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: RELIGION ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10NEP
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It’s not clear when exactly the town of Netivot became shrouded in religious holiness. As the towns of the south have been gradually returning to their faith over the last two decades, Netivot has gained a special status. Tens of thousands of believers stream to it most days of the year in order to pray over the graves of holy men and supplicate for relief from their suffering. Aside from ultra-Orthodox Bnei Barak, no other city in Israel has such a concentration of believers.  

In recent days Netivot has fallen into turmoil following the arrest of one of its most prominent rabbis. Residents watched in disbelief as policemen took Rabbi Yoram Abergel from his home and put him into a police cruiser. The astonishment only grew when it became known that one of the heads of organized crime in Israel, Shalom Domrani, was arrested with him. The joint arrest of the criminal and the rabbi shocked the ultra-Orthodox street and turned a spotlight on a world that is usually hidden from the eyes of most Israelis.  

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