2003 election Metzger's appointment was controversial because he was not a
halachic authority. Metzger had never served as a religious judge (
dayan), though his role as Chief Rabbi required him to sit as President of the Rabbinical Supreme Court for five years, before switching with his
Sephardic counterpart to be head of the Chief Rabbinate Council. Metzger was questioned twice, and denied any wrongdoing, but suspended himself from the Rabbinical High Court in June 2005, while waiting to see whether or not the Israeli
Attorney General,
Menachem Mazuz, decided to indict him. No charges were brought, and Metzger and his supporters dismissed all of the accusations against him as part of an ongoing smear campaign against him.
Disputes and disagreements On 3 April 2006, Attorney General Mazuz announced that he was closing the Metzger investigation, and would not seek an indictment, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. However, he added that in light of various "disturbing" information that came to light during the investigation, including contradictory statements given to the police, that the Chief Rabbi should resign. Mazuz also called on the Justice Ministry to consider bringing Metzger's case "before the Dayanim Selection Committee ... to consider ending his term in office" if Metzger did not resign. The rabbi's supporters included some of Israel's most notable religious figures: Metzger met with a group of high-profile rabbis, including his political patron, leading Lithuanian rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, as well as former Chief Rabbis
Ovadia Yosef,
Mordechai Eliyahu, and
Avraham Shapira. The rabbis praised his character and integrity, heavily criticized Mazuz's behavior, and promised to help Metzger fight the public cries for his resignation. Rabbi Shapira reportedly told Metzger that he was being "watched over" by a "special angel in heaven", and Rabbi Eliyahu commented that in his judgement, Metzger was "pure and clear as snow". Metzger said that the ruling had been issued "without giving me the opportunity to defend myself. This was a violation of the basic rights enjoyed by every individual." Shortly after Mazuz's comments, the rabbi's spokespeople declared that he had no intention of resigning, and criticized Mazuz for convicting Metzger in the public square by tarnishing his reputation. Some in the Israeli media castigated Mazuz for overstepping his role as Attorney General. Metzger filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Israel to protest Mazuz's public declaration, alleging that his image had been destroyed without a chance to tell his side of the story, and accusing Mazuz of engaging in "child-like" tactics. Metzger's lawyer charged that Mazuz's report on Metzger contained unverifiable information, and that it constituted a personal attack on the rabbi without giving him the benefit of a defense or hearing. The petition requested that the second half of Mazuz's 30-page report, in which he harshly attacked Metzger's conduct and recommended his removal, be stricken from the record. In late May 2006, the new Justice Minister,
Chaim Ramon, told reporters that he intended to follow up on Mazuz's recommendation and attempt to force Metzger's resignation. It was also reported that outgoing Chief Justice
Aharon Barak had attempted to mediate between the parties, proposing a compromise in which all of Mazuz's report would stay in, but that Mazuz would sign a statement retracting his personal criticism of Metzger's character and declaring, "There is nothing which obliges the Minister of Justice to take administrative measures against Metzger", in effect leaving further action to the discretion of the incoming Justice Minister. Metzger's lawyer refused the deal, saying that the damage to Metzger's reputation from the report was too important to be left in as part of a compromise. In March 2007, Supreme Court President
Dorit Beinisch recommended that Mazuz re-write the report and remove the allegations she called "gossip and rumors".
Return to office In February 2008, after an investigation prompted by Mazuz's report and a recommendation by Justice Minister
Daniel Friedmann that Metzger be impeached, the Justice Ministry appointments committee authorized the end of Metzger's suspension, permitting him to return to his position on the Supreme Rabbinical Court. However, in late March, the Knesset Interior Affairs and Environment Committee ratified an amendment to the Chief Rabbinate Law that effectively prohibited Metzger from trading positions with Shlomo Amar, as is standard practice halfway through their ten-year terms. The author of the amendment claimed that it was not directed against Metzger, arguing that it, in fact, would allow for future "flexibility", permitting Chief Rabbis lacking training as rabbinical judges, as Metzger does, to "forgo" becoming President of the rabbinical courts. Some Metzger critics, however, argued that the law was relevant only to Metzger because he is the first-ever Chief Rabbi to be elected to the position who has no experience as a rabbinical judge.
Potential long-term effects When Mazuz asked Metzger to resign in 2005, the story initially sparked some debate over the necessity of having two Israeli Chief Rabbis at all, or of maintaining the Chief Rabbinate as an institution. Some suggested that one way of preserving the integrity and relevance of the office might be to convince the religious
Ashkenazi communities of Israel to decline to hold elections to replace Metzger, should he resign. This move would have consolidated the post from two seats to one, and help eliminate one of the most public representations of the office's perceived anachronism often cited by its critics. However, since then there has been little follow-up. On 12 December 2011, the Israeli daily
Israel Hayom reported that Metzger had received an offer to serve as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland at the end of Chief Rabbi Lord
Jonathan Sacks term of office in 2013.
Comments on the Palestinians Metzger gave an interview with the British
Jewish News paper in January 2008 in which he advocated transferring the Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip to the
Sinai Peninsula, adding that though Israel welcomed peaceful Muslims, the world's Muslims needed to recognize that Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people, saying, "You have another place, Mecca and Medina, you don't need a third place." Metzger also challenged the idea that Muslims had any connection to Jerusalem at all, noting that when Muslims pray to Mecca, their backs face Jerusalem. Metzger received some criticism from moderate Israelis for these remarks, as well as by some in the Arab world.
Fraud investigation and plea bargain In June 2013,
Lahav 433's National Fraud Investigations Unit raided Metzger's home and office on new suspicions of bribery, fraud, and money laundering. He was suspected of pocketing hundreds of thousands of shekels in gifts from donors destined for non-governmental organizations. On behalf of Metzger, his attorneys denied all allegations. Metzger was arrested on November 18, 2013, after the investigation, and "charged with bribery, money laundering, and income tax violations". In February 2015, Attorney General
Yehuda Weinstein indicted Metzger for accepting bribes, attempting to silence witnesses, and interfering with the investigation about his dealings. On January 24, 2017, Metzger agreed to a plea bargain in which he admitted he was guilty of bribery, tax fraud, and interfering in the trial process. In exchange, he would receive a prison sentence of three-and-a-half years and pay 5 million shekels ($1.3 million), including his tax debt and a fine. However, a month later, on February 23, the Jerusalem District Court threw out the plea bargain, and sentenced Metzger to four-and-a-half years in prison. ==Published works==