The Chief Rabbi of Bavaria, Dr. Aaron Ohrenstein, was one of four defendants names in an indictment yesterday released by the stein, was one of four defendants named in an indictment yesterday released by the public prosecutor’s office in connection with alleged frauds and misappropriation of funds in the Bavarian State Restitution Office.
The chief defendant, Dr. Philip Auerbach, former head of the office, is accused of bribery; fraud. and perjury. Dr. Ohrenstein is accused of fraud. The other two defendants, Berthold Konirsch and Klaus Hoenig-Ohnesorg, both lawyers were formerly employed in the restitution office.
The indictment, covering 104 typewritten pages, lists a number of additional charges not previously disclosed by the Bavarian authorities. They include charges of bribery by Dr. Acerbate of construction firms given contracts for reconstruction of cemeteries and other Jewish communal properties. According to defense attorneys, the case is not expected to come up for trial before April. The prosecution has given notice it will call 101 witnesses and three experts.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany formally disassociated itself from Rabbi Ohrenstein last month when he refused to comply with its request that he refrain from exercising the functions of his office pending disposition of charges against him. The council said his conduct was “incompatible with the traditions of the Jewish community.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
