Four members of the ultra-orthodox Komemiut village were charged today with complicity in the kidnaping of Yossele Shumacher, the child spirited away from his parents two and a half years ago. The charges were filed in Jerusalem District court. The four defendants included Rabbi Binyamin Mendelson, rabbi of the village.
The case will be heard by a panel of three judges, headed by Binyamin Halevi, president of the court. The maximum penalty on conviction is seven years.
The boy, who is now 10, was taken by Orthodox Jews who feared he would not receive proper Orthodox education. Efforts reported to have been made on three continents have failed to reveal any trace of the youngster.
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