Minister of Justice Dov Joseph today rejected a petition by Nachman Shtarkes, grandfather of Yossele Schunacher, who had requested that the court proceedings against his son, Shalom, be quashed.
The latter is charged with kidnaping Yossele and with perjury in the case of the boy whose abduction had led to a three-continent search which ended when the 10-year old child had been found secreted in the home of a Hassidic rabbi in Brooklyn last summer. Shalom Shtarkes was brought back here on an extradition order from England, and is awaiting a verdict on the charges against him in Jerusalem District Court. The verdict is scheduled to be announced January 21.
The elder Mr. Shtarkes, who had himself served a prison term for refusing to divulge information about his missing grandson, had originally petitioned Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, seeking the Premier’s intervention to quash the case against Shalom. Mr. Ben-Gurion referred the petition to the Minister of Justice.
In reply to the petition, Mr. Joseph stated that, after considering the appeal, he found he could not properly intervene after the trial had been held, and at a time when only the court’s final decision on the case is being awaited.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
