Last update - 02:05 14/02/2008
JA envoy to Venezuela charged over fake conversions
By Ruth Sinai and Anshel Pfeffer
A Jewish Agency Aliyah envoy to South America has been arrested on suspicion of providing immigration papers to 200 Venezuelan citizens whom he knew had undergone fraudulent conversions to Judaism.
The Ramle Magistrate's Court extended the remand yesterday of Ilan Architecter, 66, a veteran Jewish Agency employee who had run the absorption center in Ra'anana for many years.
The Immigration Police said the suspect - who was arrested in Israel on Tuesday - had confessed to the allegations, saying he knew the rabbi who converted the Venezuelans was suspect.
Most of the Venezuelans were of indigenous descent, who were convinced to convert with promises of the benefits they would receive if they immigrated to Israel.
The envoy told police that he wanted to be cited as an outstanding employee by attempting to bring as many immigrants to Israel as possible.
Some of the Venezuelan "immigrants," who received absorption benefits from the state, live in Ramle, while others have left the country in the past few years.
The Immigration Police started an undercover investigation a few months ago following intelligence tips. A month ago Police arrested a woman and her son of South American descent on suspicion of mediating between the Venezuelans, a rabbi in Venezuela and Architecter.
A search in the suspects' home yielded 20 conversion certificates signed by that rabbi. However, the certificates had been issued before the 20 had undergone conversion.
Police said the rabbi was not recognized by the Israeli Rabbinate, and they have expanded inquiries to find out how officials from the Absorption and Interior ministries did not realize that the immigrants' conversions were fake.
Police are checking whether Architecter pocketed any of the money given to the Venezuelans as part of their absorption package.
Jewish Agency officials were surprised to hear of the arrest of one of their veteran envoys. Architecter won an "outstanding envoy" citation last year due to the good relations he had forged with Venezuela's Jewish community.
A year ago he asked to return to Israel, but agreed to stay because of the difficulty in finding someone suitable to fill this important post, and in view of the fear for the community's safety under President Hugo Chavez's leadership.
Despite the community's fear of Chavez, only a few hundred of Venezuela's 15,000 Jews have come to Israel in recent years. Thousands have immigrated to Miami.
The Jewish Agency denied that it exerts any pressure on envoys to bring as many immigrants as possible to Israel. Jewish Agency Chairman Ze'ev Bielski told Haaretz a week ago that "our envoys are not measured by how many immigrants they bring".
The agency said it has always been "committed to ensuring a legal and proper immigration process to Israel."
Yair Redl, acting director of the Jewish Agency's Immigration and Absorption division, said the allegations against Architecter were unclear.
"The Interior Ministry officials are the ones who decide who can authorize a potential immigrant's conversion," he said. "Jewish Agency envoys act according to their instructions and all the permits are brought to Israel anyway."
Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, a former absorption minister, said that "the Jewish Agency must find a better way to motivate their envoys and not encourage a quota system."
The agency also called for an inquiry into the rabbi who provided the false conversions.