Are There No Honest Jews in the Israeli Government?

Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirshenbaum - 1 of 30 accused of corruption

Sometimes I feel like Diogenes, the ancient Greek philosopher who famously carried a lantern around in the daytime looking for an honest man. 

Israeli police have detained 30 senior officials accused of corruption, including Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirshenbaum. 

The officials, who where detained Wednesday morning after a yearlong investigation, also include a former government minister and senior officials in government ministries, in addition to mayors, heads of NGOs, union chiefs and officers in government corporations. Documents and computers were also confiscated from the officials. 

Kirshenbaum is a member of the right-wing Israel Beiteinu party, which dismissed the charges as a “witch hunt,” according to the Times of Israel. 

The officials are accused of accepting bribes and illegally funneling funds to NGOs, according to reports. In exchange, the NGOs allegedly gave jobs to people close to the officials. 

A Likud comptroller disqualified Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from running for the party’s leadership primary next week, in a move that could imperil the prime minister’s chances of competing for another term…

Comptroller Shai Galili cited Netanyahu’s alleged misuse of party funds and other property to advance his candidacy in disqualifying him from the primary.