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ITALIAN COLLECTIONS
54
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4716 WOODWARD • SOUTH OF 14 MILE • (810) 549-1221
Jerusalem (JTA) — The trial of
Jewish Agency Chairman Sim-
cha Dinitz, which began last
week, promises to be a difficult
ordeal for a man who took the
perquisites of power for granted
and for an institution already bat-
tered by charges of being ineffi-
cient and outmoded.
Mr. Dinitz stands charged with
aggravated fraud and breach of
public trust. His alleged crime
was that he charged $22,000 in
personal expenses over a four-
year period to credit cards for
which the Jewish Agency picked
up the bill.
Mr. Dinitz, who took a paid
leave of absence from the Agency
to prepare his defense, has plead-
ed innocent to the charges, which
carry a maximum penalty of five
years in prison.
He has since paid back the
money and claims it was all an
oversight due to sloppy book-
keeping prac-
tices.
According to
Agency rules,
executives are
to be billed for
any expenses
not specifically
claimed as
work-related,
and his should
automatically
have been de-
ducted from his
salary, Dinitz
claims.
In fact, Mr.
Dinitz failed to
file the proper
reports, and the
Agency reim-
bursed him for
all of his ex- Simcha Dinitz:
Agency on trial?
penses.
The prosecu-
tor, Shimon Dolan, argues the af-
fair was not a one-time stumble,
but a systematic and intentional
effort by Mr. Dinitz to defraud the
Agency for his personal gain.
Mr. Dinitz, he says, took ad-
vantage of his status and the con-
fidence placed in him as head of
the Agency.
In any case, for four days each
week, the 65-year-old former am-
bassador to the United States
and protege of former Prime Min-
ister Golda Meir must sit in a
small and dingy courtroom in the
Jerusalem District Court build-
ing in eastern Jerusalem and
watch his fate be decided.
On the first day of the trial, Mr.
Dinitz sat soberly in a gray suit,
listening intently to the remarks
of the prosecutor, occasionally
shaking his head and taking
notes. Members of his family and
a few faithful allies were present,
along with the expected bevy of
reporters.
The Israeli media coverage of
the trial's opening was heavy.
In a few of the daily newspa-
pers, the pages of section fronts
were filled with the story accom-
panied by big color photos of a
grim-looking Simcha Dinitz. But
subsequent coverage has been
lighter and more technical as the
testimony itself bogs down into
details of Agency accounting pro-
cedures.
Early coverage of the affair in
the Israeli media was marked by
the almost gleeful "feeding fren-
zy" inevitably attached to the fall
of a man who allegedly misused
his power and position.
But now that Mr. Dinitz sits
alone day after day on the defen-
dant's bench, touches of pathos,
tragedy and even compassion
have crept into the stories on the
case.
At the highly
politicized Jew-
ish Agency, Mr.
Dinitz has plen-
ty of detractors.
Even those who
like him concede
that his arro-
gance has made
him many ene-
mies.
At the same
time, all recog-
nize that for now,
Mr. Dinitz's fate
is inextricably
linked with that
of the institution
he officially still
heads.
All concede
the affair has
hurt and will
continue to hurt
the Agency as
long as the trial lasts — and it
is expected to last a few months.
The prosecution alone plans to
call at least two dozen witnesses
and the first witness was still be-
ing cross-examined on the fourth
day.
Jewish Agency officials, none
of whom would speak about the
case for the record, are sure Mr.
Dinitz will defend himself by
putting the Agency on trial along-
side him — and they are girding
themselves for it.
They anticipate Mr. Dinitz'
lawyer will argue that his client's
fast and loose behavior with ex-
penses was simply a reflection of
the Agency's norms and practices,
and nothing out of the ordinary.
By early this week, it was clear
the defense was headed in that
direction, although it was less
clear the judge would be con-
vinced by this line of argument.