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eading the indictment against
Jack Abramoff, one might not
know that he was prominent in
Washington Jewish circles. But in corn-
ing months, his ties with Jewish and
Israeli organizations may play a large
role in the web of illegal activity to
which the lobbyist has pled guilty.
While Abramoff has been portrayed
as a man willing to do nearly anything
to further his political goals and wallet,
he also has been an idiosyncratic player
in the Jewish community of the nation's
capital, starting several short-lived,
money-losing ventures to fill religious
gaps he saw in the city's Jewish world.
He also used his largess to further
Israeli businesses and charities that
appealed to-his conservative worldvielAr.
Specifically, Abramoff is accused of
using money from a Washington charity
he oversaw to fund military-type pro-
grams in the West Bank. Indian tribes
donated money to tax-exempt charities,
believing they were supporting anti-
gambling foundations;s but the money
was redirected to help a "sniper school"
in the West Bank, operated by a friend
of Abramoff. According to congressional
documents, Abramoff sought night-
vision goggles and a vehicle for the
sniper-training facility.
Abramoff also allegedly worked on
behalf of an Israeli firm that sought to
wire the Capitol for cellular phone use.
While leading cell phone manufacturers
in the United States settled on JGC
Wireless to install antennas in repeaters
in House buildings, an Israeli company
with ties to Abramoff, Foxcom Wireless,
ultimately won the bid.
The switch is allegedly linked to Rep.
Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the
House Administration Committee, who
accepted numerous favors from
Abramoff over the years, and placed
comments in the Congressional Record
favorable to Abramoff's ventures.
Foxcom didn't pay Abramoff to lobby
for the House job, but it did donate .
$50,000 to the Capitol Athletic
Foundation, an Abramoff charity, the
Washington Post reported.
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Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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I Matthew E. Berger
8
Rabbinic Ties
Abramoff also has been tied to two
rabbis, the Lapin brothers, who aided
his political and personal ventures.
David Lapin was hired to run a Jewish
school Abramoff created in suburban
Maryland to teach his children and
others. Lapin also received close to
$1.2 million to promote "ethics in gov-
ernment" to the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, one of
Abramoff's clients. Officials on the
island said Lapin did little for the
money.
His brother, Daniel Lapin, is presi-
dent of Toward Tradition. Abramoff
allegedly asked him to create an award
to bestow upon Abramoff to help his
acceptance into Washington's.Cosmos
Club. Abramoff suggested he could be a
"scholarof Talmudic studies" or a "dis-
tinguished biblical scholar."
Lapin said yes, according to e-mails
obtained by congressional investiga-
tors, and asked whether Abramoff
needed a letter or a plaque. Lapin told
the Washington Post he meant the
exchange to be tongue-in-cheek and
never produced an award for
Abramoff.
Two other Abramoff aides moved to
Israel last year as investigators contin-
ued their probe. Sam Hook and his
wife, Shana Tesler, both worked at
Abramoff's law firm and had been
cooperating with investigators before
moving to Israel in July, according to
The Hill, a Washington newspaper. The
Orthodox Jews had long planned to
move to Israel, their attorney said last
year.
In Washington, Abramoff shunned
area religious schools, choosing to
open Eshkol Academy specifically for
his children's education. The school
closed within two years, and several
teachers say they are owed back pay.
Rabbi David Lapin, the school's
dean, was not an active administrator,
former teachers said.
Abramoff also opened several kosher
restaurants that failed quickly. Stacks, a
deli, was welcomed by the city's Jewish
community, but never made money. A
more formal restaurant upstairs,
Archives, never stayed open for more
than a few weeks at a time. Li