An op-ed published yesterday in the Forward urges that one of the principals in the Madoff financial fraud be brought before a Jewish religious court (bet din). Villanova law professor Chaim Saiman suggests that actions by Ezra Merkin, the feeder fund manager who was responsible for large amounts of money from Jewish non-profits being directed to Madoff, should be examined under Halacha (Jewish law). Saiman writes: "Halacha’s explicit religious terminology ... vocalizes the underlying sense of communal betrayal that lies at the bottom of this case."
UPDATE: This morning's New York Times reports that New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has issued subpoenas in an investigation into whether Ezra Merkin defrauded universities and charities by investing their funds with Bernard Madoff.
