Rabbi Ordered To Jail For Religious Refusal To Testify To Grand Jury

According to the Los Angeles Times last week, a California federal district court judge who has found Hasidic rabbi Moshe Zigelman in contempt for refusal to testify has ordered Zigelman to be jailed on March 21.  Zigelman has already served a prison term for tax evasion by his New York-based Spinka sect.  After his release from prison, he was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury to testify in the continuing probe of the tax scheme. However, Zigelman refused, citing the Jewish principle of mesira-- the variously interpreted ban on informing civil authorities that a fellow-Jew is violating the law. Zigelman will remain in jail for a maximum of 18 months, or less if he decides to testify.  (See prior related posting.)