Yona Metzger

Rabbi Yona Metzger
Position	Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel
Began	2003
Ended	2013
Personal details
Nationality	Israeli
Denomination	Orthodox

Yona Metzger (Hebrew: יונה מצגר‎; born 4 August 1953) is an Israeli rabbi and the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. In 2013, while chief rabbi, a fraud investigation was opened. Metzger later pleaded guilty to a number of corruption charges.

Metzger was born in Haifa in 1953. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a chaplain in the 7th Armored Brigade, and was discharged with the rank of captain. Metzger received his ordination from the Yeshivat Kerem BeYavne hesder yeshiva before working as a religious teacher. He served as rabbi of the Tiferet Zvi Synagogue in Tel Aviv and was later appointed regional rabbi of northern Tel Aviv. Metzger has written ten books, two of which were awarded prizes by the President of Israel.

While Metzger is from a National Religious family and educational background, he had been closely identified with Haredi Judaism, and often sought the advice of Degel HaTorah's late spiritual leader Yosef Shalom Eliashiv. Some observers claimed that this made Metzger an excellent candidate to represent both communities, with one reporter calling him "undoubtedly the most moderate and most Zionist candidate." His supporters have often compared him to his immediate predecessor, Yisrael Meir Lau, who was seen as having a foot in every camp, which helped him in dealing with different kinds of Jews, particularly secular ones.

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