Routine Mezuzah Check Leads to Sting Operation Across the World
By Anash.org reporter
What began as a routine check of mezuzos in Crown Heights led to a full-blown international investigation involving many experts and multiple organizations, culminating in a sting operation and the arrest of a forger pretending to be a sofer in Ashkelon, Eretz Yisroel.
The story began when a batch of mezuzos was brought for checking to Machon Stam in Crown Heights. A., an inspector of tefillin and mezuzos (magia) at Machon Stam, was examining them when he came across a mezuzah that had perfect ksav, but something seemed wrong.
“I couldn’t put my finger on it,” A. told Anash.org. “Although it looked 100 percent kosher, something seemed off.”
When he came across another mezuzah with the same handwriting from a second batch, his suspicions grew. When it came to the third mezuzah, he shared, he realized his hunch was right: these were printed mezuzos!
It appears that the sofer, who lived in Eretz Yisroel and presented himself as a yirei shomayim, was printing the mezuzos on parchment and then tracing over them with a quill and ink – saving himself much time, but rendering the mezuzos completely possul.
The new information was brought to Rabbi Menachem Kahn, who was recently appointed by the Beis Din of Crown Heights to assist with such issues. Rabbi Kahn and the activist who brought the mezuzos for checking began an investigation of the sofer and strategized on the best way forward.
They notified the two major organizations for the kashrus of tefillin and mezuzos in the U.S. and Eretz Yisroel, the latter of which contacted the Israeli police, who began planning their own operation to catch the “sofer.”
In a sophisticated undercover operation by detectives of the YALP crime-fighting unit, a sting purchase was arranged with the suspect, a 56-year-old resident of the Shomron. When he arrived to deliver dozens of “mezuzos,” he was arrested on the spot.
A search of his home quickly uncovered an improvised workshop, including a home printer, a computer containing hundreds of mezuzah text files, and piles of printed mezuzah parchment.
The implication was devastating: hundreds of Jewish homes were misled with a printed klaf placed on their doorposts instead of a valid, handwritten mezuzah.
The evidence was seized, and the suspect was detained for questioning and later released under restrictive conditions.
Police are addressing the offence from a criminal standpoint and in terms of public trust.
“Israel Police will continue to act decisively to locate suspects who impersonate authorities and provide counterfeit products that harm the public,” a police spokesperson said. “We call on the public to be vigilant and verify the identity and reliability of service providers in every field.”
Chabad Houses, sofrim, and all those involved in Mivtza Mezuzah are urged to exercise increased caution: always demand valid certification, verify the identity of the sofer, carefully inspect the mezuzos, and work only with trustworthy, reputable sofrim.
