Tomer Glam, the mayor of Ashkelon, Baltimore’s partner city in Israel, was reportedly recently arrested with several senior municipal officials and others on suspicion of diverting millions of shekels donated to help residents during the two-year war with Hamas.
According to Israel’s Channel 14, Glam is at the center of an investigation in which approximately 20 million shekels in wartime donations to assist residents were allegedly misappropriated by the mayor and his associates for personal use through a community foundation. Glam’s wife, Tali, was also reportedly detained and questioned by police.
According to Israeli media reports, Glam, who is affiliated with the Likud party, and several Ashkelon officials and businessmen were arrested by detectives in the Lahav 433 major crimes police unit, which was conducting a months-long investigation into the alleged corruption.
Among the donors to the municipality during and after the war were the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Gerald and Gail Ronson Foundation, Keren Hayesod, the Jewish Federation UIA, the Schusterman Foundation, JDC Israel and others.
Ashkelon and Baltimore have been partner cities since 2003, and Glam has visited Baltimore on several occasions.
An Ashkelon native whose parents immigrated to Israel from Tunisia and Libya, Glam, 50, was named the southern Israeli coastal city’s acting mayor in 2017 and elected mayor the following year. He was scheduled to visit Baltimore’s Jewish community in the next couple of months.
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