Hasidic Man Will Serve 3 Years in Jail for Spying for Iran
Jerusalem court sentences Beit Shemesh resident Elimelech Stern to three years in prison for carrying out tasks for Iranian operatives, though judge notes he didn't know he was dealing with Iran.
A Jerusalem court sentenced Elimelech Stern, a young Hasidic man from Beit Shemesh, to three years in prison Thursday for contact with Iranian agents.
Stern carried out multiple tasks for a foreign operative using the alias "Anna," including hanging protest posters with bloodied hands, collecting a phone from Atlit, and distributing cash in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. He recruited two other Israelis to help and received payment in cryptocurrency.
Judge Hanna Miriam Lomp imposed a lighter sentence than other Iranian recruitment cases, noting Stern "didn't know it was Iran" and had a positive character assessment. "The heart is saddened that such a young Torah scholar went from a 'high roof to a deep pit'," she said.
"Anna" also tried to get Stern to send packages with a knife and flowers to an Israeli ambassador's home abroad, but he refused, saying he feared prison.
Stern was convicted of contact with a foreign agent and conspiracy to make threats. He must also pay a 10,000 shekel fine.
The case is one of dozens involving Israelis recruited by Iranian operatives for tasks inside Israel.