Spring Break
New Yorker at center of Olmert scandal boasts long history as fundraiser
May 28, 2008
Alfonso A. Castillo - NewsdayIssue date: 5/22/08 Section: Real News
Morris Talansky, the wealthy Long Island businessman at the center of a corruption scandal that threatens to bring down Israel's prime minister, is an ordained Orthodox rabbi, a man with a deep sense of faith, a strong bond with his native Israel and a zealous regard for his investments, according to court documents and several business associates of Talansky.
Court documents show Talansky has been involved in a number of lawsuits over failed business relationships, and he's currently charged with assault for allegedly attacking his 84-year-old dentist over a financial dispute.
Talansky says his business interests never extended into Israel.
"There's something special here and that specialty never made me think that this is a place to do business," Talansky said in an Israeli television interview earlier this month.
Talansky's name surfaced as the star witness in an investigation into bribery allegations against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert is suspected of accepting six-figure bribes in the form of campaign donations from Talansky during the years that Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and later Israel's minister of finance.
Giving a court deposition in Israel on Tuesday, Talansky, 75, testified that he turned over about $150,000 to Olmert in envelopes, directly or through political aides, at meetings in New York and Jerusalem over a 15-year period. He said he never received anything in return for the money.
Talansky has long served as treasurer of the New Jerusalem Foundation, a Jerusalem-based charity established by Olmert in 1999. The group raised $4.5 million in that year alone. Speaking to the Israeli press earlier this month, Olmert acknowledged knowing Talansky and having accepted campaign donations from him.
But Olmert said: "Never have I taken a bribe. Never have I taken a penny for my own pocket." Olmert also vowed to resign his post if charges were brought against him.
Several phone calls to Talansky's home were not returned. A woman who answered the door at his large, red-brick colonial house in Woodmere declined to comment Tuesday. Talansky lives there with his second wife, Helene.
Court documents show Talansky has been involved in a number of lawsuits over failed business relationships, and he's currently charged with assault for allegedly attacking his 84-year-old dentist over a financial dispute.
Talansky says his business interests never extended into Israel.
"There's something special here and that specialty never made me think that this is a place to do business," Talansky said in an Israeli television interview earlier this month.
Talansky's name surfaced as the star witness in an investigation into bribery allegations against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert is suspected of accepting six-figure bribes in the form of campaign donations from Talansky during the years that Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and later Israel's minister of finance.
Giving a court deposition in Israel on Tuesday, Talansky, 75, testified that he turned over about $150,000 to Olmert in envelopes, directly or through political aides, at meetings in New York and Jerusalem over a 15-year period. He said he never received anything in return for the money.
Talansky has long served as treasurer of the New Jerusalem Foundation, a Jerusalem-based charity established by Olmert in 1999. The group raised $4.5 million in that year alone. Speaking to the Israeli press earlier this month, Olmert acknowledged knowing Talansky and having accepted campaign donations from him.
But Olmert said: "Never have I taken a bribe. Never have I taken a penny for my own pocket." Olmert also vowed to resign his post if charges were brought against him.
Several phone calls to Talansky's home were not returned. A woman who answered the door at his large, red-brick colonial house in Woodmere declined to comment Tuesday. Talansky lives there with his second wife, Helene.
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