An Israeli court imposed a gag order today on all details of the investigation into the disappearance of Mali
By Bernard Moerdler,
An Israeli court imposed a gag order today on all details of the investigation into the disappearance of Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her daughter Liel, 23, who have been missing in Vienna since Friday. The Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court issued the order at the request of the Lahav 433 national crime unit, which took over the Israeli side of the case on Wednesday. The order runs until September 13 and bars publication of any information from the investigation, including anything that could identify suspects. Police said any publication from this point constitutes a criminal offense.
Israel's embassy in Austria said the two were last seen in Vienna on Friday and appealed for public help locating them, publishing their photographs and asking that the notice be shared. Austrian police, the embassy and the Chabad community in Vienna have said there are no leads.
Ariel Muzicant, a former president of the Jewish Community of Vienna, told JNS that Jewish organizations in the city have circulated a missing persons notice online and are waiting for further updates. Rabbi Jacob Biderman, a Chabad emissary in Vienna, told JNS the community is staying vigilant and helping with the search, and said speculation about the fate of the two women would be irresponsible and unfair to the family.
Bank of Jerusalem shares fell as much as 12.4 percent in Tel Aviv trading today before recovering most of the loss, according to Tel Aviv Stock Exchange data. Chief executive Yair Kaplan wrote to staff that beyond Yahalomi being an employee of the bank, no connection has been found between the incident and the bank, and reminded employees that the case is subject to a gag order. The Yahalomi family said in a statement today that there is no connection between the disappearance and the bank's share price, and that it will not confirm information about the case unless it comes from official sources.
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.