Rabbi’s anguish for teen

ISRAEL’s chief Sephardic rabbi said yesterday he feels “true anguish” for an ultra-Orthodox teen who was abducted and beaten after striking up a relationship with the cleric’s daughter, but pinned the blame for the growing scandal on his wayward son.

Rabbi Shlomo Amar was questioned by police yesterday. The rabbi’s son, Meir, 31, who abandoned his family’s strict Orthodox lifestyle years ago, is considered by police to be the prime suspect.

The rabbi did not address the key question of whether he was aware of the assault when it happened.