Just 24 hours after it was revealed that the Western Wall's chief rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz, had visited Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo on last month's Holocaust Remembrance Day, it was reported that the influential rabbi had made a visit to the zoo a regular outing on Israel's Holocaust commemoration, for several years. According to Channel 10 news, the rabbi and his family received a private, guided tour throughout the grounds, including areas closed to the general public. The zoo's administration admitted that "the rabbi has helped the zoo quite a bit. We wanted to give him and his family a behind-the-scenes tour." On Thursday, Rabinowitz offered an apology for his visit to the zoo on Holocaust Remembrance Day. "Indeed this showed a lack of sensitivity. I apologize for it and regret it. I pray that in the future such failure won't fall on my shoulders," he said.
