Deputy mayor of Safed arrested on suspicion of art theft

By ABE SELIG
Rueven Sadeh, the deputy mayor of Safed, was arrested Monday on suspicion of involvement in a series of art thefts that have shocked the quiet town in the Galilee, and include paintings by Edward Monet and Mana Katz. The estimated value of the paintings stolen from the city's Giltzenstein Art Museum stands at tens of millions of dollars, and Sadeh, who owns his own art gallery in Safed, was allegedly caught while looking for potential buyers - including the famed Sotheby's auction house at their branch in Tel Aviv. Sadeh, whose remand was extended by an Akko court until Wednesday, manages the Yehudit Gallery in Safed, which was started by his father. Under the gallery, Sadeh opened a coffee shop which was frequented by many of the town's residents, who enjoyed a positive relationship with the man some expected to run the city one day. Even Safed Mayor Yishai Maimon refused to comment on his deputy's situation, saying only that he would wait until the investigation concluded, as he stressed "all the good things" Sadeh had done for the city.