Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Computer Art Gives Rabbi Close Shave
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
State prison officials agreed to accept a computer image of a cleanshaven Hasidic rabbi instead of forcing the imprisoned orthodox Jew to shave his beard and sideburns. Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans, 32, claimed shaving his facial hair to satisfy prison requirements for photos of inmates violated his religious beliefs, Gerald Shargel, his lawyer, said. Helbrans was convicted of masterminding the kidnaping of one of his teen-age students in religious instruction.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
