Bank of Jerusalem Assures Customers No Funds Are Missing Amid Employee Disappearance Rumors

The Bank of Jerusalem issued a statement to its customers on Thursday to address rumors surrounding the disappearance of employee Mali Yahalomi. After a thorough investigation, the bank confirmed there is no concern of embezzlement or misappropriation of customer funds, and that all banking operations continue as usual. The announcement came following a significant drop in the bank's stock price, which fell as much as 12.39% during the day.

The bank emphasized that customer funds are secure, managed according to legal requirements, internal procedures, and control systems. It also highlighted that its supervisory and control mechanisms are fully operational to ensure the safety of client assets and the integrity of banking activities. CEO Yair Kaplan, in a letter to employees, stated that aside from the employee’s connection to the bank, no link was found between the disappearance and the bank’s operations, and he reminded staff of a gag order on the matter.

The disappearance of Mali Yahalomi and her daughter Liel in Vienna, Austria, has been under investigation since last weekend. The case was recently transferred to the Israeli police’s Lahav 433 unit. The family expressed frustration over police leaks and clarified that there is no evidence of unusual activity on the women’s bank accounts, with the last transaction recorded on August 3. They also stressed that there is currently no basis to rule out a terror-related motive. The women lost contact with their family on the evening of August 7 after sharing updates during their trip. Israeli police representatives have traveled to Austria to assist with the investigation. Phone tracking placed them near a train station and park area in Vienna on the last known day, with no further activity detected on their credit cards or phones since then. Authorities are also examining whether the women carried large sums of cash or deliberately erased location data from their devices.