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A Vladivostok court Wednesday ordered a senior Far East rabbi, a U.S. citizen, to be deported after it ruled that he misrepresented his activities in the country on his visa application.

The city's Pervorechensky District Court ruled to deport Israel Silberstein, 26, the chief rabbi of the Primorye region, Daniil Yakovlev, a spokesman for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, told The Moscow Times.

Silberstein plans to appeal the ruling and by law has 10 days to file a motion, Yakovlev said.

"We believe the violation was not serious enough to deport him," Yakovlev said. "We hope that the outcome of the case will be positive," he added.

On his visa application, Silberstein indicated cultural ties were the purpose of his visit, which only partially covered his activities as a rabbi, Yakovlev said. A Federal Migration Service spokesman told The Moscow Times that the rabbi should have indicated religous activities as the purpose of his visit.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it was aware of the case but could not immediately comment.

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/600/42/374455.htm