Forward Reports Rabbi Who Resigned From RCA In Support Of Rabbi Mordechai Tendler Is Rabbi Tendler's Wife's Cousin – Did Not Disclose Relationship When Publicly Criticizing RCA

The Forward reports:

Last week the Brooklyn-based Jewish Press published an open letter from Rabbi Moshe Faskowitz announcing his resignation from the RCA in connection to the Tendler controversy. Faskowitz quit the RCA after a Jerusalem regional rabbinical court characterized the organization as being in violation of its rulings.

Tendler had filed a complaint with the Jerusalem court in July, claiming that the RCA had violated rabbinic law by expelling him without bringing the charges to an independent rabbinical court. The RCA has responded that according to rabbinic law, a summons is not to be sent from one city to another if both litigants live in one city, and that therefore the Jerusalem court has no jurisdiction in the matter.

[The RCA's president Rabbi Dale] Polakoff said that his office had received no notice of an official resignation from Faskowitz or anybody else.

RCA sources say that Faskowitz is actually a cousin of Mordecai Tendler's wife, Michelle. Faskowitz could not be reached for comment.

If true, this lack of disclosure is another black eye for the wider Tendler-Feinstein family. The RCA should be happy to be rid of Rabbi Faskowitz.

UPDATE: Jason Maoz, editor of the Jewish Press, tells Steven I. Weiss that Rabbi Faskowitz did not inform the RCA of his resignation or discuss resigning with them before his "open letter" appeared in the Jewish Press. Rabbi Faskowitz used the Jewish Press to ambush the RCA and specifically forbade the Jewish Press from seeking comment from the RCA before his "open letter" ran. This type of conduct is reprehensible and unethical.

Is this another black eye for the Tendler-Feinstein family? You bet it is.

Painful Parting: An Open Letter To The RCA

A newspaper is not the address that one generally chooses to send a letter of resignation from a major Jewish organization such as the Rabbinical Council of America.

I chose this unusual route because I have come to the conclusion that I have no other recourse, as there appears to be no one in the organization's hierarchy I can turn to.

I have been a member of the RCA since 1986 when I assumed my first position as a pulpit rabbi after having spent fifteen years in the Lakewood Kollel. I was embraced by fine rabbonim and outstanding leaders, who, despite recognizing that my hashkofos swung way to the right, were bold enough and honest enough to invite me to serve as executive treasurer for six years. I have always considered this a display of their religious integrity and an expression of the broader scope of interest and responsibility that the organization embraced. The RCA had good and honest leadership — then.

I am afraid that I no longer have the same confidence in the RCA's leadership. It no longer matters who is right and who is wrong in the Tendler affair. (Of course it matters to all of us that Rabbi Tendler has been vindicated, but I now speak with regard to my resignation from the RCA.)

I am so dismayed by the conduct of people whom I respect and call colleagues. I say to them:

Your utter disregard and disrespect for the Bet Din in Yerushalayim is appalling. Do you really believe that traditional "rabbi double talk" is going to fool the rabbis themselves? Do you really believe that your constituents are so simpleminded that they will fall for "Well, we don't have to listen to a bet din but you do"?

To be declared a "lo tzayis dina" by the Jerusalem Bet Din of Israel's Chief Rabbinate is not a slap on the wrist. It means shame on you, shame on everything you are associated with. It means that on public record you are in defiance of the laws of Torah. This is a public pronouncement made by the holy bet din humiliate you into submission. Yet not only do you show no remorse, regret, or contrition — you continue to show defiance. (At least be creative. Come up with something that appears logical instead of continuing to debase yourselves with inane innuendo and lame explanations).

I will tell you what disturbs me most of all. I will tell you why I resign from your midst. In 1987 Rabbi Aron Shurin, z"l, told me this story. The Rav, zt"l, said to him that he was jealous of Reb Aharon Kotler, zt"l, who had "real" talmidim. "But you also have talmidim," protested Rabbi Shurin. Answered the Rav: "Reb Aharon's talmidim ask him ‘Rebbi, can I do this?' Or, ‘Rebbi, can I go there?' Or, ‘Rebbi, can I say that?' My talmidim say, ‘Rebbi, I did this.
Rebbi, I went there. Rebbi, I said that. Is it ok?' He lamented what he perceived to be a lack of real and absolute loyalty by some of his talmidim (not most, who were and are talmidim n'emonim).

I am not a talmid of the Rav. I know, however, that the Rav expected, and had the right to expect, obedience from his talmidim. There was no one who protected the honor of and demanded subservience to the Bet Din of Yerushalayim more than did the Rav. B'ksav and b'al peh.

For his talmidim to violate and shame the memory of their rebbi by brazenly ignoring his edict makes those of us, who studied under the tutelage of other rebbeim, carefully contemplate and more clearly understand the words of Rabbi Shurin.

My rebbi, Reb Chaim Shmulevits, zt"l, has a well-known shmues in which he attributes the foibles of Chiel — who sinfully attempted to rebuild Jericho — to his having been sucked into a whirlpool of mistakes, from which he was unable to extricate himself because his understanding became more and more obscured as the mistakes kept piling on. The same has happened to you, unfortunately. I pray that Hashem gives you the einayim lir'os and oznayim lishmoa to recognize and reverse those mistakes.

Until that happens I can no longer be affiliated with an organization whose leadership is declared a violator of Torah law by the Bet Din of Yerushalayim. I sadly submit my resignation from the RCA.

Rabbi Moshe Faskowitz

Comments

[rebtsvi]

Anyone know who Jewish Whistleblower is?

www.persuasion-university.com

[jewishwhistleblower]

Psst... Kilstein I heard JWB went to Yeshiva with you and even lived in your dorm. Maybe JWB saw you shooting those pictures. A gun, a camera and such "interesting" photos.

Don't tell JWB I told you.

Nice PHD claim on your telemarketing site by the way.

[rebtsvi]

Maybe or maybe not.

I think you've been blowing smoke longing enough.

Let's see how fast you can run.

Watch for the campaign to pull your pants down in public.

www.stop-jewish-whistleblower.com (coming soon)

"If true, this lack of disclosure is another black eye for the wider Tendler-Feinstein family."

Do you believe in collective guilt ? All someone's relatives are guilty if there are allegations against them ? That is not fair or proper. Why are you dragging his wider family into this indiscriminately ? Some discrimination is in order. You can show some discriminating judgement without being a racist.

[Shmarya]

Both Aaron and Mordechai Tendler have abuse allegations. Are they true? I hope not. Rabbi Faskowitz is deceptive. Moshe Tendler is often way past blunt and is now backing Intelligent Design in what may be a quid-pro-quo to get his brother-in-law Dovid Feinstein to help with Mordechai's case.

Allegations do not equal guilt. One thing is certain, however – if Rabbi Faskowitz is Michelle Tendler's cousin, Rabbi Faskowitz is guilty of an ethical breech and the RCA should be glad he's gone.

[Shmarya]

Both Aaron and Mordechai Tendler have abuse allegations. Are they true? I hope not. Rabbi Faskowitz is deceptive. Moshe Tendler is often way past blunt and is now backing Intelligent Design in what may be a quid-pro-quo to get his brother-in-law Dovid Feinstein to help with Mordechai's case.

Allegations do not equal guilt. One thing is certain, however – if Rabbi Faskowitz is Michelle Tendler's cousin, Rabbi Faskowitz is guilty of an ethical breech and the RCA should be glad he's gone.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>Are they true?

Yes.

A new front officially opened yesterday, as the newly formed Rabbinic Committee Formed to Expose Mordecai Tendler officially launched a campaign to expose sexual predator Rabbi Mordechai Tendler.

This campaign will be seen and felt today and continuing for the near future. This effort will include a cyber presence with the new blog:

The Committee For Rabbinic Integrity
see: http://rabbinicintegrity.blogspot.com/

where the english translation of the text of the rabbinical ruling is located along with a confidential email address for inquiries. I highly recommend obtaining and reading the full original Teshuvah in its original Hebrew. It was made widely available as of yesterday.

As indicated there: "According to the Chafetz Chayim in his vital sefer Shmiros Halashon (klal 4 halacha 7-8) it is permitted and even obligatory to record and and even a mitzvah--good deed to publicize the information contained herein."

So do a mitzvah and email the link of this blog to 10 of your friends and ask them to do the same.

I will just note the Final Halachic Ruling Summary:
Numerous Rabbis sat together and heard audio tapes, where this Rabbi attempts to seduce married (and unmarried) women (Hashem, please protect us). On one particular tape one can clearly hear a married woman begging the Rabbi to leave her alone.

Accordingly, the RCA had every right to oust this Rabbi from their organization, and his own Congregation has the same obligation!

This Rabbi can no longer officiate at divorces, weddings, batei dinim, etc...

No one is obligated to give him any respect such as standing up for him, etc.

He can no longer be a Rav or Rabbi or Dayan amongst the Jewish People!

One should never allow their wives or daughters to go to his classes or to go to him at all including counseling... and all his rulings are null and void!

This ruling obligates all of us according to Halacha as per the ruling of his own grandfather Alah V'shalom, Z"l in his Sefer Igros Moshe ... (ibid).

By doing so we will fulfill the verse in our Holy Torah...
Destroy Evil Amongst Us.

[Michael]

I am sure that all of Rabbi Faskowitz' talmidum take pride in his resignation, as they truly think everything he does and says is das torah

[wisdom seeker]

If Rabbi Faskowitz heard the tapes from Rabbi Mordecai Tendler and pretends he didn't what kind of MENSH is he. Would you trust a blind eye to see? Would you believe a blind man if he descibed what he thinks he saw instead? Is this Rabbi a relative..... and was there to judge? Those that want to protect Rabbi Mordecai Tendler are doing so for a motive. If MOSHE RA-BEIN-NU was alive today wouldn't Rabbi Tendler be stoned? What's the KAL-VEH CHOI-MEH? A SHAN-DEH on you Rabbi Faskowitz for dragging your feet when EMES is upon you. How can anyone trust you again?

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