Conservative Rabbi With History Of Alleged Sex Abuse Changes Name And Trolls Internet For Business

Jonathan Ginsburg, a Conservative rabbi who allegedly sexually abused a female congregant he was counseling, has changed his name and is trolling the Internet for business.

 Above: Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg

Last updated at 9:28 pm CDT

Jonathan Ginsburg, a Conservative rabbi who allegedly sexually abused a female congregant he was counseling, has  changed his name and is trolling the Internet for business.

The alleged abuse took place while Ginsburg and his wife were the rabbis at Temple of Aaron (Conservative) in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Ginsburg divorced her more than a decade ago.)

He resigned in June 2004, relocated to Chicago area and led a small Conservative Synagogue, Ezra Habonim/Niles Township Jewish Congregation in Skokie, IL.

But that job also ended and Ginsburg is also excluded in perpituity from the Conservative Movement's Rabbinical Assembly, which notes:

"…Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg is no longer a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, nor is he eligible for readmission. The RA has no association with nor does it endorse or recognize any bet din or other program run by, or participated in by Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg.…"

Now Ginsburg has apparently changed his name and gone into business for himself as a nondenominational rabbi as his listing on Rabbi.com shows:

Rabbi Name: Rabbi Jon Hillel
Religious Genre: Conservative, Reform
Rabbi Long Description: Need a Rabbi?
For Jewish individuals and families in need of a Rabbi, Rabbi Jon Hillel.  A veteran Rabbi, with 30 years of experience and training in Conservative, Reform Orthodox and Reconstructionist Judaism, is available for;

Jewish Weddings
Bar Mitzvahs
Baby Namings, Bris
Scholar-in-residence
Emergency pulpit subbing
Funerals
House Blessings
Tutoring
Counseling and Other Special Jewish Events.

Rabbi, Jon Hillel,  has been a congregational Rabbi for 31 years in Brooklyn, Minnesota and Chicago.
He has studied and worked in Conservative, Orthodox, Reform and Reconstructionist settings. He is a native of Chicago, he received his B.A. in religion from the University of Chicago where he was the valedictory orator and received his Masters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary where he received the Krasne Award for outstanding student.

He was a National Merit scholar and 1974 National High School Debate Champion. adjunct faculty of St. Catherine College and Metropolitan University.  He served on the National Rabbinic Cabinet, United Jewish Appeal, as Associate Chair of the State of Israel Bonds Rabbinic Cabinet Executive Committee and on many Boards of Jewish Institutions. He has served as coordinator of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association, and on the Nominations and Professional Development Committee of the International Rabbinical Assembly, and as President of the Niles Township Clergy Association, and was nominee for Jewish Community Hero 2011 by the Jewish Federations of North America.

The Rabbi.com featured listing for Ginsburg as a PDF file:

Download Rabbi Directory - Rabbi Jon Hillel (Ginsburg) Rabbi dot com

[Hat Tip: Ben Max.]

Comments

[rnjl]

FYI, J. Ginsburg is not a member of the Rabbinical Assembly (Cons rabbi's association) which officially disassociates themselves from him:

http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/story/chicago-conversion-bet-din-not-endorsed-ra

He's thus not really a "Conservative" rabbi, at least, not officially, if he has resigned or been removed (I don't know which) from the RA.

[julian]

I know this guy, actually not personally, but by phone and email and has or used to have, videos on youtube.

[julian]

Here is his youtube work

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rabbi+Jonathan+Ginsburg

[David]

I think that as long as he has made teshuvah, he needs to be allowed to move on.

I watched a couple of his videos and they are quite good.

[shmendrik]

Hey, what's going on with FailedMessiah…..Must be slipping…..should have called this guy Chareidi

[SkepticalYid]

Posted by: shmendrik | May 08, 2014 at 05:11 AM

Your pseudonym is well chosen. FM has posted info about Conservative offenders in the past. What shmendriks like you refuse to admit is that for the most part, Progressive Jewish denominations deal with molesters quickly and appropriately.

[steven in uk]

These days. any male cleric who consoles female congregants, should only do so, if an other women is present, this sadly needs too apply to children of both sexes, under the age 18.

[Allan]

This resume is hilarious!

“1974 National High School Debate Champion.”

Can you imagine a man in his 50s still listing his high school awards? What an ego! Why didn’t he add the gold stars he won in kindergarten for best “show and tell?”

“House blessing”

Please tell me that there are not Jews dumb enough to pay real money for this “service.”

“Emergency pulpit subbing”

-911 “What is your emergency?”
-Help! Our rabbi is out on vacation and we need a substitute this Shabbos!
-OK. Just stay calm. Rabbi Ginsburg is on the way.

[Isa]

Just to let you know

The old Conservative rabbi there, did [fake] conversions without even using a Mikve

[(The other) Eli]

Can you imagine a man in his 50s still listing his high school awards? What an ego! Why didn’t he add the gold stars he won in kindergarten for best “show and tell?”"

Or if he scored 4 touchdowns in a single game of high school football?

[Bruce Diller]

Rabbi.com responds:

Rabbi.com is NOT affiliated with rabbi Ginsberg or as he now calls himself rabbi hill.
Rabbi.com offers free/premium listing to any rabbi.

[julian]

"Rabbi.com is NOT affiliated with rabbi Ginsberg or as he now calls himself rabbi hill.
Rabbi.com offers free/premium listing to any rabbi. "

sounds like the BBB (better business bureau). As long as you pay a premium you are ok.