Yeshiva University ordained Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich -- who leads the wealthy, Conservative Bellmore Jewish Center and is vice president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis -- allegedly made appointments with prostitutes on the Sabbath shortly after services.
The 'randy' rabbi
Prostitution sting in angry ex-wife's suit
By REBECCA ROSENBERG • New York Post
A prominent Long Island Jewish leader was caught with his dreidel out in a string of sordid sex tapes, according to sensational Manhattan court records.
Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich -- who leads the wealthy, Conservative Bellmore Jewish Center and is vice president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis -- allegedly made appointments with prostitutes on the Sabbath shortly after services.
He was then caught on camera in a hotel room enjoying some hard-core, commandment-breaking action, according to blockbuster court papers filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.
The holy man's estranged wife, Amora, a respected psychologist, got wind of the tawdry tricks while they were going through a bitter custody battle, she said.
She managed to have Rabinowich secretly filmed with a call girl and entered the photographic evidence into the record of the bitter custody case.
"Since when are prostitutes kosher?" Amora Rabinowich told The Post. "He was coming to court claiming he was this pious individual, but he was using the phone on the Sabbath to meet prostitutes.
"And what kind of rabbi is he? He didn't even take these prostitutes to the mikvah [Jewish ritual cleansing bath] first.
"What is he doing, praying or laying?"
Rabbi Rabinowich responded to the shocking claims by saying only, "I have no response. Have a nice day."
His lawyer, Jeffrey Lewisohn, called the wife's discovery a "setup" and downplayed the matter, saying, "It doesn't matter, this was five or six years ago."
Malcolm Taub, a former lawyer for the rabbi, blasted Amora, saying, "This is a very sick woman . . . This man has gone through hell with this woman."
According to papers filed by Amora, the rabbi wound up arranging a romp through a madam who really was one of his wife's private eyes.
"I am tall and nice-looking, don't worry, I'm OK," Rabinowich allegedly told the investigator at one point.
He was eventually filmed with the hooker at the low-rent Pam Am Hotel in Queens on March 18, 2006, the court papers claimed. A second woman in the photo was the private eye, Amora Rabinowich said.
"He needs help, serious help, to be a healthy individual and to be a proper role model to both the children and the community," she said.
A judge decided that the video was not relevant to the case, and the couple were granted joint custody of their three boys earlier this year.
"It was set up by her investigators. This was something the mother contrived," Lewisohn said. "If you're not doing something relevant in front of the children, it doesn't have an impact on the judge's decision."
Amora Rabinowich said the photos -- which were never released publicly until now -- may still come back to haunt her ex-hubby when she makes a motion to the court to move their kids to the West Coast on Aug. 17.
[Hat Tip: Ruthie.]
Update 8:25 am CDT – Here is Rabbi Rabinowich's C.V. from the Bellmore Jewish Center's website:
Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich
Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich has been the spiritual leader of our congregation since 2005. He comes to the Bellmore Jewish Center with extensive training, knowledge, and expertise in Torah, Talmud, Judaic Studies, and the History of the Jewish People.
Rabbi Rabinowich received Advanced Rabbinical Ordination (Smicha), at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) of Yeshiva University in 2002. From 2001-2004, Rabbi Rabinowich was selected as a distinguished fellow member of the Israel Henry Beren Institute of Higher Talmudic Studies at RIETS. Rabbi Rabinowich interned at the Chief Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem during the spring of 2000, while studying for Rabbinical Judicial Ordination (Dayanut).
Rabbi Rabinowich earned a Masters Degree in Jewish Philosophy from the Bernard Revel Graduate School at Yeshiva University and is committed to completing his PhD in Chasidic literature and Kabbalah, and also has studied music and Chazanut at Yeshiva University's Belz School of Jewish Music. He is well-versed in both Hebrew and Yiddish. He has edited several books and has published many essays, articles and columns on a variety of Jewish topics, and is presently writing a new, interactive family Passover Haggadah.
At the Bellmore Jewish Center, Rabbi Rabinowich works with our Hebrew School Principal implementing ideas to enhance the school’s curriculum. He enjoys participating in the Junior Congregation program where he is a regular visitor, and has worked to create a family friendly, “haimeshe” atmosphere at the Bellmore Jewish Center.
Rabbi Rabinowich is a member of the New York Board of Rabbis and since 2007 is serving as the Vice President of the Long Island Board of Rabbis (LIBOR). On August 11, 2007, Nassau County Executive, Thomas R. Suozzi, honored Rabbi Rabinowich for his outstanding vital and vibrant contributions to the quality of life in Nassau County.
In addition to serving as the Rabbi of the synagogue, he is the father of three young boys, David, Menachem, and Yona.
[Hat Tip for the update: Hyman Rosen.]