Out of Court Settlement - Rabbi Tobias Gabriel and Beth Tzedec Synagogue

Rabbi Tobias Gabriel
Why hasn't this happened already? It's a no brainer!
The Rabbinical Assembly (association of conservative rabbis), is expected to bar Gabriel from membership at a meeting later this month. How do we stop Gabriel from working as a rabbi or cantor anywhere in the world?

From The Awareness Center's Daily Newsletter:

Synagogue settles sex lawsuits
Out-of-court deal follows allegations of misconduct by rabbi, who will resign at year's end
By Sandro Contenta
Torontoist - October 17, 2007


Two women accusing a rabbi of sexual misconduct have agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the rabbi and a prominent Toronto synagogue, their lawyer says.

The defendants in the case – Rabbi Tobias Gabriel and Beth Tzedec Synagogue – make no admission of fault or liability in the settlement, Simona Jellinek, the women's lawyer, said yesterday.

Negotiations began after Richmond Hill resident (NAME REMMOVED), 52, filed a statement of claim in Ontario Superior Court last July, alleging she was coerced into a sexual relationship by Gabriel a year earlier.

Her lawsuit demanded $1.3 million from Gabriel and Beth Tzedec for breach of fiduciary duty and the pain and suffering she claims the relationship caused her and her marriage. The rabbi was accused of abusing the trust of a deeply religious woman.

Gabriel, who spent 13 years working at the synagogue, was Beth Tzedec's cantor at the time of (NAME REMOVED)'s alleged incident. He has rejected her claims as "groundless," and his lawyer has defended his work as "exemplary." He was suspended with pay until the end of the year, when he'll officially resign.

The allegations rocked the congregation when the Bathurst St. synagogue sent a letter to its 6,000 members last August stating that "the impropriety (had) occurred."

A second woman came forward with allegations similar to (NAME REMOVED)'s after the Star published a story about (NAME REMOVED)'s claim.

Jellinek said the second woman, who lives in Toronto and is in her early 50s, was mentioned but not named in (NAME REMOVED)'s statement of claim. The Toronto woman was married and became sexually involved with Gabriel "while she was grieving the loss of one of her parents," according to the statement.

Beth Tzedec officials knew of Gabriel's relationship with the Toronto woman before he became involved with (NAME REMOVED), the statement of claim says.

Asked if the women received financial compensation as part of the settlement, Jellinek said the agreement prevents her from revealing such details. "Everybody knows there's going to be money exchanged, but I can't tell you that that is in fact true," she said.

Beth Tzedec's lawyer, Michael Royce, told the Star in August that the synagogue was prepared to compensate (NAME REMOVED) financially. Royce was not available for comment yesterday.

Jellinek described (NAME REMOVED) and her husband as somewhat relieved by the settlement, but added: "It's going to take them a while to rebuild their marriage."

The New York-based Rabbinical Assembly, a world-wide association of conservative rabbis, is expected to bar Gabriel from membership at a meeting later this month, Jellinek said. That would make it difficult for him to get a job as a rabbi or cantor in North America, she added.

(NAME REMOVED) alleged she was pressured into a sexual relationship with Gabriel while she was the only female student in his class for cantors at the synagogue in July 2006.

Beth Tzedec recently said it would implement a code of conduct for its clergy, Jellinek said.