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Monsey, NY – A controversial rabbi has fended off a lawsuit that charged him for improperly handling a woman in his congregation by telling her she needed therapy to help find her a husband.
A divided appellate court ruled 3-2 that Adina Marmelstein’s “thinly veiled claims ” against Rabbi Mordecai Tendler are prohibited by civil rights law, and therefore she has no grounds to sue him.
The contentious case has rocked the Orthodox Jewish community because of Tendler’s so-called “therapy sessions,” and led to the rabbi’s dismissal from the Rabbinical Council of America.
Supreme Court Justice Jane Solomon on June 20, 2006, dismissed two of Marmelstein’s claims – fraud and negligent infliction of emotional distress – but denied Tendler’s motion to dismiss the woman’s two other claims for breach of fiduciary duty and intentional infliction of emotional distress. [nydailynews]
Rebbetzin Michelle Tendler who teaches Accounting and Business at Touro is the WIFE of Mordecai Tendler.
Can someone tell me if this Rabbi Tendler is related to Rebbetzin Tendler who teaches in Touro College?
HaRav BenZion Wosner wrote a psak halacha on March 29, 2006 (co-signed by over 30 local rabbonim) that Mordecai Tendler is guilty. He states that he interviewed the women accusers, interviewed witnesses, reviewed the DNA reports (zera!), etc.
Anyone wanting more information should contact Rav Wosner, Rav Feivel Zimmerman, Rav Orbach of Forshay, Rav Avrohom Yaakov Schorr, Rav Cohen (from Blueberry), Rav Chaim Schabes, Rav Yisroel Ciner, Rav Schwartz (of Wesley Hills), Rav Yosef Yitzchok Rosenfeld or any other Monsey Rav. They have all seen the signed psak, and some are among the rabbonim who signed it themselves.
R’ Mordechai’s mother, (Rebetzin Shifra Tendler) is the daughter of Moreinu Harav Moshe Feinstein zatzal.
Rebetizin Tendler is lo oleinu very sick, with the terrible machlah.
I hope this piece of news helps her and gives her a bit of chizuk.
No mother should ever have to go through this.
No One.
May she have a gut gebensht yuhr.
Chazal assered a man to be miyacheid with a woman. Whether her claims are true or not, he certainly demonstrated shameful behavior by ignoring this. He may not deserve what he is getting, but he certainly brought it upon himself.
All you people debate as if you actually know something. Have any of you bothered to read the Court’s decision?
Go to this link and read it. http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/3dseries/2007/2007_06504.htm
Then you can debate with information, rather than just debating with no facts. Anyone can have an “opinion.” But opinions from uninformed people are worthless.
Oh.. why don’t you all leave him and his father alone already.
Like none of you ever did something wrong…like SOME of you who have done shameful things but never got caught.. There is no outright proof against him , the court threw out some charges…Leave him alone already you LEIDIG-GEYERS.
It is his son
the Metzitza Bpeh parsha is his father’s ‘cheit’
there are alot of ‘cheshboinous’ to reckon with with tendler family.
There is also the time when they didn’t let anybody close to R’ Moishe INCLUDING R’MOISHE’s OWN TALMUDIM.
they have this revulsion to the ‘yshivishe velt’ because the yeshiveh velt were never ‘goires’ them. Especialy his father, who felt, that since he is the son-in-law of the poisek hador he should be his father-in-law’s spokesman.
Mordy, went in his father’s footsteps and he finaly got his due.
No need to feel bad for them.
BOTH father and son deserve all the ‘charpas and bishus’ that is bestowed on them.
The “Metzitza BPeh” Tendler and this one are not the same person. I think they are related though.
There sure is value in this, let the world know that when somone stands up against a holy custom (minhag) he is rotten thru and thru by default, and it will only be a matter of time till the mask is blown away.
To publicize this, is a mega Kiddush Hashem, and a special Zchus for Rosh Hashana.
Stop all the mud slinging – there is no value in any of this.
Oy Vey! Metzitza Bpeh is not allowed! Yichud and more no problem!!
He was not only dismissed by his own organization the RCA, an organization that he was a member of for over 25 years.He was also thrown out of his own shul, Kehillat New Hempstead, and was fired from his teaching position at YU.
There was also the Bais Din of Harav Yisroel Hager Shlitah that also found Tendler to be a liar!
All this can be verified by just picking up a phone and call the perspective Rabbonim who are all listed in the Monsey phone book.
All the above, did their own investigations, and ALL came back with the same conclusion: GUILTY!
Harav Ben Zion Wosner Shlitah ruled that 1) that Tendler can no longer pasken any Shaalis regarding Marriage or Divorce issues
2) It is NOT loshon Hara and should in fact be publicized.
The bais din of Harav Zimmerman, Auerbach and Harv Diament ruled that Tendler is a “bono-fide” liar!
he is still guilty of all this is not clearing his name
he put himself in that position and he should be thrown out of monsey
Everyone should bear in mind that this blog is “open” for everyone to read so, with Rosh Hashanah just around the corner, I think we should keep the rhetoric down (despite what you may know “first hand”. Chillul Hashem is not as easy to do Teshuvah for that other Aveiros…
” … [I] don’t think they can appeal this decision at this time because there was no final judgment.”
This is incorrect. New York loves interlocutory appeals. Federal court is a different story.
she may be crazy and maybe he is too in his way. All in all, this situation should never have happened. It has had a terrible effect in New Hempstead. It has destroyed families friendships and community. A rabbi should be above suspicion, especially one that functions as a leader of a community.
say what you want about him but she is crazy.
I do not know whether he is guilty or innocent – However as we are going to be judged next week let us all be careful as to what we say.
He is one sick man. I know that first hand.
It is also important to note that the woman’s other claims were not dismissed and i don’t think they can appeal this decision at this time because there was no final judgment. It will probably continue to trial on the other claims first before they can sue.
Nowhere did the court state that Mordy is innocent of what he is accused of doing. Plenty of Monsey Rabbonim have listened to testimony & have found them to be true & that Tendler is a LIAR & should not be trusted to deal with women in any way, shape, or form.
The court did not make any findings of fact. It merely stated that the woman’s claim, that of being seduced, is not recognized as a cause of action in New York. In other words, the law does not recognize the claim of seduction as something that you can sue for. On the other hand, the minority in the extremely closely split course, thought that Tendler could be sued on the grounds that he was a “fiduciary” to the woman, i.e. her rabbi, with certain obligations. The case will now be appealed to the Court of Appeals. It is not over. Bottom line is that the case did not “clear” Tendler as it never reached factual issues, only technical ones about whether or not a woman can sue a rabbi for seduction.
The court seems to have dismissed these claims based on technical reasons, not because it found in his favor.
It’s true Anonymous , they didn’t like him and they libeled him . We , of all people , should be careful before we publicly shame somebody.
What was he accused of doing?
its crazy what you can do to someone if you dont like
all you have to do is lie and acuse him of some crazy garbage and he will have hell for the rest of his life
its about time we stick up for each other unless we know for sure the person is guilty
Oh please.
Good. This man has been pilloried from post to post , and now he’s slowly but surely being cleared.