Adelaide, Australia – A rabbi will push ahead with his $600,000 compensation claim now criminal charges against him have been dropped, a court has heard.
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For four years, Rabbi Yosef Engel and the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation have been entangled in a series of bitter lawsuits.
Rabbi Engel headed the Glenside synagogue from 1998 to 2007. He claimed the termination of his contract was a breach of Jewish law.
When his dismissal was upheld, he filed a District Court lawsuit seeking compensation for wrongful dismissal.
Rabbi Engel and his wife, Chana, were subsequently charged with 39 counts of dishonestly dealing with documents. Prosecutors alleged the couple falsified accounts to create an education facility called the Spirit of David School. It was alleged the pair listed a number of students as undertaking religious studies at the school to obtain $50,000 in grants from the state and federal governments.
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Prosecutors had claimed the Spirit of David School did not exist and more than half the students listed were unconnected to the couple.
When those charges were withdrawn last June, Rabbi Engel said prosecutors had “reached the conclusions I said all along they would reach”.
Yesterday Ron Bellman, for Rabbi Engel, said the lawsuit would go ahead. “The criminal prosecution had placed this matter in a holding pattern, but now we’re here and our claim is proceeding,” he said.
He asked for an adjournment so documentation could be updated and instructions sought.
Master Peter Norman adjourned the case until April
Oh how we are falling.
Yidden I dont know what it is but is is becoming quite evident that something is amiss.
Our young people do not have an idea of what honesty and integrity is all about.
Should we not weed out this garbage, all of us will pay a very very serious price.
Remember, we live amongst the goyim in their lands. They can be bloody unforgiving.
Those days are coming…I repeat we must start being menchin. The goyim will pounce on us with a vengeance.
Rabbi Engel was indeed wronged and framed. He indeed needs to sue to “get his reputation back” and because his false charges made the news, a beis din is unfortunately not the venue he needs to clear his good name.
Reply to #1
al tiftach peh l’sotan
thou shall not open thy mouth to the angel of death
He claimed that his being let go is a breach of jewish Law, what about ARKO’OS, isn’t that a breach of Jewish law?