Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport wins warrant to evict fired rabbi

A Southold Town judge has granted a Greenport synagogue's request for a warrant to evict a rabbi it fired in September from a congregation-owned home.

Gadi Capela, who was fired from Congregation Tifereth Israel following a congregation-wide vote on Sept. 19, was granted permission to remain in the furnished home on Fourth Street until Oct. 31, according to court filings. But he has refused to leave, congregation officials have said.

“There is no dispute that the Respondent entered into possession of the premises pursuant to an employment agreement,” Southold Town Justice Eileen Powers wrote in her decision. “The fact is that the petitioner and the congregation as whole determined that his employment is terminated for cause.”

The judge also ordered Capela to pay $11,000 to the synagogue. Powers based the figure on a clause in his contract stipulating that he pay $100 for each day he occupies the home after the term is up. 

Laura Endres, Capela’s Smithtown-based attorney, declined to comment on the judge’s decision and whether the rabbi plans to leave the home that is feet from the synagogue.

Richard Zuckerman, the synagogue’s Melville-based lawyer, said in an interview he is hopeful the decision will put “an end to this situation, so that the congregation can continue to move forward.”

Capela, who was named the congregation’s spiritual leader in 2013, was fired by the congregation last August, according to a letter shared with Newsday. The letter cited a number of violations: He had an inconsistent attendance record and attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration last year in “an apparent deception to gain three vacation days,” the letter said.

That termination was then changed to a suspension. The congregation held a vote in September that was open to members “in good standing.” Eighty-two congregants voted, with 52.4%, or 43 members, voting for his termination, according to a letter shared with Newsday.

Capela sued the synagogue in October, alleging his firing was “illegal.” He called for his employment to be reinstated and sued for defamation. On Jan. 9, Suffolk State Supreme Court Justice Christopher Modelewski ruled it would be inappropriate for the court to consider Capela’s claims because “American Courts are precluded from adjudicating disputes involving ecclesiastical governance."

Modelewski did not rule on Capela’s defamation claim, and set a court date for Friday.

It is standard practice for rabbis in the United States to live in homes owned by their synagogues.

Capela has lived in the house since September 2018, according to court filings. He previously told Newsday his relationship with Tifereth Israel took a turn when he asked to purchase the single-level home.

Several guest rabbis have led services at the historic synagogue since his departure, but the shul has yet to hire a replacement. On the synagogue’s website, a form calling for applicants states,“Tifereth Israel Greenport is currently looking for rabbis who are available for Shabbat and holidays through June 2026.”

“Successful applicants could be considered for full time positions,” the form reads.

Tifereth Israel, founded in 1892, serves about 130 members and is the “synagogue of record on the North Fork,” Sara Bloom, the shul’s president told Newsday last year. 

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.