Judge upholds rabbi's removal from Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport
Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport last fall. Credit: Randee Daddona
A Suffolk County judge has upheld the termination of Gadi Capela, the former longtime rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel, the historic Greenport synagogue.
The congregation voted to remove Capela, the rabbi since 2013, in September, following three days of voting. That came more than a month after Capela was removed "for cause," which was later changed to a suspension.
Capela filed a lawsuit in October, alleging he was illegally terminated and suffered "severe" reputational damage because of the firing, attorneys for him and several of his supporters said.
The lawsuit called for Capela to be reinstated as the congregation's "lawful rabbi."
Suffolk state Supreme Court Justice Christopher Modelewski wrote in his decision Friday that it would not be proper for the court to consider Capela's claims. He wrote that "American Courts are precluded from adjudicating disputes involving ecclesiastical governance."
"Even if this Court was possessed of sufficient knowledge and understanding of Judaism in order to discern whether Rabbi Capela violated any tenets of faith, the aforestated Constitutional prohibitions forbid this Court from uttering any such determinations," Modelewski wrote.
The rabbi's initial firing was attributed to a number of infractions, including a pattern of lateness and his decision to attend President Donald Trump's inauguration last year, "an apparent deception to gain three vacation days," according to a letter sent to him by the congregation that was shared with Newsday.
Modelewski did not rule on Capela's claim of defamation, and set a court date of Feb. 20 to discuss that claim.
Sara Bloom, president of the temple's board, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Capela also did not respond to a request for comment. He told Newsday last year his issues with the board stemmed from his request to purchase the synagogue-owned parsonage he had been living in.
Eighty-two congregants "in good standing" participated in the vote to determine Capela's employment, with 52.4% voting for his termination. Capela's lawsuit had argued there was a "lack of transparency in the counting process," as well as "confusion over voting eligibility."
Tifereth Israel, founded in 1892, is the "synagogue of record on the North Fork," Bloom said in an interview last year. Bloom acknowledged that the "shul is emerging from a distressing time" in a Dec. 11 letter to congregants posted on the synagogue's website.
"Issues are still to be resolved and anger dispelled," Bloom wrote. "Recognizing the importance of the full participation of our members, we will mend the fractures in our shul community with effective communication."
Bloom noted in the letter that the synagogue had formed a rabbi search committee, with a series of guest rabbis scheduled to lead services throughout the winter. Last weekend, Rabbi Eytan Hammerman, of White Plains, presided over services, according to the synagogue's website.
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.
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