Former rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport sues over termination

The former rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel as well as several supporters sued the Greenport synagogue, alleging he was illegally terminated and his reputation suffered “severe damage” as a result of the firing.

Rabbi Gadi Capela had been the shul’s spiritual leader for 13 years before being removed just before the High Holidays. His lawyers alleged in court papers the vote triggering his dismissal was “arbitrary, capricious, made in violation of lawful procedure, affected by errors of law, and made in abuse of discretion.”

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Suffolk State Supreme Court. 

Capela was terminated Sept. 19 after a three-day congregation vote, Newsday has reported, more than a month after he was initially fired “for cause,” according to letters from synagogue leadership Capela had shared with Newsday. Tifereth Israel changed that firing to a suspension on Aug. 24, before the congregational vote was held.

The rabbi's attorneys say Capela is entitled to “compensatory damages” of no less than $500,000, and that he should be reinstated as the “lawful rabbi” of the congregation of about 130 members.

Tifereth Israel was founded in 1892, with its current synagogue, a late Victorian building on Fourth Street, built in 1903. It is the "synagogue of record on the North Fork," Sara Bloom, president of the temple's board, said in an interview last month.

"The relief sought is designed to protect Congregation Tifereth Israel and ensure its proper governance according to law," the lawsuit states. "And to vindicate Rabbi Capela's rights and reputation. Petitioners seek not to damage their synagogue, but to preserve it for current and future generations by ensuring that it operates in accordance with its bylaws and applicable legal requirements."

Bloom, who was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, said in an interview she had not been made aware of the lawsuit until contacted by Newsday and did not have enough information to comment. 

Richard Zuckerman, the attorney representing Tifereth Israel, also had not been made aware of the lawsuit until contacted by Newsday and refrained from offering comment. 

Capela did not respond to requests for comment. Barry Mallin, the Manhattan-based attorney representing Capela and his supporters, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Capela previously told Newsday his relationship with the synagogue's board soured last year after he requested to purchase the parsonage, or synagogue-owned home, he had been living in. He was sent a letter Aug. 2 stating several reasons for his firing, including a pattern of tardiness, as well as his decision to attend President Donald Trump's inauguration, "an apparent deception to gain three vacation days," the letter stated.

The lawsuit said the congregation made "false and defamatory" statements, including about his plans to attend the inauguration as well as "unauthorized vacation time in Costa Rica and Nicaragua," a visit to Israel for which he said he would be checking on family, and his lack of attendance at remote Hebrew classes. 

"Rabbi Capela's contract permitted him to switch days off when synagogue business fell on his scheduled days off," the lawsuit states.

Eighty-two congregants participated in an online vote from Sept. 15-18, with 52.44%, or 43 members, voting for the rabbi's immediate termination, according to Capela's Sept. 19 termination letter, which Zuckerman shared with Newsday.

The voting process was clouded by "confusion over voting eligibility" as well as a "lack of transparency in the counting process," the lawsuit states. Capela's attorneys called for the vote to be deemed invalid or for a recount to be held. 

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.