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MANHATTAN from www.courthousenews.com - The New York Post called him the "Randy Rabbi," and Long Island Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich has responded with a breach of contract lawsuit against the tabloid and his ex-wife, for publishing salacious documents, photographs and videos that allegedly caught him with prostitutes at a motel after Sabbath services.
Rabinowich and Amora Rachel Leah Rabinowich entered into a "Stipulation of Settlement" setting the terms of their divorce on Sept. 27, 2010, according to the rabbi's complaint in New York County Court.
One of term stated: "Neither parent shall do anything or say anything to a third party, which might degrade or injure the opinion of the other parent or his/her family in the third party's eyes," according to the complaint.
"Neither party shall do anything directly, indirectly or through third parties to hurt the reputation of the other in the community in which such parties work or reside. The parties acknowledge that this is a material provision of this stipulation and part of the stipulation for the best interests of the children."
Under the agreement, neither party could hire an investigator to tape or photograph the other, and both should treat anything already captured in such an investigation as confidential, according to the complaint.
About a month later, the rabbi said, he and his ex added a provision that would prevent embarrassing leaks to the press: "Each party agrees that he/she will not directly or indirectly cause photographs, video or similar images of the other party to be disseminated to the media or any agent of the media or through third parties to hurt the reputation of the other in the community in which the parties work or reside," the new stipulation stated, according to the complaint.
Rabinowich says that the Post knew of these terms before it printed its July 11 story under the headline: "The 'randy' rabbi - Prostitution sting in angry ex-wife's suit."
The Post reported that Rabinowich had been "caught with his dreidel out in a string of sordid sex tapes," and published one of those videos online.
The article, which is still available on the Post's website, showed a photo of Rabinowich in bed with two women, though the accompanying video appears to have been replaced with other news clips.
Rabinowich states in his complaint that the article had "no palpable, intrinsic or realistic newsworthiness or public interest other than their prurient, salacious nature, luridness and sheer sensationalism."
And the rabbi say the Post "purposefully waited until Friday evening and several minutes before the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath before notifying the plaintiff's representatives of their intentions to publish the article and the videotapes ... thereby denying the plaintiff any opportunity to apply for an injunction or restraining order or pursuit of any remedies available to him under the terms of the aforementioned stipulation and contract."
He says that he suffered "extreme humiliation, scorn, derision, humiliation" and "was summarily fired from his position as a local rabbi at a loss of his annual salary and that plaintiff's reputation has been ruined such that he cannot find gainful employment and has suffered profound emotional damage."
Rabinowich seeks damages for interference with contract, inducing breach of contract and emotional distress.
He is represented by Morrison & Wagner.
The original NY Post piece: A prominent Long Island Jewish leader was caught with his dreidel out in a string of sordid sex tapes, according to sensational Manhattan court records.
Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich -- who leads the wealthy, Conservative Bellmore Jewish Center and is vice president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis -- allegedly made appointments with prostitutes on the Sabbath shortly after services.
He was then caught on camera in a hotel room enjoying some hard-core, commandment-breaking action, according to blockbuster court papers filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.
The holy man's estranged wife, Amora, a respected psychologist, got wind of the tawdry tricks while they were going through a bitter custody battle, she said.
She managed to have Rabinowich secretly filmed with a call girl and entered the photographic evidence into the record of the bitter custody case.
"Since when are prostitutes kosher?" Amora Rabinowich told The Post. "He was coming to court claiming he was this pious individual, but he was using the phone on the Sabbath to meet prostitutes.
"And what kind of rabbi is he? He didn't even take these prostitutes to the mikvah [Jewish ritual cleansing bath] first.
"What is he doing, praying or laying?"
Rabbi Rabinowich responded to the shocking claims by saying only, "I have no response. Have a nice day."
His lawyer, Jeffrey Lewisohn, called the wife's discovery a "setup" and downplayed the matter, saying, "It doesn't matter, this was five or six years ago."
Malcolm Taub, a former lawyer for the rabbi, blasted Amora, saying, "This is a very sick woman . . . This man has gone through hell with this woman."
According to papers filed by Amora, the rabbi wound up arranging a romp through a madam who really was one of his wife's private eyes.
"I am tall and nice-looking, don't worry, I'm OK," Rabinowich allegedly told the investigator at one point.
He was eventually filmed with the hooker at the low-rent Pam Am Hotel in Queens on March 18, 2006, the court papers claimed. A second woman in the photo was the private eye, Amora Rabinowich said.
"He needs help, serious help, to be a healthy individual and to be a proper role model to both the children and the community," she said.
A judge decided that the video was not relevant to the case, and the couple were granted joint custody of their three boys earlier this year.
"It was set up by her investigators. This was something the mother contrived," Lewisohn said. "If you're not doing something relevant in front of the children, it doesn't have an impact on the judge's decision."
Amora Rabinowich said the photos -- which were never released publicly until now -- may still come back to haunt her ex-hubby when she makes a motion to the court to move their kids to the West Coast on Aug. 17.
