Dear Friends,

I invite you to join us at our Town Hall Meeting Monday evening, February 2, at 7:30pm.  We will be discussing a wide-range of topics affecting our shul and our community.  (Please note that this event is closed to the media and the general public not associated with Kesher Israel.)

(Please RVSP if you plan on attending and come at 7pm to help make minyan that night.)

Before Monday's meeting, I would like to provide everyone with an update and an accurate timeline of what has occurred since Rabbi Freundel's arrest on October 14. 

On November 24, the Board notified Rabbi Freundel that we had unanimously voted to terminate his contract with Kesher. Since his contract provided him the benefit of living in the shul-owned rabbinic residence while employed, the Board notified him that he had until January 1, 2015, to move out. 

Unfortunately, that has not happened. We were informed in late December that Rabbi Freundel did not have plans to leave the house. So, we began informal conversations to resolve this issue with Rabbi Freundel and his attorney, but to no avail. 

Of significant note is that since his arrest and initial suspension without pay on October 14, Rabbi Freundel has not received any financial compensation from Kesher Israel.

Under the terms of his contract, all contractual disputes are to be resolved via arbitration through a beit din. Therefore, on Wednesday, January 28, we formally opened a case against Rabbi Freundel with the Beit Din of America.

Kesher's position is clear: Rabbi Freundel's contract with Kesher has been terminated, for cause, and he must vacate the residence and return all shul property immediately. We have also asked for monetary compensation for his illegal occupancy of the house since January 1 and compensation to cover the costs of this unnecessary arbitration.

We are still hopeful that we can resolve this issue before appearing in front of the beit din so that we can focus on continuing to heal and move forward. I will continue to provide updates on the case as it proceeds.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or just to talk.