According to Paul Mendlowitz’s blog, Unorthodox Jew (UOJ), Rabbi Dovid Weinberger, the disgraced rabbi of Shaaray Tefila in Lawrence, NY, has moved to Israel. I urge my Israeli colleagues to be on the alert for any attempt by Weinberger to break his pledge of December, 2013:
I Rabbi Dovid Weinberger, formerly the Rabbi of Cong. Shaarei Tefilla (sic) of Lawrence, NY, do hereby acknowledge that I will retire from the Rabbinate effective immediately, and will never again serve in the capacity of Rov or Rabbi of any congregation or community, nor will I ever again be involved as a mechanech [teacher] in any venue of Chinuch [education].
Rabbi Dovid Weinberger
Important rabbis in America are willing to exert themselves if he should break that pledge and attempt to reenter the rabbinate in any role, particularly one which gives him access to girls and young women. Please contact me if you become aware of any such attempt on his part.
I know he made a promise, but going to Israel is just one of the ways in which disgraced individuals give themselves a new shot at their old misdeeds.
As Shalom Auslander wrote about Rabbi George Finkelstein, YU’s notorious HS principal and serial molester, after he was forced out of his American jobs:
Three weeks ago, thanks to the reporting of the Forward, I found out what happened to George: He’d fled, like so many other Jews who find themselves under a cloud of suspicion, to Israel. … It’s no surprise that NAMBLA is changing its slogan to “Next Year in Jerusalem.” … I’m certain this is not what God had in mind for his Promised Land. “And you will reach the land that I promised you, and you will settle there, and you will bring with you there all your perverts and all your molesters, and all your murderers and all your embezzlers, and all your tax cheats and all your white-collar criminals, to live in freedom from all charges and fines and legal authorities that pursue them, and you will be for me a less-than-great nation with questionable ethics and perverted morals (“Curious George Finkelstein,” Tablet Magazine, Jan. 15, 2013)
Update 6/27/14, 5:30 p.m.- His new mailing address is: 12 Shaulzon street – Har Nof, Jerusalem.
Update 7/15/14 — http://rabbiusacanada.blogspot.com/ and http://rabbiwoodmere.blogspot.com/ are two blogs with divrei torah by Weinberger with some odd allusions to his travels. Very hard to decipher where he is or what he is doing but it conveys a sense of a very active rabbi just yearning for a few days of relaxation from his labors.
FRUM FOLLIES by Yerachmiel Lopin 
you use the title rabbi for George finklestein and dovid Weinberger and criticize those that title boruch lebovitz rebbe or rabbi
I always include the word at least once because some people searching these names on the web include “Rabbi” in their search string. Weinberger did have smichah and occupied a pulpit till his disgrace.
I criticize those who hypocritically call someone a rabbi inside but insist he is not a rabbi when the secular media use that term in reports about molesting.
The rabbonim in Monsey were uncomfortable with Weinberger’s exploratory sojourn there.
http://klalperspectives.org/david-seidemann/
Maybe Weinberger will get back to publishing and finally get around to this book he wrote with his buddy David Seidemann Esq., with Artscroll perhaps?
http://books.google.com/books/about/After_the_Glass_is_Broken.html?id=P3jDXwAACAAJ
They may want to change the name though instead of plagiarizing the title from a Reform rabbi who released a book on the same topic in 1979.
what I heard he is in eretz yisroel his wife however is here in America.
Please contact me privately if you have information.
UOJ:
I want To bring to your attention. Rabbi Dovid –adulterer womanizer rasha merusha– Weinberger who is a son in law of Rav Nissin Alpert who was a son in law of Rav Chaim Pinchas Sheinberg has relocated to Israel – 12 Shaulzon street – Har Nof Jerusalem after being thrown out of the Five Towns for sexually abusing and manipulating married woman that he counselled and high school girls that he taught for over 20 yrs.
Other sources including a commenter, “the Wolf” say it is only his mailing address.
this Sunday is the election for congregation sharey tfilah were Weinberger used to be rov anybody knows who is in the race?
I do, but I think the congregation should be left alone in its selection unless there is something newsworthy about it. The competing contenders are one right wing YU candidate and a real Lakewood candidate. Hopefully, they will settle on someone who will work well for them.
I agree just would like to know who they are not to bacshmooze.
Comment deleted- Stop using multiple names. That is a violation of comments policy.
I know for a fact that his wife is with him and has been with him the whole time !
he has already said a shiur in a shul in har nof.meanwhile more victims are coming forward at ska in hewlett.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with him giving a shiur or speech, as a private person. As long as he’s not an “educator”, “counselor” or rabbi, he may be do what he wants as a private individual. How he now spends his private times, who his male friends are and what type of cake he enjoys is not our concern or business.
He is a risk as a rabbi. He is a risk as an educator of girls. He is a risk as a counselor of women (married or single). He is not a risk as an entertainer or shiur giver. In fact, we should wish him well in that regard. He is an extremely talented person who has done a lot of good. Let’s hope he gets to use his talents in a good, safe and harmless fashion.
Anyone is entitled to their personal opinion, but the linked Shiur discusses this issue from a Halachic perspective.
http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/810933/Rabbi_Aryeh_Lebowitz/Ten_Minute_Halacha_-_Learning_Torah_From_Disgraced_Rabbis_(35_minutes_long)#
There is a Rabbi David Weinberger giving 7:30 daf yomi shiurim in English in the Bostoner Shul. However, the gabbai of the shul informs me it is a different D. Weinberger. He emailed me this morning, in response to an inquiry:
He [the Rabbi David Weinberger doing shiurim in their shul] is not [the Dovid Weinberger formerly rav of Shaaray Tefilla in Lawrence, NY]. [the one doing shiurim in their shul is originally from Akron, Ohio. He has been giving daf yomi in English for many years
He used to be my downstairs neighbor in Har Nof.
All the best,
Betzalel
Secretariat of the Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a
Yerushalayim, 5774
Shaaray Tefilla has selected a successor to Dovid Weinberger. They just sent out this notice:
From: Office
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 9:49 AM
Subject: Mazal Tov – Election Results
Mazal Tov to all Shaaray Tefila members on the results of the Rabbinic elections held Sunday, June 29th. It is our kavod to announce that HaRav Doniel Stein received the required percentage of votes to become the next Mara D’asra of Shaaray Tefila. Further details on this process will be forthcoming.
We would like to express our hakaras hatov to all the committee members and individuals who were instrumental in bringing this selection process to a conclusion.
Mazal Tov!
who is he?…where is he from? background?
He is a musmach of YU.
Maybe he can share words of wisdom with the Satmar Rebbe who reportedly blamed the parents of the 3 heilege korbonos for causing their deaths and called on them to do teshuva.
Thank G-d we have a navi amongst us. And here I thought nevua was reserved for idiots.
RESERVED FOR EVIL IDIOTS. RIGHT ON. MAY THE SATMAR AND SKVER RABBIS DIE A SWIFT DEATH, DUE TO THEIR F’AXXED BELIEFS. THREE BEAUTIFUL; RELIGIOUS ZIONIST BOYS. MURDERED STAM KACHA, THE LOSS WILL WEIGH ON THE JEWISH NATION FOR DOROT. my heartfelt prayers for the parents. I cannot even fathom, living through such a tragedy. yasher koach lahem
But the holy Rebbe explained that they need to do teshuva, as one would do on Yom Kippur, for endangering their kids by having them learn Torah in Yehuda v’Shomron.
They killed their own kids–it’s as simple as that. Go to VIN or similar websites and you”’ read numerous posts in agreement with this navi.
Obviously, world Jewry, including virtually the whole frum world, is mistaken, and this holy rebbe is correct.
Those who disagree: Repent now!
It just struck me: Why does the headline here state “Rabbi Dovid Weinberger.” Physicians can lose their license, lawyers can be disbarred, and one would think rabbis can have their semicha taken away for immoral acts (for example, doctors who have sex with a patient automatically lose their licenses).
1. Moshe Feinstein gave him his semichah. I see no way to get him to rescind it.
2. I don’t respect or regard Weinberger as a rabbi. However, people search the internet using the word rabbi so I include it to maximize the likelihood people will find this post when Googling.
It seems to me that a public declaration that this person can no longer use the title rabbi wouldn’t hurt. By the way, there are some semicha programs which now have a ‘warning’ that certain behavior will result in the semicha being revoked.
I also wonder how the man who said what he said in Williamsburg the other night can be referred to as ‘ Rebbe ‘, let alone ‘ Satmar Rebbe.:’ — he is at best a wannabe rebbe, and certainly does not come up to the ankles of someone like “The Rebbe,” whose yarzheit was this week.
(I am not a Lubavitcher nor a fan of their last rebbe by any means but even a cursory glance at his Torah writings leads one inexorably to the conclusion that the man was a genius, in addition to his humanity.)
5towner, I, amhaaretz, noteh l’haskim (tend to agree) with much or all of what you write. and as for Satmar, they denigrate and demean all Jews. Re Chabad, I’m with you as well. If they could just somehow paralyze the messhichistim, they would be a group that I would be proud to support. The anti’s in Chabad, have been fighting a losing battle against them, seemingly forever. How that can ever change is a great challenge to the many, yes, many Luvabitcher’s who would like to end the madness. I used to believe that they were a minority ( the anti-messhichistim), but have slowly and recently been convinced that that is NOT the case. They are perhaps, perhaps, the silent majority. because the virulent messhicistim get more virulent, davka, when attempts are made to silence them…. As to the Rebbe’s writings, I am far far from being baki maspik to read or pass judgment, but evidently many in the orthodox world would agree with you, if they could get past the messianic mania, and view each aspect separately. Rabbi Telushkin’s new book on the Rebbe made the NYT bestseller list. and then we have also Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s new book. I have not, as yet, read either of them, but plan to read both. Perhaps davka this long weekend…
….
and yes, to head off various attacks, Chabad suffers from many of the same ills as ALL of the other charedi and non charedi , afilu MO groups. CSA, financial fraud. Is there one ortho group that has not been involved in any of these sins, even recently, and exposed in the media. OY VA VOY, we Jews do not present ourselves well to the outside world. But, OTOH, most anti-semites, would never read any of that anyway. They know whom they hate.
why is the only site that dealt with the weinberger scandal (outside of uoj which is not a raaya) where is scott rosenberg, he countless jewish otd sites, even 5tjn, jewish week, etc etc
Seems to me as if JW tries to avoid “certain” types of machloket, or better “shonda”.and they do have a newspaper to sell…..I could be very wrong. . Even the Algemeiner, l’marbeh hapeleh, is very open to a wide array of topics, despite being a Jacobson newspaper. Very very open minded. Kol Hakavod Lahem. It is NOT the paper that many would assume given its makor.
Now, I will let YL answer.
finally the main blog in Israel put this up
http://bshch.blogspot.com/2014/07/blog-post_997.html
Yes, the blog, B’olamam Shel Hacharedim, posted the headline: Dovid Weinberger, Rabbi from Lawrence Obliged Himself Not to Function in any Rabbinical Capacity and Moved to Israel. They reproduced a letter I first posted in March, 2014.
In fact, the headline was the very first one in the email from B’olamam shel Charedim. Hard to miss.
In fact, the headline was the very first one in the email from B’olamam shel Charedim. Hard to miss.
Shaaray Tefilla still does not have a rabbi. After announcing they had selected candidate, R. Stein they sent an email this past Friday (7/4/14) announcing that their favored candidate had changed his mind:
Below is the text of their email:
From: Shaaray Tefila
To: [redacted]
Sent: Friday, July 4, 2014 4:02 PM
Subject: Important Information regarding Rabbi Stein
Dear Member,
Prior to the administration presenting a financial package to Rabbi Stein, Rabbi Stein contacted the search committee this morning and explained that while he had a most enjoyable shabbos with our kehilla and was truly interested in the position as Rav, upon careful consideration he has concluded that he would prefer to devote most of his time to being a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan. The time commitment to continue as a Rosh Yeshiva would not allow him sufficient time to serve as a full time Morah D’Asrah in a kehilla such as ours. As such, he has accepted a different position that was offered to him recently, which will require a much lesser time commitment from him and would not require him to relocate his family.
The search committee is obviously very disappointed with this development. The committee will immediately reconvene to identify and present additional qualified candidates to the kehilla.
Sam Davies
Chairman of the Board
failed messiah is writing about it as well.
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2014/07/rabbi-dovid-weinbergers-signed-promise-not-to-work-as-a-community-rabbi-or-teach-ever-again-123.html
Yes, Failed Messiah credited me for my post of 3/30/14 which included a link to an image of his resignation from the rabbinate: https://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/weinberger-conceded-his-guilt-and-promised-to-quit-the-rabbinate-in-december/
took him a long while-very curious why he didnt post till now
You will have to ask Shmarya. I too was puzzled by the fact that I was the only online source reporting on this very important case with actual copies of relevant documents.
weinberger will never stop pursuing a position. he is incapable of accepting any responsibility of his disgusting actions. he chooses to rear his ugly head and will never go away unless hes dragged into rehab. hus illness operates on full denial mode. he will cont to believe hes a gadol hes dylusional and his wife is too ,
It shouldn’t surprise anyone if the same man who manipulated women and girls for years was also able to delude his wife into thinking that “nothing really happened.” It’s all part of the manipulative, cunning personality that made Dovid Weinberger so successful at abusing women and dodging accusations until he was Baruch Hashem caught red-handed.
http://rabbiusacanada.blogspot.com/ and http://rabbiwoodmere.blogspot.com/ are two blogs with divrei torah by Weinberger with some odd allusions to his travels. Very hard to decipher where he is or what he is doing but it conveys a sense of a very active rabbi just yearning for a few days of relaxation from his labors.
good find, Yerachmiel. His post on the sister to sister event speaks volumes. Also, I have no more updates since last time, when my source said he is definitely not living at 12 shaulson. In all likelihood he is laying very low in a smaller neighborhood.
the wolf , I don’t know who your sources are but he definitely is living for now at shaulson 12.