The Jewish Week has learned that a committee from the Rabbinical Council of America, the largest organization of Orthodox rabbis in the country, has shared the findings of an eight-month investigation with the accused, Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, a well-known spiritual leader in the Monsey community, to allow him to prepare a defense.
It is alleged that the rabbi then contacted at least one of the women named in the report and sought to intimidate her, a charge denied by the rabbi’s attorney, Arnold Kriss.
Also under dispute is whether the women who spoke to the investigator knew that their names would be shared with the rabbi.
ME writes:
I'm putting together a few posts based on the RCA/Praesidium investigation.
I don't want to tell victims' stories or identify individual victims'
stories. But I'm completely disgusted by what the RCA and Tendler supporters
are doing. They're basically intimidating victims and trying to whitewash
the whole situation.
But I do want to send a message to Rabbi Mordechai Tendler and his
supporters that this will no longer be tolerated.
To do this I will be disclosing how Rabbi Mordechai Tendler operates. What
his MO is, how he grooms women he exploits, how he intimidates his critics.
I will be disclosing some of the "pick-up" lines he uses with married women
and agunot, where he likes to have sex and other tidbits. Some of this
information is salacious in nature but midah k'neged midah. If Tendler and
his goons want to intimidate victims they need to know there will be severe
consequences.
It may take a few days to edit this material before I post it as I want to
be very careful.
I was approached about a year-and-a-half/2 years ago to look into this
situation. So be assured, I've dotted my i's and crossed my t's.
My information identifies 10 distinct female victims, only 9 have
co-operated with the RCA/Praesidium investigation. The 10th has signed a
confidentiality agreement with Rabbi Tendler for a reported $100,000 and an
agreement to turn over physical evdence to Tendler and to never discuss the
matter with anyone ever again.
