Friday, February 07, 2014

Law Prof-Rabbi Resigns From Rabbinical Group To Avoid Ethics Probe Over Online Pseudonyms

TJC reported yesterday that Emory University law professor Rabbi Michael Broyde has resigned from the Rabbinical Council of America rather than face an ethics investigation by the organization over charges that he created false identities to use online to submit letters to Jewish journals, post blog comments (including ones commenting on his own work), and to join a rival rabbinical group (International Rabbinic Fellowship) to gain access to its listserv.  (See prior posting.) The RCA had already given Broyde an indefinite leave of absence from his membership and from his longstanding role as a rabbinical court judge at the Beit Din of America.  Apparently Broyde's latest resignation applies only to the RCA and not to his Bet Din role. Previously Emory Law School cleared Broyde of violating university rules since his conduct related only to activities in his rabbinic capacity. (See prior posting.)