The Rabbinical Council of America, the chief professional organization of Modern Orthodox rabbis, has granted Rabbi Dr. Michael Broyde, one of its most prominent scholars and a professor of law at Emory University, “an indefinite leave of absence” from its top rabbinical court, the Beth Din of America. Sources within the RCA confirmed the move, and Broyde’s biography has been deleted from the court’s web site, where he was previously listed as a member and judge.
“Rabbi Broyde has admitted to behavior that the Rabbinical Council finds extremely disturbing,” Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, president of the RCA, told Tablet. “We have determined and announced by the Beth Din of America, our affiliated rabbinical court, that he has ceased to serve as a dayan immediately and indefinitely.”
This action comes almost immediately following the revelation that Broyde crafted a fake alternate identity which he used to correspond with rabbinic journals, promote his own work, and most controversially, join a rival left-wing rabbinical organization. He was also shown to have employed various sock puppet accounts to defend his writing online.
While Broyde initially denied responsibility, he issued several public apologies hours after the conduct was reported on Friday morning by Steven Weiss at The Jewish Channel. The International Rabbinic Fellowship, the left-wing organization Broyde joined under the false pretenses of his pseudonym, dubbed his actions “saddening and shocking,” adding that “personal apologies are due to the specific individuals that he interacted with.”
Said Rabbi Goldin, “We are going to continue investigating the matter and proceedings will be underway to determine any further appropriate action.”
UPDATE: The RCA has issued a press release, which confirms the above, and adds that Broyde “has also requested a leave of absence from his membership in the RCA.”
Earlier: Michael Broyde: One Rabbi, Many Opinions
Click here for access to comments
COMMENTING CHARGES
Daily rate: $2
Monthly rate: $18
Yearly rate: $180
WAIT, WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY TO COMMENT?
Tablet is committed to bringing you the best, smartest, most enlightening and entertaining reporting and writing on Jewish life, all free of charge. We take pride in our community of readers, and are thrilled that you choose to engage with us in a way that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. But the Internet, for all of its wonders, poses challenges to civilized and constructive discussion, allowing vocal—and, often, anonymous—minorities to drag it down with invective (and worse). Starting today, then, we are asking people who'd like to post comments on the site to pay a nominal fee—less a paywall than a gesture of your own commitment to the cause of great conversation. All proceeds go to helping us bring you the ambitious journalism that brought you here in the first place.
I NEED TO BE HEARD! BUT I DONT WANT TO PAY.
Readers can still interact with us free of charge via Facebook, Twitter, and our other social media channels, or write to us at letters@tabletmag.com. Each week, we’ll select the best letters and publish them in a new letters to the editor feature on the Scroll.
We hope this new largely symbolic measure will help us create a more pleasant and cultivated environment for all of our readers, and, as always, we thank you deeply for your support.