Rabbi leaves shul after walking out on Dweck

THE RABBI of London’s Moroccan synagogue has left following his objection to Rabbi Joseph Dweck speaking there, the JC has learned.

Rabbi Dov Levy has parted company with Porat Yosef Synagogue in Hendon and is praying with a new local Sephardi minyan.

In summer, Rabbi Levy walked out of a Shabbat service at Porat Yosef when Rabbi Dweck, senior rabbi of the S & P Sephardi Community, spoke.

Rabbi Dweck had been invited to attend to celebrate the recent appointment to the Sephardi Beth Din of Dayan Avraham Dadoun, who had grown up in Porat Yosef. But Rabbi Levy was opposed to Rabbi Dweck being given a public platform, believing he had not taken on board criticism of his teachings by other Orthodox rabbis last year.

However, Rabbi Levy’s position was not supported by Porat Yosef’s chair of trustees, Michel Dadoun, who thought it right for Rabbi Dweck to speak. “Every time we have a visiting rabbi, we honour him by asking him to say a few words,” Mr Dadoun, an uncle of Dayan Dadoun, explained at the time.

Rabbi Levy did not wish to comment this week on the reasons for his departure. Mr Dadoun said: “It’s sad there was a split. We bear no grudges and wish everybody hatzlachah [success].”

He added that Dayan Pinchas Toledano, former head of the Sephardi Beth Din, was helping out at Porat Yosef.

Last year’s controversy over Rabbi Dweck erupted after a lecture he gave on gay love. But critics said they had more general complaints about his Torah approach. A rabbinic panel convened by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to review his teachings concluded he was fit to continue in office, after his acknowledgement that he had made mistakes.