Rabbi feud migrates to social media
Synagogue denies former cantor’s claims
MONTREAL• During the four years he led prayers at a synagogue, Cantor Shmuel Levin occasionally crossed swords with Rabbi Michael Whitman.
There was some friction between the two men and observers say Levin’s abrasive style didn’t sit well with many members of the Congregation Adath Israel in Hampstead, an on-island suburb of Montreal.
Levin’s latest run- in with Whitman, which began in the corridors of the synagogue, has morphed into a strange saga that includes a police investigation, allegations of extortion and theft, an arrest warrant and a controversial 90- minute YouTube video where Levin accuses the rabbi of excessive spending when he entertains congregants at his home.
The synagogue’s president, Dr. Peter Safran, said Levin’s accusations are completely unfounded. He said all the expenses from 2012, which Levin detailed in the video, were approved.
Like many rabbis, Whitman’s contract includes a discretionary budget to entertain congregants or visitors at his home, something rabbis often do after the start of Shabbat on Fridays.
Levin, who is also a rabbi, has been causing trouble for Whitman and others at the synagogue since officials told him in the fall of 2015 that his contract would not be renewed, the Montreal Gazette has learned.
Safran said Levin’s contract was not renewed because the synagogue “didn’t need a full- time cantor and there were personal issues in his conduct so it wasn’t the right fit for our synagogue.”
When Levin left the synagogue officially in June, he was in possession of Whit- man’s expense account reports from 2012.
Levin said he found the documents in a box beside the garbage outside the synagogue. Synagogue officials told the Montreal police the documents had been stolen.
When Levin left his post, he signed a mutually binding non- disparagement agreement with synagogue officials. Levin claims Whitman has since badmouthed him to people in the Jewish community, which has prevented him from getting another job as a cantor or rabbi.
Officials at the synagogue insist they didn’t break the non- disparagement agreement and say they did nothing to prevent Levin from obtaining employment. Levin said he left Montreal on Dec. 4 because his visa expired and is now in Europe.
On Dec. 12, Levin emailed t he s ynagogue and demanded “compensation” of $ 17,000, claiming the nondisparagement agreement had been violated. In the same email, he said he would make public some of Whitman’s expense accounts if the money wasn’t paid.
On New Year’s Day, he released a video on YouTube where he held up numerous receipts from stores where Whitman shopped, implying the rabbi was spending excessively.
After the police were called to investigate his demand for compensation and the synagogue publicly denounced his actions, Levin issued a statement last week saying he wasn’t trying to extort money from anyone. He claims he made a “very serious error” in the way he wrote the email by tying together the two issues.
Montreal police have issued an arrest warrant for Levin and will charge him with extortion and theft if he returns to Canada, said spokesperson Raphael Bergeron
Archie Etcovitch, a former president of Adath Israel who knows both rabbis, said he and many other congregants were disgusted when they saw Levin’s video.
“He crossed a huge line — you wouldn’t do this to your worst enemy,” Etcovitch said.