Rabbi’s father ‘deeply ashamed’ of son’s decision to take him to court over financial dispute
EXCLUSIVE: David Djanogly, father of British-born rabbi Saul Djanogly, says he feels "utterly humiliated" by the bitter long-running family conflict over a six-figure sum.
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
A British father who is being taken to court by his rabbi son over a six-figure financial dispute has spoken of feeling “deeply ashamed and humiliated”.
Rabbi Saul Djanogly who now lives in Israel, is taking his father David and his brother Avi to court, after refusing to comply with two rulings made against him by two different sets of Jewish religious judges.
The matter was originally heard by the head of the Federation of Synagogues’ Beth Din, Dayan Yisroel Yaakov Lichtenstein, and later by the Beth Din of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) in Golders Green. Both ruled against Saul.
Lichtenstein considered submissions from the two parties for three years, before making his ruling, however Saul did not accept the judgment and the disputants were advised to take the matter to a Beth Din.
When Saul did not accept this ruling either, the dayanim of the UOHC Beth Din “regrettably” found him to be a “mesarev l’beis din”.
“Mesarev” means to refuse or reject. Those given this label are refused honours such as an aliyah, in congregations aware of the ruling. It is a ruling more often applied to men who refuse their spouses a get [Jewish religious divorce].
In this case, the UOHC dayanim – Dayan Dunner, Dayan Cohn and Dayan Eisner – were making a ruling on what David Djanogly called “a most tragic and painful family financial dispute”.
Saul Djanogly’s lawyer, Elliot Lister, said the matter was private, the proceedings confidential, and that his rabbi client was exercising his right under the 1996 Arbitration Act, in the English courts, for review of the award.
Rabbi Saul Djanogly is a known figure in adult Jewish education but has a parallel career in wealth management and financial investment. His move to Ra’anana in Israel with his wife Anne took place in the last couple of years.
It is not yet known when the English court review will be announced but Rabbi Saul Djanogly has asked that it take place in private “out of respect for the Beth Din and the other parties”.
Lister added that his client “promptly sought the Beth Din’s clarifications and correction of the award that is being challenged”, in the hope that it would not be necessary to go to the civil courts, “but received no substantive answer whatsoever”.
Observers close to the details of the financial dispute, who asked not to be named, said they were alarmed at the prospect of the matter going to the English courts, because this could set a precedent that would affect every Beth Din ruling in the country, in which Halacha [Jewish law] could be ultimately over-ruled by English law.
David Djanogly told Jewish News that he cannot afford to fight his son in the English courts. “I am 85-years-old, blind in one eye, and disabled, as well as suffering from a severe heart condition,” he said. “I am utterly and most deeply ashamed and humiliated by these actions.”
Lister said: “The award is subject to challenge before the English court. This is entirely proper under English and Jewish law and the Beth Din has correctly not objected to this challenge under either English or Jewish law.
“Indeed, the Beth Din has specifically authorised Mr David Djanogly to bring the matter before the court. In any event, a joint party with common interests to David Djanogly in the arbitration, is contesting the challenge in court.
“There are compelling grounds for the challenge, justifying non-compliance with the award for the time being. If the award is upheld by the court, Saul Djanogly will comply. The Beth Din and court proceedings are private and confidential. No permission to publish has been granted to any party.
“Sadly, no constructive purpose is served by Mr David Djanogly’s breaching of the confidentiality of the proceedings in seeking to publicise this unfortunate, private family financial dispute.”
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