A former rabbi of the Jewish Community of Berlin was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, which was suspended, for sexual assault under Section 177 of the Criminal Code. According to the findings in the penalty order, the man, in his role as a rabbi, invited the injured party to “personality training” in 2021. During the interview, he asked the woman to stand with her back against the wall and close her eyes in order to free herself from the “negative energies” of her ex-partner.
The rabbi at the time then approached the woman, kissed her and inserted his tongue into her mouth, although he was aware that the woman never agreed to this. Because this action was not foreseeable for the woman, she was unable to fend it off.
The case was reported in the summer of 2023 by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency became public along with similar allegations from other women. A taz investigation had made further cases public. The former rabbi had denied the allegations and legally defended himself against the reporting; the taz article is currently not available due to an ongoing legal dispute.
Termination was legal
Die Jewish Community Berlin had terminated the man without notice in the spring of 2023 after the allegations, some of which went back a long way, initially became known within the community. The man had also taken action against the dismissal, but the Berlin labor court confirmed in spring 2025 that this was legal because he had sexually harassed a female community member.
The former rabbi, however, claimed that any sexual contact was consensual. He has worked as an Orthodox rabbi in the Sephardic synagogue Tiferet Israel in Berlin-Charlottenburg since 2006, making him one of six community rabbis in the Berlin Jewish community.
In the case now being heard, a penalty order had initially been issued against the rabbi, which he had contradicted, which meant that the case had to be heard in court. According to a spokeswoman for the Berlin judiciary, the man withdrew his objection there.
The penalty order is now legally binding and the probation period has been set at two years. The court also ordered that the man had to pay 2,000 euros to the injured party and that he had to report any change of residence to the court. The Orthodox Rabbinical Conference Germany welcomed the verdict; the Jewish Community of Berlin could not be reached for comment by the time of going to press.