Rabbi Bassous wins Beth Din case to remain at his synagogue - The Jewish Chronicle

Rabbi Aharon Bassous, the outspoken head of a Sephardi synagogue in Golders Green, has won his fight to remain with the congregation against the trustees who wanted him to go.

After a year since the parties took their conflict to a Beth Din, the rabbinic panel has ruled in favour of Rabbi Bassous.

Rabbi Bassous broke the news to his community, Beth Hamedrash Knesset Yehezkel, which is affiliated to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, on Shabbat, according to various sources.

One person who was present said, “He said it was a positive outcome on all fronts.”

Rabbi Bassous announced there would be a re-election for trustees and counselled the community not to dwell on the past but remain focused on the future, the source said.

Another person who was privy to the Beth Din ruling confirmed that it had left Rabbi Bassous in control of the community.

Tensions emerged not long after the congregation moved into its impressive new building on the Golders Green Road in 2020.

In August that year, Rabbi Bassous reportedly announced that he would be leaving the community after the autumn festivals.

In December, the trustees warned him that unless he agreed to a protocol they had put to him, he would have to leave the following February. They claimed he had stated he was resigning on “three separate occasions”.

But Rabbi Bassous denied that he had offered “a valid and binding resignation” and maintained that it was strictly forbidden to oust a rabbi against his will.

The trustees also warned BHKY members that they might have to sell its new building, with more than £3 million of bank loans outstanding and planned activities for the synagogue hit by Covid restrictions.

But supporters of Rabbi Bassous were aghast at the suggestion and said it made “a great deal of sense to continue to ‘ride the storm’ until the situation improves and look forward to continued use of our beautiful shul and all its facilities”.

In February last year, the trustees along with leading donor Elan Shasha and Rabbi Bassous agreed to put the dispute before an ad hoc Beth Din.

Rabbi Bassous became a controversial figure after sharp attacks in recent years on both the Senior Rabbi of the S & P Sephardi Community, Joseph Dweck, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis over LGBT issues.

Rabbi Bassous and a trustee have been approached for comment.

According to the community’s latest accounts for April 2021, it had assets of nearly £9 million including almost £6 million in the building fund.

A loan of £250,000 is repayable in three years and another of over £2.7 million in 2042.

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