The principal of Hasmonean High School has written to parents to offer advice on the fallout from the resignation of Dayan Yonason Abraham from the London Beth Din.

Rabbi Jeremy Golker said it was “clearly a very difficult time for all and many of our students and their families were very close to the dayan and will take this badly”.

Dayan Abraham also resigned from his synagogue in Hendon at the end of last week, acknowledging he had “fallen short of the standards expected of me”.

Rabbi Golker said it was “important to acknowledge when mistakes have been made. The dayan himself wrote to his community to communicate this”.

But that was not a green light to spread gossip or “even discuss details of the matter”.

Students who were affected by the situation should “approach us to talk about things and get the support they need”.

Judaism, he said, should not be judged by the “unfortunate behaviour of some Jews at certain times of their lives".

But, he added, “All the Torah, chessed [kindness], support and inspiration the dayan gave so many over so many years was real. By his own admission, he has fallen short of standards expected of him and the fallout is huge but that does not negate all the good he has done.”