Senior London rabbi removed from position after having affair

The rabbi was faced with harsh criticism, many of which claimed that in his rank and position, he is held to a higher moral standard.

Tekhelet (photo credit: WIKIPEDIA)
Tekhelet
(photo credit: WIKIPEDIA)
 A senior rabbi in north London was forced to quit his synagogue after engaging in an inappropriate association with a married woman.
The rabbi, Yonason Abraham, founder of the Toras Chaim synagogue near the primarily Jewish Golders Green neighborhood and one of four judges in the London Beth Din court, said he had "fallen short of the standards expected," according to a Daily Mail report.
Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth Ephraim Mirvis reacted, as well, calling the situation a "shameful episode" which has "shaken us to the core."
"When one of us fails in this manner, we are all greatly diminished," Mirvis said. 
The marriages of both the rabbi and the married woman are said to be in danger due to the dramatic affair. Abraham was consequently removed from his role both in the synagogue as well as the court.
A member of the Toras Chaim community placed the blame on the wife, saying that as she is married to a multi-millionaire, her glamorous lifestyle had tempted Abraham.
The affair was caught by the woman's husband, who became suspicious after she had grown close to the rabbi and consequently hired a private investigator.
"The fact that he is a judge in the religious court makes this even more embarrassing and hypocritical," the community member reported.