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July 2008: In 2008, Marc Gafni received his doctorate of Philosophy (with a speciality in Hebrew mysticism) from Oxford University

10/4/04

I got an email from Dr. Norman Solomon, a retired professor in Oxford's Oriental Studies department, in reply to my questions:

Dear Luke:

Re Gafni's claims:

1) teaching graduate seminars on mysticism at Oxford University in England

Gafni has spoken on mysticism at my seminar, at my invitation. It could be misleading to describe this as "teaching graduate seminars", since this might be taken to imply that he is or has been a member of staff here, which is incorrect.

2) a fellow at the Oriental Institute of Oxford University

Gafni is not and never has been a fellow at the Oriental Institute (in fact there is no such category).

3) an Oxford-trained scholar

He has worked towards a D.Phil (we have no degree of Ph.D.) under my supervision, but has not not submitted.

4) he also holds a Ph.D. from Oxford

He does not hold a Ph.D. from Oxford. Should it be confirmed that he has made such a spurious claim it would be regarded here as an extremely serious breach of discipline.

Oxford professor Joanna Weinberg emails me back: "Gafni taught a seminar which was not part of the university curriculum - he simply used the premises of the Oriental Institute."

Oxford professor Hugh Williamson writes me:

Gafni is registered here as a D.Phil. (=PhD) student. There have been some stumbles in his progress, and as I am no longer Director of Graduate Studies, it is just possible that I am slightly out of date. My understanding, however, is that he has yet to pass through the 'Coinfirmation of D.Phil. Status' stage, which is the final hurdle before he is allowed to sbmit his thesis for examination. He is emphatically NOT a fellow of the Oriental Institute, nor does he hold a PhD here. Whether he took part in a graduate seminar I do not know; he is being trained (when he allows himself to be) as an Oxford scholar, but we could not yet certify him, so to speak! He is rarely present in Oxford, so that input from this end is minimal. Gafni has been told before not to make such representations of himself and has agreed not to do so; it is there very disappointing to learn that he is still at it.

Professor Martin Goodman writes: "He is Norman's student (Marc Gafni). Norman has been supervising him jointly with Moshe Idel (Hebrew U). Gafni is a member of Wolfson and was around for 2 years or so, but is now in Jerusalem (I think). So far as I know, he has not finished his D.Phil. (but Norman should know!)."

Rabbi Mordecai Gafni's Supporters From October, 2004:

Metuka Benjamin (Director of Education, Stephen S. Wise Temple), Rabbi Phyllis Berman (Former Director Elat Chayyim summer program), Rabbi Saul Berman (Director, Edah Zivit) Davidovich (Executive Producer, Israel Channel 2 Television), Rabbi Tirzah Firestone (Congregation Nevei Kodesh), Rabbi Shefa Gold (Director C-Deep, composer and teacher), Rabbi Arthur Green (Dean, Hebrew College Rabbinical School), Rabbi Eli Herscher (Stephen S. Wise Synagogue) Arthur Kurzweil (former Director, Elat Chayyim, Jewish Book Club), Avraham Leader (Leader Minyan, Bayit Chadash) Stephen Marmer, M.D. (Psychiatrist, UCLA Medical School) Jacob Ner-David (Board Chair, Bayit Chadash) Peter Pitzele (Ph.D., Bibliodrama Institute) Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (Rabbinic Chair, Aleph Don Seeman, Ph.D. Emory University) Rabbi Joseph Telushkin (author, Jewish Literacy and Jewish Wisdom) Rabbi David Zaslow (Havurah Shir Hadash) Noam Zion (Hartman Institute), signed the following letter (in early 2005 I presume) and gave it to Gafni and his supporters to distribute as widely as they say fit:

To The Jewish Community worldwide:

In this letter we the undersigned ask the Jewish community worldwide to reaffirm its commitment to the Torah, and to the ethical principles of Judaism. Although the specific focus of our discussion is Rabbi Mordechai Gafni, whom have known collectively for many years, the issues we address are universal and timeless.

A group of several people – none of whom know Rabbi Gafni personally in any real way, and none who has had any contact in the past twenty years – have undertaken a systematic campaign to besmirch his name. Their primary method has been to keep alive and distort two very old and long discredited stories. Their attacks have recently increased in volume and intensity. He has consistently and generously offered to meet with them, but they have refused.

Many people who know Rabbi Gafni well, as all the undersigned do, have individually and collectively examined the accusations about him that this group has been spreading. We have found their rumors and accusations to be either wholly without substance or radically distorted to the point of falsification. We conclude that the false and malicious rumors against Gafni constitute lashon hara – and that the dissemination of such lies is prohibited by the Torah and Jewish ethical principles.

Thus we must address and to make right the wrong that has been attempted in regard to Rabbi Gafni, and affirm our support of him as an important teacher and leader in the Jewish community.

We have worked with Rabbi Gafni in many contexts, ranging from colleague to employer. We have published his works in our collections, co-taught with him, and known him in a host of other close relationships. Over the years, we have also extensively discussed with him the different stages of his life and the decisions he has made in relationships, professional choices and more.

We affirm without reservation that in addition to being a person of enormous gifts, depth, and vision, Rabbi Gafni is also a person of real integrity. He possesses a unique combination of courage and audacity coupled with a genuine humility that comes only from having lived life fully – with all of its complexity, beauty and sometimes pain.

Leaders of his caliber and depth who are committed to ongoing personal development are few and far between. From our dual commitment to him as an individual, as well as to the most profound ethical teachings of the Torah, we urge you as the reader of this letter to reject the false reports about Rabbi Gafni, and to give him your full support, as we all have done and continue to do.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact any one of us directly.

Jacob Ner-David, Avraham Leader, Neil Markowitz -- board members of Bayit Chadash -- emailed other board members of American Friends of Bayit Chadash in the fall of 2004:

As we shared with you recently a group of people -who for the past twenty years have been sadly but determinedly antagonistic to Rabbi Gafni and all he represents - viewing him as a threat to the future of Orthodoxy - have done all they could to remove him from public discourse. Their accusations are simply not true; they have been looked at carefully and dismissed by every fair minded person who has encountered them.

Attached please find a letter to the Editor written by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Rabbi Saul Berman and Rabbi Tirzah Firestone which summarized and rebuffs the false accusations leveled in the Jewish Week article.

We are in fully constructive Bayit Chadash mode...engaging in all of our forms of teaching; television production, student classes, book projects, public festivals and events and of course funding raising as well.

As you can imagine - in this trying time your support of Bayit Chadash in general and of Rabbi Gafni personally is essential. We will walk past this break in the road, gently and confidently and with God’s help reach heights we never dreamed were possible.

To the Editor,

Words can elevate and words can destroy.

There was a time when the Jewish community too glibly and carelessly disregarded words of accusation of sexual abuse against clergy. That was clearly wrong, and Gary Rosenblatt of The Jewish Week helped to correct that. The pendulum has now
swung to the opposite extreme, as evidenced in Rosenblatt’s column (The Re-Invented Rabbi, 9/24/04).

The column reports an allegation concerning a relationship from twenty-five years ago – when Rabbi Mordechai Gafni was 19 and 20 and not yet a rabbi – in a situation where he had no pastoral relationship with the person in question. Rabbi Gafni has a completely different account of what happened which was not clearly related in the article (including the fact that nothing even vaguely resembling sexual relations took place).

Furthermore, we can attest first hand that several years ago Rabbi Gafni made serious attempts to contact this woman in a therapeutically-mediated context—to clarify the huge gulf in their understandings of what happened and, if necessary, to apologize for any way in which she felt hurt. This offer was rejected and the decision was apparently made that the press was a more appropriate vehicle for conversation.

The story also reports unsubstantiated allegations which are twenty-years old. The story critically omits the fact that the professional to whom Rabbi Gafni (then Winiarz) was responsible at the time conducted an investigation, and drew the following conclusions in a formal report which was accepted by his superiors:

“I’ve known Rabbi Winiarz for the past six years, and I believe I speak of his character from a position of knowledge and reliability… In his work as director of Jewish Public School Youth, allegations were made as to his improper conduct with a teenage girl and a young female adult [referred to in the article as Judy and Susan]… For several months, in the spring and summer of 1986, I delved into the accusations and had numerous conversations with a number of people who were associated with Rabbi Winiarz both professionally and personally. I also talked to the accusing parties as well as members of their families, rabbis close to them and agency personnel involved in the work of JPSY. I also, of course, spoke at length to Rabbi Winiarz about these matters. It was my conclusion, based on clear and compelling reasons, that the accusations were not true and were not substantiated. I might add that this was also the view of a clinical psychologist who interviewed Rabbi Winiarz and the teenager after the alleged incident.”

We have collectively looked at this issue again in the last six months, and come to a similar conclusion. Further, Rabbi Gafni has long expressed his desire to meet with any of the parties who feel he has wronged them—even when he has a completely different account of the situation.

We, like Gary Rosenblatt, have struggled with the question of what gravity to assign to persistent rumors. Our conclusion differs from that of Mr. Rosenblatt. We have collectively, over many years, spoken to virtually everyone who would speak to us who was directly involved in order to examine the accusations against Rabbi Gafni. We have found them totally not convincing. Further, there is simply no evidence that Rabbi Gafni’s public role constitutes a risk to Jewish women, or to anyone for that matter.

We pray that this unfair scandalous moment will soon be forgotten and that Rabbi Gafni will be able to free his spiritual energy and formidable intellect in order to help build Jewish consciousness and commitment.

Rabbi Saul J. Berman, Director of Edah
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy and The Book of Jewish Values
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, Congregation Nevei Kodesh, author of With Roots in Heaven and
The Receiving

Dan Ehrenkrantz from the Reconstructionst Rabbinical College writes:

To Whom It May Concern: Arthur Green left the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in 1994. Since that time he has had no formal affiliation with RRC and is indeed the Dean of another rabbinical program entirely. The use of the term "rodef" to describe people seeking to publicly discredit another person is inflammatory and therefore, in our opinion, ill advised. Dan Ehrenkrantz

A poster by the name of "Me" (who represents TheAwarenessCenter.org mentality) writes:

Rabbi [Yosef] Blau said he has spoken with a number of women "from the past who said they were victimized, and in no case do I know of his admitting direct responsibility or contacting them to express regret. So what teshuvah has he done?"

Gafni is a violent sexual predator. Why would anyone subject themselves to any process he controls that involves him or any of his enablers as those in charge of the process. People went through that in the sham investigation at YU in the 80's.

It is not appropriate for a psychologist to conduct an investigation into serious allegations of child molestation. They don't have the proper training. Either do the "keystone cop" Rabbis here either.

Two groups in the Renewal movement, Aleph and Elat Chayyim, looked into the allegations against Rabbi Gafni and found "no evidence of wrongdoing," according to Rabbi Arthur Waskow. (The three women with whom I spoke said they were never contacted.) And that's an investigation?

MG writes:

I heard rumors that the Jewish Renewal folks attempted to "investigate" the claims made against Gafni several months ago. Rabbi Pam Frydman Baugh headed this "investigation." I've been told by a reliable source that Rabbi Baugh spoke at length to one of the three survivors named in the Jewish Week article, and attempted to silence her. The survivor was told NOT to tell any one of what happened to her, for fear it would contaminate the Jewish Renewal investigation. I was curious, what kind of forensic training or experience does Rabbi Baugh have, or any of the other members of the Jewish Renewal's tribunal? How many other cases of alleged abuse have they handled? What were their outcomes? I guess I should also ask the same question regarding the honorable Rabbi Saul Berman?

From Orshalomsf.org:

Rabbi Baugh is a high ranking official in the Jewish Renewal Movement. Pamela Frydman Baugh was ordained a Jewish Renewal Rabbi in 1989. She has been a Jewish educator since 1966. Her universal approach comes from years of study with Jewish, Sufi, Buddhist and Theosophical teachers. She is a member of Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, the Aquarian Minyan of Berkeley and the Board of the San Francisco Interfaith Council. Pam is presently President of the Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal.

Here's a response to Telushkin, Berman and Firestone by someone who claims to have been a victim of Gafni.

Bayit Chadash employs rabbi Mordechai Gafni as its "spiritual director":

Reb Gafni is the Rosh Bayit of Bayit Chadash. His affiliations include being a fellow at the Oriental Institute of Oxford University, as well as serving as a contributing editor to the American "Tikkun" magazine...

Here is the board for Bayit Chadash. Its members include: Yosef Abramowitz, rabbi Leonid Feldman, rabbi Tirzah Firestone, rabbi Arthur Green, Dr. Daniel Matt, rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, rabbi Arthur Waskow, rabbi Avi Weiss.

Jacob Ner-David, Avraham Leader, Neil Markowitz -- board members of Bayit Chadash (where Gafni is the "Spiritual Director) -- emailed other board members of American Friends of Bayit Chadash in October 2004:

As we shared with you recently a group of people -who for the past twenty years have been sadly but determinedly antagonistic to Rabbi Gafni and all he represents - viewing him as a threat to the future of Orthodoxy - have done all they could to remove him from public discourse. Their accusations are simply not true; they have been looked at carefully and dismissed by every fair minded person who has encountered them.

Attached please find a letter to the Editor written by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Rabbi Saul Berman and Rabbi Tirzah Firestone which summarized and rebuffs the false accusations leveled in the Jewish Week article.

We are in fully constructive Bayit Chadash mode...engaging in all of our forms of teaching; television production, student classes, book projects, public festivals and events and of course funding raising as well.

As you can imagine - in this trying time your support of Bayit Chadash in general and of Rabbi Gafni personally is essential. We will walk past this break in the road, gently and confidently and with God’s help reach heights we never dreamed were possible.

Dan Ehrenkrantz from the Reconstructionst Rabbinical College writes:

To Whom It May Concern: Arthur Green left the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in 1994. Since that time he has had no formal affiliation with RRC and is indeed the Dean of another rabbinical program entirely. The use of the term "rodef" to describe people seeking to publicly discredit another person is inflammatory and therefore, in our opinion, ill advised. Dan Ehrenkrantz

MG writes:

I heard rumors that the Jewish Renewal folks attempted to "investigate" the claims made against Gafni several months ago. Rabbi Pam Frydman Baugh headed this "investigation." I've been told by a reliable source that Rabbi Baugh spoke at length to one of the three survivors named in the Jewish Week article, and attempted to silence her. The survivor was told NOT to tell any one of what happened to her, for fear it would contaminate the Jewish Renewal investigation. I was curious, what kind of forensic training or experience does Rabbi Baugh have, or any of the other members of the Jewish Renewal's tribunal? How many other cases of alleged abuse have they handled? What were their outcomes? I guess I should also ask the same question regarding the honorable Rabbi Saul Berman?

From Orshalomsf.org:

Rabbi Baugh is a high ranking official in the Jewish Renewal Movement. Pamela Frydman Baugh was ordained a Jewish Renewal Rabbi in 1989. She has been a Jewish educator since 1966. Her universal approach comes from years of study with Jewish, Sufi, Buddhist and Theosophical teachers. She is a member of Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, the Aquarian Minyan of Berkeley and the Board of the San Francisco Interfaith Council. Pam is presently President of the Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal.

Here's a response to Telushkin, Berman and Firestone by someone who claims to have been a victim of Gafni. SWG writes 10/5/04 on Protocols:

As one of the victims of Mordechai Winiarz/Gafni, I am writing to express my outrage at the supporters of Gafni who, without ever having spoken with me or the other victims referred to in Gary Rosenblatt's article (Sept. 24) claim that all the allegations were explored and found to be completely unsubstantiated.

First, none of the three of us were ever contacted by any agency or by Gafni and/or any of his followers for the purpose of conducting any sort of investigation of what occurred many years ago. It's outrageous that they claim that they delved into every allegation and spoke with numerous people and rabbis and completely exonerated Gafni. Who do they think they are?

The fact that Gafni is a charismatic and effective speaker and writer is irrelevant when serious charges of rape/ sexual abuse of minors and sexual abuse/harrassment of a young adult are the issues. His own quotes in Rosenblatt's article are his own worst enemy. And, whether or not "teshuvah" has been sought by Gafni is for G-d to determine--not Rabbis Berman, Telushkin, and Carmi(?).

When I sought help from various rabbis in the Orthodox community after my and another young girl's experiences, I was shocked at the vigorous attempts of rabbinic "leaders" to quash our attempts to pursue a true investigation. A well-known rabbi in Lawrence said, "Sometimes the bigger person is the one who can just let things go." The woman sexually assaulted by Winiarz when she was 13 attempted to contact Berman many times. He refused to take her calls and has never spoken with her. Kudos to Gary Rosenblatt for his courage and willlingness to explore this ugly issue which exposes the hypocrisy of so-called "rabbis" and defenders of Winiarz/Gafni.

Letter from Rabbi Saul J. Berman & Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

http://www.bayitchadash.org/facts/blau.htm

September 13, 2004

Dear Rabbi Blau,

Since we met some months ago to discuss some issues related to sexual abuse and the role of The Awareness Center, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and I have been maintaining a continuing interest in the activities of The Awareness Center.

My recent letter to Vicki Polin and the members of the Executive Committee of The Awareness Center included a list of suggested policy recommendations which would have made the operation of The Awareness Center website a fair and effective instrument in the battle against sexual abuse in the Jewish community. Unfortunately, Vicki, in the name of the Executive Committee, dismissed all of the suggestions with a single condescending brush stroke.

Permit us to be perfectly blunt. The Awareness Center website as it currently stands is often misleading, its truthfulness cannot be assumed, and, in the name of justice, it has itself become an instrument of vicious abuse. We are moved to make this harsh evaluation in the light of the following points and more:

1. The claim that the site will only report previously published accusations is an outright lie. Vicki has herself sent anonymous slanderous postings to web blogs and then cited them on The Awareness Center site as the basis for serious accusations.

2. The Awareness Center posts and distributes material which is totally false, describing as fact occurrences which simply never took place. The clear intent is the character assassination of those whom Vicki has decided are deserving of public defamation.

4. The site does not remove accusatory material even after full and multiple investigations have concluded that they are false.

5. The Awareness Center has initiated campaigns to destroy the reputation and work prospects of accused persons, even after their names have been formally cleared and/or full resolution between the parties has been achieved.

6. The site will provide no opportunity for response by accused persons, other than an admission of guilt.

7. The attempt to destroy people's reputations long after their death is not the pursuit of justice, it is journalistic pornography.

These and many other serious offenses (of which we have extensive substantiation) have made The Awareness Center an untrustworthy and deplorable repository of falsehoods, innuendoes, and scandal mongering. It is a disgrace to the Jewish community and we will not abide its continued destructive activities.

We fear that your own reputation for probity and for responsible communal response to the vital issue of sexual abuse may be seriously injured by your continued association with The Awareness Center. We urge you, as we will be strongly urging all others connected with it, to disassociate your name from The Awareness Center until such time as responsible policies and honest procedures are implemented for its future operation.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Saul J. Berman
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

From TheJewishWeek.com, the issue for October 15, 2004:

Rabbi Arthur Green writes:

Apparently some have misread my earlier letter regarding the charges against Rabbi Mordechai Gafni to imply that I know the allegations against him to be valid (“Abhorrent Column,” Oct. 1). Nothing could be further from the truth. I have no independent knowledge concerning the allegations, have not investigated them and have no interest in doing so. I do have full confidence in the investigation undertaken by Rabbis Saul Berman and Joseph Telushkin, and I support their findings.

Some quotes on Gafni:

"With a voice that speaks to all and a heart that overflows, Gafni is questing for the light and he just may take us all with him." Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor of Tikkuin Magazine

"Rabbi Marc Gafni gifts us with a brilliant and soulful reminder that our wholeness depends upon the recovery of sacred loving and the reawakening of eros in all dimensions of our lives." Rabbi Tirzah Firestone

5/12/06

Rabbi Mordecai Gafni Strikes Again?

Jewschool's Dan Sieradski aka Mobius writes:

Gafni, nee Marc Winiarz, who reportedly fled the United States for Israel to avoid either prosecution for previous charges of sexual assault or the social repercussions of such allegations, has been oustered from his position at Bayit Chadash, the spiritual community in Tel Aviv-Yaffo, amidst five distinct allegations of sexual harrassment and one charge of rape.

Letters are presently circulating to the directors of various spiritual communities here in North America at which Gafni regularly teaches, warning them not to invite the man onto their premeses. I should have one of these letters in my possession shortly. More details will follow.

Gafni, by the way, also writes parshat hashavua for ynet. I can't wait to see how they report this when it hits the press, if they report it at all.

Jewish Whistleblower writes:

In light of the events in recent days being reported by Jewschool's Dan Sieradski concerning Rabbi Mordecai/Marc Gafni/Winiarz "b(e)ing oustered from his position at Bayit Chadash, the spiritual community in Tel Aviv-Yaffo, amidst five distinct allegations of sexual harrassment and one charge of rape." I demand nothing less than the immediate resignation and removal from any public role in any Jewish institution the following rabbonim:

Rabbi Saul Berman; Rabbi Joseph Telushkin; Rabbi Arthur Waskow; Rabbi Zalman Schechter-Shalomi; Rabbi Avraham Infeld; Rabbi Haviva Ner-David; Rabbi Michael Zedek; Rabbi William Berk; Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein; Rabbi Leonid Feldman; Rabbi Tirzah Firestone; Rabbi Arthur Green; Rabbi Rolando Matalon; Rabbi Joe Schonwald; Rabbi Daniel Siegel; Rabbi Avi Weiss; Rabbi Eli Herscher; Rabbi Eric Yoffie; and all other Rabbis that publicly supported rasha Gafni and ignored the cries of his survivors.

I demand the same of all medical and mental health practitioners that publicly supported alleged rapist Gafni and not his victims. Hopefully, we can name more of them shortly.

Damn each and every one of them.

5/14/06

Rabbi Mordecai Gafni Update

As of a year or so ago, I was banned from Stephen S. Wise temple. There was a picture of me in their guardhouse. Presumably, this was for what I had just published about their star teacher Mordecai Gafni. Stephen S. Wise rabbis and lay leaders vigorously defended Gafni and attacked those of us who revealed his unsavory behavior.

I was also personally attacked for my reporting on Gafni by Rabbis Joseph Telushkin, Saul Berman, Rabbi Shefa Gold, Stephen S. Marmer, MD, PhD [a leader at Stephen S. Wise temple], and Naomi Mark, ACSW.

Via phone or email or both, I reached out to rabbis Telushkin and Berman to discuss these issues. They would not speak to me.

I'm not holding my breath for any apology from them, but it turns out that on Gafni and related issues, I was right and they were wrong. It was the Telushkin-mindset that held keep people like Aron Tendler in positions of religious leadership for over two decades while Aron was rubbing up against the ladies and using his rabbinic post to get laid.

I wonder if Telushkin and Berman will publicly apologize for how publicly wrong they've been on these matters.

The Jewish Week's Editor Gary Rosenblatt broke the story on Gafni but he placed the focus on Gafni's behavior more than twenty years ago. By contrast, I focused on Gafni's ongoing creepy behavior.

In response, Rosenblatt told many people that I was an unreliable journalist.

Well, let people now judge who did the most accurate and important work on Gafni - Gary or me.

During 2004-2005, Gafni made up to about half of his income from his gig teaching at Stephen S. Wise.

From Jewschool.com, this email from Arthur Waskow:

Dear friends,

Once again we face the news that a position of spiritual leadership has been turned into a platform for sexual abuse.

I am sending you a statement issued Friday by Avraham Leader, head of the Board of Bayit Chadash in Israel a community dedicated to the spiritual renewal of Judaism..

The statement announces that its Board has just fired Rabbi Mordechai Gafni (its founder and chief teacher) because of his actions described in the formal depositions of four women, and the statements of others some who had been students and subordinate staff that he had had sexual relationships with them, and had sworn them to secrecy. Leader affirms his and the Board's conviction that the accusations are true.

I hardly need to say how sad, how angry, and how betrayed Gafni's behavior makes me feel And how much it raises questions once again about how to walk that thin line between spiritual ecstasy and the domineering frenzy that is not only damaging in itself but sometimes even leads to sexual abuse.

I am grateful that these women have come forward to say the truth.

There is a lot more to say. Some of it I will say below, after inserting here Avraham Leader's announcement so that we can all know what we are talking about.

I must share with you that yesterday women from our community filed complaints of sexual misconduct against Rabbi Mordechai Gafni with the police. I was aware of this situation because I had previously read the depositions that these women had declared to an attorney. I also personally heard the testimonies of these women, as well as that of another woman from an institution where Rabbi Gafni previously worked. I shared my findings and recommendations with Jacob Ner-David, the chairman of our board; with Shantam Zohar, a Bayit Chadash teacher and leader; and with Or Zohar, a Bayit Chadash teacher and our CEO.

My colleagues agreed with me that in the present situation, we should recommend to the Bayit Chadash steering committee that Rabbi Gafni’s tenure in Bayit Chadash be ended immediately, or alternatively, we would collectively resign. After the members of the steering committee read some of the depositions, they decided to remove Rabbi Gafni from the Bayit Chadash staff. The decision of the steering committee was further reinforced in light of the complaints filed with the police.

Were this was a matter solely related to Rabbi Gafni’s private life, this would not be my concern, and certainly not that of the community. The problem is that this involves women from our community, staff members and students. Although these relationships were apparently consensual, it is our position that there is no place for relations like this between a rabbi and his students or between an employer and his employees. It would seem that this is also the opinion of Rabbi Gafni, since he swore all the women involved to eternal and absolute silence.

The women, however, decided to speak. I have no doubt that they speak truth, and willingly risk my personal credibility and integrity on my support of their testimony. I may add that my colleagues arrived at similar conclusions.

As to the criminal aspect of his actions, that is up to the police and the courts to decide. Beyond that, judgment is in the hands of the Judge of all the world.

The sense of disappointment is very great, for me personally as well. Mordechai always treated me with friendship and respect. At times like this our sages say that one should scrutinize one’s own actions, and meditate upon why one is part of such a story. Certainly there is much to learn from such a difficult and painful experience.

May we all see, fear and tremble, may healing to our shared soul come swiftly, and may this healing encompass all involved and all who are witness, in this and all worlds.

Avraham Leader, on behalf of Bayit Chadash
Iyar 14, 5766, the 29th day of the Omer, Friday, May 12, 2006

Back to me, Arthur Waskow:

There is a great deal we could do in all communities of spiritual depth – Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, no doubt others to prevent or minimize this deformation of the Spirit into an idol – an event that has happened in each of these traditions, and not just once.

Not only must the teachers who might fall into this idolatry be taught how to celebrate in joy but not in frenzy; those learners or on-staff subordinates who might fall into the role of victim also need to empower themselves to access their own inner rebbe,  not feel that the only rebbe-energy that they can access comes wrapped in domination.

And in this they need the help of the community in creating a culture that encourages each of us, all of us, to see ourselves as rebbes, able to be in touch with God.

Of course this involves not just theory or theology but also the real-life suffering of many people. (Truthful theology always flows from the lives of the people – the Images of God.)

Avraham Leader says on his own behalf and that of Bayit Chadash, At times like this our sages say that one should scrutinize one’s own actions, and meditate upon why one is part of such a story.

True enough. And I ask myself the same question. Mordechai Gafni taught at both ALEPH Kallot and at Elat Chayyim retreat center. Both organizations will need to respond in their own voices. What I know, having also taught and learned at both places, is that both have extremely strong and clear prohibitions on any sexual relationships between teachers, davvening leaders, and other such persons in positions of authority with any students, participants, etc. Those prohibitions are communicated not only to the teachers but to all participants.

When reports surfaced about Gafni having been an abuser 25 or so years ago – none till now ever surfaced about any occasions more recent – rigorous investigations went forward. Persons in leadership at Elat Chayyim deliberately interviewed women who were in a position to know whether Gafni was violating the ethics standards. No evidence surfaced that he was. Outside the sexual sphere, he was rebuked several times for behavior in classes that was domineering, and seemed to restrain himself thereafter.

I myself have been accused by a few people on the Internet of having defended him. What I did defend was a process for investigating allegations – a process that insisted on serious evidence, not second-hand or third-hand statements like I have been told that … I continue to believe that this is the only way to deal with any allegations of wrongdoing, including this kind.

And in this case, nothing emerged that indicated any problem less than 25 years old – and even those seemed unconfirmable.

It is true that there is an unusual problem in applying this standard in this kind of situation. Some or all of the women who have made statements in regard to his behavior at Bayit Chadash have said that Gafni swore them to secrecy — and they agreed, till now. The fusion of spiritual power and sexual abuse is liable to create such a situation when even people who might be thought to have every reason to reveal violations feel so overawed or so beloved by the abuser that they do not define what is happening as abuse, or are unwilling to talk about it.

So that means it is a lot harder to get the kind of evidence that can justify dismissal, etc. At Bayit Chadash, when such evidence did surface the institution responded. I am open to suggestions on how to act in some other way that as the tradition commands, will pursue justice, justice–pursue the ends of justice by using just means.

For some of my thoughts of how we might address and act on this whole matter of the relationships among spiritual leadership, sexual energy, and sexual abuse, see my essay on our Website (It was written years ago in response to a previous case, and of course I will continue to keep thinking and writing about this issue.)

May all those who are involved in this, the victims first and most of all and ultimately the perpetrator too find a healing that includes tzedek and mishpat, both restorative & transformative justice.

To use the Kabbalistic language about God's aspects or emanations not just Chesed (overflowing lovingkindness) and not just Gevurah (rigorous boundaries) and not just a balance between them but their profound synthesis in Tiferet / Rachamim, that womb-like, heart-like outpouring of life that is rooted in powerful boundaries, just as the powerful and strongly boundaried heart-muscle sends life-blood pouring through the body, and the powerful and strongly boundaried womb-muscle births new life into the world.

In setting forth this prayer, I do not mean to leave its fulfillment in the hands of God. Or rather, I do – in the sense that when human beings act in a holy way, they are indeed the hands of God.

Shalom,
Arthur

5/23/06

Rabbi Mordecai Gafni's BDSM Angle - It Was Practiced Against Him

In his latest escapades, Rabbi Gafni was the one who wanted to be tied up, punished and told he was a bad boy. That's according to someone who's read the depositions of the Bayit Chadash women against Gafni.

Here's the translation I received of the last paragraph of that May 23 Yediot article:

One of the complainants told police that Rabbi Gafni wanted me to hit him and to curse him. He cursed me. He called me a prostitute, a bitch, and said I was his slave.

June, 2006

Deposition Of Mordecai Gafni's Third Wife

They divorced in August of 2004, before Gary Rosenblatt's article that blew Mordecai's story wide open.

May 9th, 2006 - Email Deposition:

The following is my personal testimony of what it was like to be married to Mordechai for almost 7 years. I share what I have known of Mordechai's drastic and tragic dark side. I focus upon the shadow aspects of our marriage and his personality, for I believe they are crucial to share, given what has unfolded in these past weeks. Please keep in mind that I could also write pages worth of testimony about the light side of Mordechai - from the beauty of his teachings to his ardent dedication to making a contribution in the world and helping others. May his light side and his dark side know full integration.

Also, while you can pass this testimony on to other concerned parties, please do not share my name with the press or in public. I have been advised by lawyers not to let my name to appear in public. Thanks.

* Background: I was 19 years old when I first encountered Mordechai. I was studying in Jerusalem the summer after my freshman year of college. I was an eager baalat-teshuva, newly "turned on" to the beauty of Jewish practice. I devotedly went to his classes at Isralight and other venues. We went on our first date the spring after I graduated college. I was 23 and star-struck. He was 15 years my senior. We got married at the beginning of 1998, less than 8 months after our first date. Several people warned me about Mordechai's past. He adamantly insisted that the bulk of the rumors were lies, exaggerations and the evil workings of other people's jealousies. I believed him.

He told me early on about some of his sexual misdemeanors as well as affairs he had on his 2nd wife. He assured me that he had done teshuva, changed, and that things with me would be different. I was all too ready to believe this as well. Plus I thought that I could help him, fix him; that my love could help him become the great man he had the potential to be. As soon as we started seriously dating, he pulled me into working for him full-time on writing and organizational projects. I was dedicated to his "mission" of Jewish Rennaissance and gave it all of my time and energy. His emotional abuse and manipulations began immediately upon our marriage. I was so dedicated to the mission that I endured it. Also, the nature of the his manipulations was such that I did not feel I could leave. The years that followed were a strange mix of great excitement, activity and purpose, as well as huge despair, confusion and pain. On the outside I seemed to be living a fairy tale of success. Behind closed doors I was living a life of enslavement, debasement, manipulation and verbal abuse. On top of the abuse, Mordechai was having numerous affairs on me; lying to me on a daily basis.

Finally, I found out about one of the affairs. Finally, my eyes were opened and I started to see through the fog of falsehoods. I fled Israel in February of 2004, only to be lured back in June 2004 by Mordechai's promises of change and commitment. But nothing changed. By early August of 2004 I demanded and received a divorce.

Soon thereafter, Mordechai came "under attack" by his enemies in America. In the fall of 2004, articles about his sexual misconduct and questionable reputation came out in America and Israel. He begged me to keep our divorce a secret until all of this bad press died down. I reluctantly agreed - mostly because I believed that the work that was going on at Bayit Chadash was valuable and I did not want to jeopardize it. Mordechai lied to the reporters and all who asked, saying that we were still married. He also lied to the Rabbinic supporters who helped wage a campaign to protect him. Mordechai refused to publicly tell the truth about our divorce until Pesach of 2005 (March/April). I am ashamed to admit that I was manipulated into also remaining silent and covering up to protect him, as I had done myriad times during our marriage.

Now that I see the damage that Mordechai has caused in so many people's lives I deeply regret that I did not speak out earlier about the abuse that I suffered at his hands and the abuse that I knew that he inflicted upon others. I also deeply regret that I did not speak out about the countless lies and manipulations that I witnessed him engage in on a regular basis. I sorely regret that I led people to believe that we had a good marriage when in actuality it was most often a hell. I have been studying, practicing and engaging in psychotherapy these past two years since I left Mordechai. The more I have learned the more clear it is that Mordechai is a dangerous sexual predator and sociopath. He hurt me in deplorable ways and I fear that he will continue to hurt others if he is not stopped. Indeed, I have already heard first-hand harrowing accounts of his abuse and manipulation of women (many of them friends of mine). In many ways, my story is mild in comparison to theirs. Hearing these tragic stories was the central motivator for my sharing my own. I pray that my speaking out now can help to thwart any and all future abuse at his hands.

1. Information about Sexual Abuse/Molestation of a Minor: Before we got married, Mordechai shared with me that he had indeed had a sexual encounter with a minor. Her name was Judy - a teenager who was in his JYPSY youth movement. He explained to me details of their encounter and how he went about covering it up and discrediting her. He told me that she had seduced him. He said that they did not have intercourse, but that they had at least been undressed, sexually physical and that he had ejaculated. After Judy reported this, he lied to everyone involved, saying that she was emotionally unstable, jealous and had made it all up. He even received a document signed by a Rabbi attesting to his innocence. Judy was under-age, a student of his, and were it not for the statute of limitations, he could go to jail over this.

2. Mordechai also told me stories about various teachers and staff people connected withYeshiva University with whom he had struggles. He told me how he blackmailed a teacher (one of his "enemies" at YU) who tried to block him from studying/teaching there after the Judy incident. He had information about this particular man and threatened to share it if the man continued to try to block him. The man stayed quiet.

3. Adultery/Lying: He also told me of several affairs that he had in Boca Raton while married to his second wife. These affairs were with women in his Congregation (the name of one woman was Fern Weisman). At least one of them was a married woman (whose name I don't recall, though I can find it). There was a scandal at the synagogue over rumors about his sexual misconduct. I do not think that his second wife ever found out about these affairs. They eventually left Boca to move to Israel. I believe that the main reason for this was that he needed to flee before people found out the truth (though he never framed it that way to me).

4. Adultery/Lying: One of the reasons (among many) that I divorced Mordechai was because he had an affair while we were studying in Oxford. It was with a woman named Stutti at Wolfson College. He lied to me on a virtually daily basis to cover up this affair. This went on for approximately 10 months (from December 2002-Sept 2003). It was an agonizing time for me even though I did not consciously know what was happening. I finally convinced him to tell me the truth about the affair when we left Oxford and moved back to Israel. I was devastated, and realized that all of my hopes that he was a "changed man" were baseless fantasies.

5. Adultery/Lying: I also was racked with suspicion that he was having another affair - with his "teaching partner", Erica Fox. On countless occasions I begged him to stop teaching with her and to pull back from their "friendship". He refused. Also on countless occasions I point blank asked him if they were having an affair. In response, he consistently told me how crazy, jealous and insecure I was. I have finally found out that they were indeed intimate with each other while we were married, as well as after. (All of this went on between 2002 until our divorce in August of 2004). I also have heard that he had affairs with two other women while we were together - one a young woman in Israel and the other in America. Since that I time I have found out that he has been having numerous sexual relationships with a variety of women - employees, students and funders (many more than have been reported in the press). At least one of these women is married to another man.

6. Debasing/Sexuality: Mordechai was consistently verbally demeaning to me, particularly in our sexual interactions. Additionally, he viewed pornography on a regular basis; paying money to have memberships to certain sites. Eventually his computer and email were so full of pornography that he paid tens of hundreds of dollars to get it cleaned, for fear that someone may see it and that he would lose his job. I understand from formal depositions made with lawyers and the police in Israel that he had much more "extreme" sexual interactions with other women after our divorce; which involved S&M and also played heavily on themes of debasement.

7. Stealing Intellectual Property: Mordechai used other people's stories/teaching (making slight changes) without attributing them properly. (The story in Soulprints about Eitan giving him a soulprint box was, for instance, based upon a story in one of Robert Fulghum's books.) Furthermore, I worked full time on both books "Soul Prints" and "The Mystery of Love". There are entire sections of these books which I myself wrote - with no public recognition given as to the depth and breadth of my contribution. Just a few of the numerous examples of this are the poem/invocation at the beginning of "Soul Prints", as well as the Parable of the Royal Wine in "The Mystery of Love". I insisted that I wanted at least these pieces to be attributed to me. He refused. Seeing I had no real choice, I gave in in the end and allowed the pieces to be used without attribution.

8. Verbal Abuse & Emotional Manipulation: This is one of the main issues for me about the danger that Mordechai poses to others. Emotional abuse and manipulation was a constant throughout our marriage. I have pages and pages of journal entries describing entire scenes and dialogues full of emotional abuse. His yelling explosions, full of demeaning putdowns and blame, were virtually a daily occurrence. I eventually stopped fighting back and would just dissolve in tears after each explosion. He needed to always be right, always in control. If I didn't agree with him on something then he would burst into a rage and tell me how stupid I was. - But more than that, he would tell me how unloving, insensitive and selfish I was. Convincing me that I was the evil, selfish, unloving one was one of his most powerful tools of manipulation. He capitalized on my natural desire to be loving and giving. My goodness was a knife in his hands with which he carved his sick designs into me. I was utterly bewildered by his manipulations; the way he would turn everything around and make me the bad one. These turn arounds rendered me powerless time and again. In fact, I was so distraught by the nature of his putdowns and manipulations that I had regular fantasies of doing violent and suicidal acts against myself. My most recurrent fantasy during his abusive tirades was of slashing my throat. I was not "allowed" to express or feel anger towards him and so I turned all of my anger at him back upon myself. I had never in my life been suicidal before this time and since I left him I have not had suicidal or violent thoughts at all.

9. Verbal Abuse/Manipulation of Others: I witnessed Mordechai being verbally abusive and manipulative with many other people. I saw it happen most with Dafna, his main staff person, but also - tragically - also saw it with his sons. I found his neglectful and insensitive treatment of his sons to be deplorable. Seeing him with his sons was another big factor in my wanting a divorce. The thought of him mistreating any future children that we would have was just terrifying to me.

10. Lies: As I mentioned above, Mordechai lied about our divorce, his past and other essential issues to the numerous Rabbis who supported him when he was being attacked in the press and at various teaching institutions. The Rabbis he lied pointblank to include R'Danny Landes, R'Joseph Telushkin, R'Art Green, R'Eli Herscher and R'Saul Berman, as well as others. He likewise lied to the press and the entire Bayit Chadash community and Board. Of course, Mordechai was lying to me on a daily basis about the affairs he was having.

11. Exaggerations - Beyond the examples above I witnessed Mordechai lying routinely in most every type of setting. Whether it was in a speech, at dinner with friends, teaching, or in talking to donors. He was consistently aggrandizing himself by exaggerating his successes, popularity, power and connections. He would get furious with me when I myself did not join in on telling these inflated stories about him; saying that I was selfish and unloving for not also telling these tales. Time and again he falsely claimed to be a spiritual/holy person. During his writings and teachings he would claim to pray, meditate, exercise, eat healthy, etc. None of which he did in the least. He led entire meditation retreats without ever having meditated himself. In my opinion, all of his frequent claims to spiritual enlightenment were (and are still) dangerously misleading fabrications.

12. Dishonest Financial Dealings: Mordechai also lied to me (and others) about financial matters. For instance, I have recently been informed that he hid approximately $37K in the Bayit Chadash accounts so that it would not be factored in to our divorce settlement. I understand that he is trying to retrieve and further hide that money so that I can not access it. Who knows what other money he had hidden away so that it would not be factored in. He also hid money from his 2nd wife so that he would not have to give it for child support. She took him to Israeli court over his dishonest financial dealings with her (with their divorce settlement as well as with child support). She won the case. He fought hard against this case being leaked to the Israeli press. Additionally, before I met Mordechai he was fired from Milah for inappropriate financial dealings (although I do not know the details). Whatever the case, he clearly has a spotted history around financial matters.

13. Psychological Sickness - I think it is crucial to share that based on all that I have known of Mordechai I see that he clearly has 2 psychological disorders which are evident and expressed in numerous ways. The most obvious is a narcissistic personality disorder. He exhibited the following characteristics which correlate with the DMS-IV diagnosis of narcissism. In the DMS, at least 5 of the following attributes are requires for diagnosis. Mordechai exhibits them all. I could give numerous examples in each category, but will refrain for lack of space and because they are just so very obvious to anyone who knows Mordechai.):

a. has a grandiose sense of self-importance - exaggerates achievements and talents.
b. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power and brilliance.
c. Believes that he is "special" and unique and can only associate with other special or high-status people or institutions.
d. Requires excessive admiration
e. Has a sense of entitlement - expecting especially favorable treatment or compliance with his expectations
f. Is interpersonally exploitative; taking advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
g. Is envious of others or believes that others are envious of him
h. Lacks empathy; is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
i. Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

As for the antisocial (or sociopathic) personality disorder. He exhibits the following of the criteria for the DSM (of which 3 are needed for diagnosis):

a. failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors (such as his sexual harassment in the workplace and sleeping with students and employees)
b. deceitfulness, repeated lying
c. irritability and aggressiveness (as is known by anyone who has ever worked under Mordechai, or crossed his path politically)
d. reckless disregard for safety of self or others (such as endangering himself by juggling numerous affairs at once, given his history)
e. lack of remorse; indicated by rationalizing having hurt, or mistreated others

Unfortunately, with Axis II Personality Disorders the chances for change via treatment are extremely slim; as opposed to Axis I disorders which are considered more treatable. Mental Retardation, for example, is also on Axis II, because no amount of therapy will be able to fully 'treat' retardation. The same is understood for Personality Disorders - they are not entirely treatable. Thus, in my opinion, the belief that Mordechai will one day be able to return to being a teacher/leader of any sort is a dangerous one. I personally (and professionally) do not think that he should be "allowed" to return to any such roles at any point in the future. A tragic loss, perhaps, but in the end we as a culture and as a people need to reassess the traits that we value and pull forth from our leaders. May this whole fiasco pave the way for new standards of humility, sincerity and a genuine care for others.

Jack writes:

Poor...nice modern Jewish girl from Memphis goes off to learn in yeshiva and comes home with Gafni. Yikes! I wonder what will happen to Erica Fox. Her lectures are sponsored by Harvard. I notice that she removed Gafni from all her ads and put some other new age dude in place.

When Gafni led the JPSY program (Jewish Public School Youth), he would cancel group prayer, substituting a pep talk by himself, because it was more important for the "kids" to hear him than to daven.

For years, Mordecai and his third wife used a joint name.

About Erica Fox:

As a consultant and executive coach, Erica works with businesses and organizations to build consensus, improve communication, facilitate change and mediate disputes. In recent years she has worked extensively with organizational leaders and work teams to address conflict and improve collaboration and performance.

Erica's relationship ended around the same time as his Bayit Chadash scandal of 2006.

Carol McMullen writes this public letter 11/3/06 to Vicki Polin:

I am writing as a follow-up to our recent discussion about my experience with Rabbi Marc Gafni at the Elat Chayyim retreat center during an August week-long session in 2003. I hand-wrote a strongly worded warning about him in the retreat evaluation, asking for some response. This was handed in during the closing session. I heard nothing more until I read the recent letter about his situation sent out by Arthur Waskow on his Shalom Center mail-out.

I immediately emailed (twice) Rabbi [Arthur] Waskow asking to discuss my 2003 experience. When there was no response, I emailed Elat Chayyim as well. I have not kept that reply but an individual in their administration spoke to me by phone apologizing for either “losing” or otherwise not responding to my 2003 warning and assuring me that the their Board was doing “everything possible” to insure nothing similar would happen in the future. I asked for a specific response from the Board to me after she presented my email statement, but I have heard nothing back, and decided to just drop it until your invitation to share my experience. There has seemed to be a need to sweep this uncomfortable situation under the carpet.

Gafni’s daily session on Tears in the Torah was one of my shiurim. We were told that he did not tolerate lateness, so to arrive early. His young assistant, Erica Fox, proceeded to start the group in singing, quiet niggunim to begin, and raising the volume and energy to a high level as Gafni made his dramatic entrance – about 5 minutes late himself – to be sure the audience was all there and pumped up? This felt very controlling and contrived to me. Each day he strode in from the back, his long hair wet from what seemed to be his just completed shower, waving his arms and joining in to lead the singing and chants at a feverous pitch. His presentations were similarly dramatic, with much sexualized shaking of the wet locks out of his eyes and making direct eye contact and grinning at his mesmerized admirers. He seemed to direct this sexualized energy especially toward various females who hung on his every word. There was a “cult-like” atmosphere to the whole performance. None of the other shiurim felt like this.

I was shocked and disturbed and told my mishpacha group of my concern. I was promptly shot down as someone who didn’t understand the charisma of this rebbe and that I should dare to speak lashon hara against such a saint. I was horrified and went the 2nd day to a different group. After much carrying-on by others in the mishpacha group about Gafni’s brilliance that day, I decided the 3rd day to swallow hard, go back, and try to focus on the content. So I took notes the last 3 days and actually did find his points to be well researched, very relevant and at times, actually quite moving.

Occasionally, I glanced at Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman at the back to see if they looked uncomfortable with the highly sexualized presentation, but they appeared impassive or slightly amused.

By the 4th day, one very needy young woman in the mishpacha group was gushing on about Gafni having taken a special interest in her, giving her extra private teaching time and that she was going to continue corresponding with him after the retreat. I spoke out again to her and my group of my serious reservations, to the same dismissive reaction.

Erev Shabbat was the last straw. After services, I was in a contemplative mood and decided to go for a walk down the road in the dark to a wooded area, far away from the lodge. I had no flashlight but felt very safe at this secluded retreat center. Who did I stumble upon but the rebbe himself with a lovely young woman, definitely not his wife, Cary. He stepped back from her quickly and said a brusque “Shabbat Shalom” as I hurried by. My adrenalin was racing and I struggling with ruining Shabbat with an angry disclosure to Phyllis Berman, but as a first time participant, decided to wait until the closing evaluation time.

In retrospect, I should have had the courage to speak to Waskow and Berman directly and demand direct action, but I opted instead for my hand written statement that was apparently “lost” or otherwise ignored.

I have agreed to share my story now in the hopes that others who were inappropriately approached by Gafni or who witnessed or tried to warn of his actions may decide to come forward and help to get this situation properly resolved. Not only do any victims need clear Jewish community acknowledgement and assistance, but also leaders who employed Gafni need to take responsibility for not supervising him and for not responding to the warnings they did receive. I believe Gafni needs to face the consequences of his actions and also to receive treatment.

Books by Gafni:

• The Mystery of Love, Atria Books – a Division of Simon and Schuster, 2003
• The Uncertain Spirit – Towards a New Theology, (reclaiming uncertainty as a spiritual value) winter publication, 2000 in Hebrew - Modan Publishing; tentative Publication in English – Shocken, Scribbner 2001
• The Certain Spirit – winter publication, Hebrew Modan. English Publication, Summer 2001
• Soul Prints- a Philosophy of Individualism - Lead Spring Catalogue, Pocket Books, 2000 Division of Simon and Schuster USA
• PBS, Public Television; national network special on Soul Prints, March 2001
• An Academic translation and Study of Mei Hashiloach by Mordechai Lainer of Ishbitz, accepted for publication Jewish Publication Society (with Dr. Don Seeman –Harvard University)
• Lilith and Leah: A Biblical Lurianic Paradigm, with Ohad Ezrahi, for Summer publication 2001 in Hebrew with Modan, in English, Shocken Scribner
• On Laughter and Tears: Re-visioning Ritual, first draft written, anticipated publication, 2003 – no decision taken yet by Curtis Brown – the Agency responsible for publication
• Personal Myth Essays with Ohad Ezrahi, for Winter Publication 2001, in Hebrew - Modan Summer Publication, in English with Harvard or Shocken

Articles by Gafni:

• Lead Essay in Tikkun Magazine on The Erotic and the Ethical, March 2003
• “Walking Together; New Models for Community”, Conservative Judaism, Summer þ2000 (Published)
• Essays in Tikkun Magazine 1999-2003
• Lead Essay in Tikkun Magazine on Philosophy of Individualism – March 2001
• “Nachman of Breslav; Living in the Void”, Dimui, for fall publication.
• Contributor of columns - Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Report and Chayim Acherim (Alternative Living)
• “On the Commandment to Question”, Azure, Summer Issue, 1996.
• “An Annotated Bibliography of Joseph Soloveitchik”, Da’at, Journal for Jewish Thought and Philosophy, 1992.
• “Against Fundamentalism”, Nekudah Magazine, January 1991.
• “Religious Secular Symbiosis - Philosophical Perspectives”, Nativ, March 1991.
• “The Sacred and the Profane - Legal Perspective”, Machanayim, 1991.
• First Steps in Judaism, (book) recommended by the Ministry of Education of the State of Israel.
• “Left-Right-Left-Attention - Halt! - A Sociological Analysis”, Nekudah Magazine, May 1990.
• “The Conversion Issue, Models for Pluralism”, lead article in Proceedings of the Fellowship of Traditional Orthodox Rabbis, 1989.
• “The Wisdom of Distinctions,” Emunah Magazine, 1989.
• “I Cannot be Silent”, Palm Beach Jewish World, 1989.
• “Jewish Pride”, Palm Beach Jewish World, 1988.
• “Is Religion for the Happy-Minded? Tradition, 1981

..........

Mordecai Gafni biographies (I assume he wrote or approved all of these below):

http://www.judaism.com/12paths/hebrew&yiddish.htm

Rabbi Gafni is the director of Minad, a Torah think-tank teaching organization, and serves as the Melitz Scholar-in-Residence. Described as a cross between Rabbi Soloveitchik and Shlomo Carlebach, Rabbi Gafni has attracted huge numbers of students in Jerusalem and TelAviv ranging from secular Israelis to black hat yeshiva students. He is currently completing a book tentatively titled The Benefit of Doubt.

Where is this book?

http://www.templechai.com/Pages/rabbi_refections/rabbi_ref_mar03.html

Rabbi Mordechai Gafni, currently lecturer in mysticism at Oxford,

http://www.ujf.net/ga_speaker_bio.html?SectionID=42&id=115&list=g&bread=0

Mordechai Gafni, Bait Hadash Rabbi Mordechai (Marc) Gafni has emerged as an exciting new voice in Israeli and international religious life and spirituality. In addition to teaching graduate seminars on mysticism at Oxford University in England, R'Gafni is the founder and head of Bayit Chadash. Overlooking Israel's Sea of Galilee, Bayit Chadash is an international spiritual community retreat center committed to Jewish renaissance. Additionally, Gafni is the host and creator of a highly acclaimed national Israeli television program on ethics and spirituality. The show, with hundreds of thousands of viewers, has become an important weaver of the Israeli spirit. Besides contributing to a number of American journals, R'Gafni is contributing editor to Chayim Acherim, Israel's leading spirituality magazine. An acknowledged master of the ancient texts as well as the texts of the heart, Gafni has published two works of Jewish thought in Hebrew with two more forthcoming in the next year. A third book, Soul Prints, written for a broader English-speaking public, was the subject of a National PBS Special. The book hit the bestseller list, has been translated into many languages and was chosen for the prestigious Napra Nautilus Award for the Best Spirituality Book of 2001. Gafni has also just come out with his second English book, entitled "The Mystery of Love". Gafni's work has deservedly earned him the reputation as a modern philosopher: wise, compassionate, accessible, and universal.

http://www.aleph.org/teachers.html Rabbi Mordechai Gafni is founder of Bayit Chadash (Israeli spiritual community /movement), Rebbe, Scholar, Teacher at Oxford University;Host/creator of leading Israeli TV show on ethics and spirituality. Author of several books of Neo-Hasssidic thought (Hebrew and English) as well as National Best Selling "Soul Prints", with accompanying PBS TV Special. Winner of Napra Award for Best Spirituality Book of 2001. Plus newly-released book - "The Mystery of Love".

http://www.spiritwalk.org/bom0304.htm#Author

Marc Gafni, a profound thinker, philosopher, and spiritual guide, is the author of the national bestseller Soul Prints, which was adapted into a national PBS special and received a NAPRA Award for Best Spirituality Book of 2001. It was also a main selection of the One Spirit Book Club. In the last ten years, Gafni has emerged as a premier voice in Israeli and international religion and spirituality. He teaches graduate seminars on mysticism at Oxford University and is the founder of Bayit Chadash, an international spiritual movement based in Israel on the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee. He leads retreats around the world on spiritual thought and practice and is the author of three Hebrew works of philosophy

http://www.bayitchadash.net/staff.shtml

Rabbi Mordechai Gafni, Spiritual Director Reb Gafni is the Rosh Bayit of Bayit Chadash. His affiliations include being a fellow at the Oriental Institute of Oxford University, as well as serving as a contributing editor to the American "Tikkun" magazine, a bimonthly journal critiquing politics, culture and society from a Jewish perspective. He is also a contributing editor of Chayim Acherim, Israel's leading spirituality magazine. He is currently completing the writing of a commentary on the Hasidic text "Mei Ha'Shiloach." Together with colleagues, Reb Gafni is developing a new school of Jewish thought which is coming to be called "The School of Personal Myth". This proposes a marked shift from national to personal myth as the center of Jewish consciousness. Reb Gafni is reformulating and extending the core constructs of Post-Lurianic thought in a modern Neo-Hasidic context. Also the host and creator of a highly acclaimed national Israeli television program on ethics and spirituality, Reb Gafni's work has deservedly earned him the reputation as a modern philosopher: wise, deep, compassionate, accessible, and universal. His English book, Soul Prints: Your Path to Fulfillment was released by Pocket Books in 2001 and is accompanied by a national PBS Special of the same title. The book is an award winning best seller and have been translated into numerous languages. In Hebrew, his two volume set of New Jewish Thought -entitled Certainty and Uncertainty is published by Modan Publishers. Written in collaboration with Ohad Ezrachi, Lilith and Sacred Feminism is slated for release in 2005. The Mystery of Love was also recently released in English in the spring of 2003 by Atria books. Reb Gafni is married to Chaya Kaplan, his full partner in all endeavors, and he is the father of Eytan and Yair.

http://www.aquarius-atlanta.com/june03/eros1.shtml

The Eros of Imagination By Rabbi Marc Gafni Rabbi Marc Gafni, author of Soul Prints: Your Path to Fulfillment and his latest release, The Mystery of Love, is hailed as "an exciting new voice in Israeli and international religious life and spirituality." The Rosh Bayit of Bayit Chadash, a national, spiritual community retreat center, Gafni is a Visiting Fellow at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and a Senior Scholar at the Melitz Educational Institutions. He teaches graduate seminars at Oxford University and, with colleagues, is developing a new school of Jewish thought referred to as "The School of Personal Myth." His "Soul Prints" book became the subject of a PBS companion series that has taken the Jewish world by storm. -Editor Rabbi Marc Gafni Bayit Chadash Jerusalem Israel

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Xk5TKBCPiYIJ:www.synthesisdialogues.org /docs/BiosSynthesisIII.doc+gafni+rabbi&hl=en

Rabbi Mordechai (Marc) Gafni has emerged as an exciting new voice in Israeli and international religious life and spirituality. In addition to teaching graduate seminars on mysticism at Oxford University in England, R'Gafni is the founder and head of Bayit Chadash. Overlooking Israel's Sea of Galilee, Bayit Chadash is an international spiritual community retreat center committed to Jewish renaissance. Additionally, Gafni is the host and creator of a highly acclaimed national Israeli television program on ethics and spirituality. The show, with hundreds of thousands of viewers, has become an important weaver of the Israeli spirit. Besides contributing to a number of American journals, R'Gafni is contributing editor to Chayim Acherim, Israel's leading spirituality magazine. An acknowledged master of the ancient texts as well as the texts of the heart, Gafni has published two works of Jewish thought in Hebrew with two more forthcoming in the next year. A third book, Soul Prints, written for a broader English-speaking public, was the subject of a National PBS Special. The book hit the bestseller list, has been translated into numerous languages and was chosen for the prestigious Napra Nautilus Award for the Best Spirituality Book of 2001. Gafni has also just come out with his second highly acclaimed English book, entitled "The Mystery of Love". Gafni's work has deservedly earned him the reputation as a modern philosopher and spirit master: wise, compassionate, accessible, and universal.

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Mordechai Gafni Organisation: Bayit Chadash Spiritual Centre and Melitz[NL]Email: rmgafni@netvision.net.il[NL]Website: www.soulprints.org or www.bayitchadash.com[PARA]Rebbe, Scholar, Teacher at Oxford University, Head of Bayit Chadash (Israeli spiritual retreat center), Host of leading Isaeli TV show on ethics and spirituality. Author of several scholarly books as well as Best Selling "Soul Prints" with National American TV Special, winner of Napra's 2001 Award for Best Spirituality Book

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Mordechai (Marc) Gafni is the leader of Bayit Chadash, a spiritual center in Israel, author of several philosophical works including Soul Prints, and a writer and teacher at Oxford University. This essay is based on his forthcoming book, The Mystery of Love (c) Atria, Simon and Schuster, March 2003.

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Rabbi Mordechai Gafni Teacher of graduate seminars on mysticism at Oxford University in England...

Part One on Mordecai Gafni