A Baltimore temple voted on Sunday to terminate their contract with a local rabbi following sexual misconduct allegations.
Temple Oheb Shalom held a congregational meeting on Sunday following their Board of Trustees' unanimous decision to fire Rabbi Steven Fink. There, they voted 515 to 91 to ratify the board's decision and fire Fink.
According to a May 3, 2018 statement issued by Temple Oheb Shalom, officials learned “of an allegation of an improper incident of a sexual nature that may have occurred many years ago involving our Senior Rabbi [Fink] and a then teenager, who was a minor at the time."
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Fink had already been suspended by his Park Heights temple earlier this year and was suspended from the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) on August 17.
Temple Oheb Shalom sent the following statement regarding their decision:
The vote today is the first step toward the healing that our congregation needs and deserves, and we can now begin to put this painful matter behind us. We will continue to be spiritually guided for the next year by Rabbi Disick. And significantly, we have preserved the moral integrity of our beloved congregation by insisting that our spiritual leadership adhere to the high standards of ethical and personal behavior expected of Reform rabbis. These past months have been difficult, stressful and divisive. We are grateful for the dedication of all who have deeply engaged on behalf of this congregation and who are invested in Temple Oheb Shalom’s future.
Rabbi Disick will be taking Fink's place as rabbi of Temple Oheb Shalom.
