Lawsuit accuses rabbi, sons of taking nearly $63,000 from congregation

The synagogue may be shuttered but the power struggle at Agudas Achim North Shore Congregation in Uptown rages on.

The latest salvo came Thursday when one group, which has identified itself as the synagogue's board of directors, filed suit claiming the congregation's long-serving rabbi and his sons took nearly $63,000 from the struggling congregation and used it to gamble and purchase everything from a bicycle to Chinese food and even car insurance.

"It's not true, I didn't do anything with that account and neither did my sons," Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz said of the lawsuit filed against him.

He believed that the local rabbinical court couldn't make a finding in the matter and that, because it's binding arbitration, the case was closed. The synagogue, 5029 N. Kenmore, has been closed since 2008, when some members of the congregation questioned Lefkowitz's handling of donations.

Since then, two factions have formed, with Stephen Turk claiming he's president of the board of directors and Lefkowitz's son Levi saying he holds the position, the rabbi said.

Color Photo: Philip Lefkowitz