Michael Broyde, a prominent local rabbi and Emory University law professor and founder of Young Israel of Toco Hills, admitted Friday to using a pseudonym to join a rival Modern Orthodox rabbinical group.
Broyde, who Newsweek named one of the nation's top rabbis last month, apologized for joining the International Rabbinic Fellowship under a fake name – Rabbi Hershel Goldwasser – about two decades ago so he and a friend could write about Jewish law (based on the Talmud) and public policy and debate in the fellowship's exclusive email group, according to AtlantaJewishNews.com.
The fellowship is considered a more liberal rival to the Rabbinical Council of America, of which Broyde is formally a member.
From the AtlantaJewishNews.com post, which links out to a number of original sources:
Rabbi Broyde says he stopped using the pseudonym three or four years ago, but someone unknown to him has taken up the pen name.
“It is clear to me that my conduct was inappropriate and I have regretted it for a while,” Rabbi Broyde wrote.
He also says he meant the IRF no harm, despite its rivalry with the RCA.