Lawrence and Five Towns reeling with the firing of Rabbi Dovid Weinberger! UPDATED!

Lawrence is still in shock that Congregation Shaaray Tefila bounced Rabbi Dovid Weinberger from his prestigious position as Moro D'Asreh. 
Rabbi Weinberger is the author of the famous Artscroll sefer "The Traveler's Halachic Handbook! 

UPDATED!!!!

From the popular Blog FRUMFOLLIES

"The word is out that the Vaad of the 5 Towns and Far Rockaway has declared he should not be used as a rabbi. Individual rabbis posted flyers stating:

THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS BEING ANNOUNCED SIMULTANEIOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY…

 It is with great sadness that the following announcement is being made to alert our community to a serious concern of which many of members might not be aware.

Recently, RDW [Rabbi Dovid Weinberger], a rabbi, resigned from his position as a rabbi of a congregation [Shaaray Tefila, Lawrence, NY], educator of young women in our community, and counselor to many who sought his advice.

Following that, we learned from professionals of a number of documented cases of his 

unfortunate and unacceptable behavior. It is the collective judgment of these professionals that this behavior may continue.We therefore feel obligated to inform our community of this concern and advise that there be no interaction with this rabbi in any rabbinic, educational, counseling or private setting."

 In 1998, the New York Times reported the following  story about the Rabbi, however, the story in not related to his sudden ouster! 

Mrs. Lightman, a nurse and the mother of four daughters, won a first-round victory on Nov. 18 when Justice David Goldstein of State Supreme Court in Queens handed down a summary judgment against a Long Island rabbi, David Weinberger of Temple Shaaray Tefila in Lawrence.

Mrs. Lightman had gone to Rabbi Weinberger for marital counseling, and complains in her suit that he violated clerical confidentiality by revealing secrets to her husband, Dr. Hylton Lightman, and his lawyer, information that then showed up in papers filed in a custody dispute.

As a result, she said, unfounded rumors began to circulate, including a rumor that she was failing to live by Jewish law and ''seeing a man in a social situation,'' stories that shook her community. Now, she said, she is largely ostracized there and attributes the loss of temporary custody of her daughters, ages 6 to 12, to the suspicions planted about her.

''I am portrayed as an irreligious woman not eligible to be the custodial parent to my children,'' she said.