Taunton rabbi contract not renewed — Did advocacy for teen after 'hate crime' add to rift?

TAUNTON — By the end of May, Taunton’s only synagogue, Congregation Agudath Achim, will be without a spiritual leader.

Colman Reaboi, the rabbi and cantor, is departing after three years with the synagogue, and his leaving isn’t amicable.

Reaboi told the Taunton Daily Gazette that the synagogue's Board of Directors informed him last December they weren’t going to renew his contract, which expires May 31.

Reaboi said the decision came as a complete surprise to him, one that left him disheartened.

He said the synagogue's administration wouldn’t give him a reason or reasons for the decision, which only made his feelings more negative.

“They were under no obligation to give me one,” he said.

Mija Almeida, president of the synagogue and a member of the Board of Directors, told the Gazette in an email that Reaboi's contract “does not require said non-renewal be for cause. We as a congregation have decided he is not the best fit for us and therefore we exercised our option not to renew the contract.”

'Toxic' relationship

Reaboi talked about a breakdown in communications between him and members of the Board, describing his relationship as “toxic” where “feelings festered.”

Referring to it as “their modus operandi,” Reaboi said executive members “never communicated their frustrations to me” or “never came to me if they had issues with how I acted or what I said,” during synagogue activities or sermons.

Almeida disputes Reaboi’s characterization, saying “the Rabbi had many opportunities to talk with us about issues as they arose.” She added the Board of Directors met with him quarterly and additional meetings were held “as the need arose to discuss any problems that came up.”

Almeida added “we as a whole do not feel the current Rabbi does the best job reflecting our values within our congregation or to the community at large.”

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Spearheading forgiveness after swastika incident

After the synagogue was vandalized with swastikas and hate slurs in June 2023, Reaboi advocated to the juvenile court leniency for the teenager, Justin Andrews, who admits to committing the crime. He said he knew Andrews was sincere and remorseful over his actions, and that he wasn’t a kid filled with hate. Reaboi said he saw it as a “teachable moment” and “an example of forgiveness.”

Reaboi stated members of the Board of Directors weren’t pleased with his advocating for Andrews.

“I regret I wasn’t able to pull members of the Board together to follow me in my act of guidance,” he said.

Almeida declined to answer if Reaboi’s advocacy for Andrews was a factor in not renewing his contract, or if she and Board members believed he should have received a harsher punishment. She did acknowledge, “from the beginning, this has been spearheaded by Rabbi Reaboi, with little input from the Board of Directors.”

Reaboi said helping Andrews get a second chance and atone for his crimes is something he’s most proud of during his time at Congregation Agudath Achim.

On May 20, Reaboi held a ceremony for Andrews at the Jewish Community House on High Street, commemorating the conclusion of his court-ordered community service and education requirements.

No member of the administration was present at the ceremony.

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Differing political stances?

Reaboi has been open about his support for Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and during the ongoing war in Gaza — a view not shared with all members of the congregation.

"It's ok to have sympathy for the Gazans who have been used as pawns by Hamas in this war they started," Reaboi said, adding he always welcomes any member of the congregation to express their thoughts and views during services and forums held at the synagogue, and "we all pray for peace during services."

Regardless, he does not think a difference of opinion on the war between him and Board members contributed to his contract's not being renewed.

Almeida did not respond to a question from the Gazette about whether differing views over the war in Gaza contributed to the rift with Reaboi.

Focusing on the positive

Reaboi said he’s “focusing on the positive” regarding his tenure with Agudath Achim.

He said when he became the congregation’s spiritual leader in May 2021 he set a goal to “reconnect the congregation” that had been depleted due to the pandemic.

“I pride myself in being able to bring people out of COVID and be a community again.”

Reaboi “answered the need for community building” through creating different social events and programs.

One of which was different themed Sabbaths, dubbed by Reaboi as “experiential prayer,” that deviated from the standard services at the synagogue. Examples were a Shabbat spent hiking in Massasoit State Park, an outdoor BBQ-themed Shabbat, an LGBTQ+ themed Pride Shabbat and a pet-themed “blessing of the animals” Shabbat where congregants brought their pets, with the purpose being to connect the importance of animals and nature to Judaism.

“The goal was to find ways that everyone could express themselves ‘Jewish-ly’ and find that spiritual connection,” he said.

Connecting more with the outside world

Reaboi said he also wanted to “bring this synagogue out into the world and connect with other communities” by forging alliances and inter-faith relationships with other organizations, including the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the Taunton Clergy Association and the Attleboro Interfaith Collaborative.

Zoom was and continues to be used for congregants still preferring to worship from home during services. Reaboi said he’s proud of the synagogue's taking advantage of this hybrid service model by making it more accessible online. This includes streaming services live on YouTube. He said numbers showed that people have viewed the Synagogue’s videos from outside the country.

“It’s amazing our little community in Southeastern Massachusetts comes into the international spotlight,” Reaboi said.

The next adventure

Suffice it to say, Reaboi said it is likely he and his wife will be moving from their home in Providence.

He’s been applying and looking across the country, as well as in the region, for the position of Jewish spiritual leader.

“Being both a rabbi and cantor gives me a unique skillset,” he said, adding he’s pretty confident he will “settle on a new spiritual home” by July.

What's next for the synagogue

Said Almeida: “This whole process with the current Rabbi has been a learning process for us, but it did give us an opportunity to fine tune what we are looking for going forward. Our previous Rabbi was with us for 19 years, and we would love our next Rabbi to be a similar long-term fit for us.”

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Rabbi Colman Reaboi contract not renewed. What led to rift?