Would a condo board on the Upper West Side, that longtime bastion of Seinfeld-esque liberal Judaism, foreclose on a rabbi? We nearly found out! The board at the Heritage at Trump Place was flirting with foreclosure on the building's 2,700-square-foot retail condo, which the well-connected Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto has been trying to turn into a synagogue for his flock of followers, many of whom are big names in the real estate world. The $1.65 million space was purchased for Pinto by developer Haim Binstock and rising superbroker Ilan Bracha (who got some major ink of his own today), and it was Binstock's wife who just stopped the foreclosure threat by cutting a $55,753 check to cover unpaid common charges, the Wall Street Journal reports. Talk about a mitzvah!
Pinto commonly advises developers on big deals, and even LeBron James has sought his guidance. (Guess the rabbi is a Heat fan?) So how did Pinto?whose current Shuva Israel synagogue is on the Upper East Side?fall so behind on the bills? After all, he's been raising money through splashy fundraising events held in exclusive locations like 15 Central Park West. Then again, Yair Levy is one of his benefactors, so maybe the rabbi picked up some bad money-managing tips along the way.
· A Rabbi Gets a Helping Hand [WSJ]
· The Elan of Ilan Bracha: 'We'll Be No. 1 in Five Years' [NYO]
Loading comments...