Let the name-clearing begin.
Charges have been dropped against a Gilbert rabbi accused of raping a 7-year-old girl a decade ago.
Bryan Bramly, rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom Synagogue in Chandler, was accused of raping the girl in 2000. However, the rape allegations didn't come until March of this year.
"Rabbi Bramly and his lawyers commend District Attorney Vance and his assistants for their willingness to re-examine all of the evidence that pointed to the Rabbi's innocence," Bramley's attorney, Alan Lewis, says. "Mr. Vance's open-mindedness and reappraisal of the evidence is in the highest tradition of the Manhattan D.A.'s Office."
Another of Bramly's attorneys, Michael Shapiro, adds that "the D.A.'s highly unusual step of moving to dismiss an indicted case speaks highly of the office's professionalism and quest for justice."
We heard through the grapevine that Bramly's contract with Temple Beth Shalom was not going to be renewed because of the rape charges -- something the Temple would neither confirm nor deny.
"Rabbi Bramly is still the rabbi here," the receptionist at the Temple tells New Times.
Bramly's case got a lot of media attention at the time of his arrest. Hopefully other local news outlets will jump on board when it comes to clearing his name.
Bramly and his attorneys are holding a press conference in New York City right now. We left a message asking to speak with the rabbi when he's done.
