Case of Alison R. Ginsberg
Buffalo Grove, IL
Wheeling, IL
Arlington Heights, IL
Boulder City, NV
Henderson, NV
Alison Ginsberg was arrested and charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution. Both she and her husband Cantor Joel Gordon were busted for operating a prostitution ring. This husband and wife team received six months of court supervision and a fine of $200 for the crime. Alison R Ginsberg was born in 1977.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.
Table of Contents:
2000
2001
____________________________________________________________________________________
Arrest of former cantor on charges of prostitution shocks community
By Ruth Silverman
Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.
Table of Contents:
2000
- Arrest of former cantor on charges of prostitution shocks community (11/25/2000)
- Prostitution charges for former cantor (11/25/2000)
- More women accused of being in prostitution ring (11/29/2000)
- Former cantor one of six charged in prostitution sting (11/30/2000)
- Cantor charged in prostitution ring (12/06/2000)
- Ex-cantor's trial set in prostitution case (12/27/2000)
- Chicago cantor denies prostitution charges (12/28/2000)
2001
- Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution house (01/25/2001)
- Cantor guilty of brothel charges - Cantor and wife plead guilty to charges they worked in brothel (03/20/2001)
- Man pleads guilty to running prostitution house (03/21/2001)
- Chicago cantor and wife who ran brothel plead guilty (03/23/2001)
- Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution house (03/23/2001)
Also see:
____________________________________________________________________________________
Arrest of former cantor on charges of prostitution shocks community
By Ruth Silverman
Daily Herald - November 25, 2000
Members of the Jewish community were shocked Friday that a former temple clergy member and his wife have been charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Gordon Joel Gordon, at one time the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, a now-defunct synagogue, was charged with keeping a house of prostitution after Cook County Sheriff's police Tuesday raided three massage parlors operated out of private apartments in the suburbs.
His wife, Alison Ginsberg, was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.
Gordon scheduled appointments at all three locations, sheriff's spokeswoman Penny Mateck said Friday. "The last time I saw them was when I sang at their wedding in late August," said Cantor Roger Weissberg, of Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove. "I simply can't believe that they could have been involved in all this."
Voicing similar disbelief was Cantor Eric Wasser of Wilmette, who serves as president of the Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly, the governing body of about 70 cantors in the Midwest.
More women accused of being in prostitution ring
By Fred Woodhams
Daily Herald - November 29, 2000
Two more women have been charged in what Cook County sheriff's police say is a suburban prostitution operation that is advertised on the Internet.
(NAME REMOVED), 22, 2312 Windsong Court in Schaumburg, was charged with one count of prostitution and another of being a keeper of a house of prostitution.
(NAME REMOVED), 22, 1900 Marlboro Lane in Southwest suburban Crest Hill, was charged with two counts of prostitution and two counts of being a keeper of a house of prostitution.
"They were not on the premises when the other arrests were made," sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said Tuesday. "However, our officers did have cases against them."
Police spoke with the women Friday and encouraged them to turn themselves in, Mateck said.
Chinoy posted 10 percent of a $2,000 bond, and Newberry posted 10 percent of a $1,000 bond.
Police raided three suburban apartments on Nov. 21 and arrested six people on misdemeanor prostitution charges. Among those arrested was Gordon Joel Gordon, a former cantor at a Buffalo Grove synagogue.
Police still are seeking an arrest warrant for a man believed to be the owner of the operation, called Golden Touch Massage, Mateck said.
The man being sought is listed as the registrant of the Web site that police say directs customers to a phone number to schedule an appointment with a prostitute.
The phone number listed for the man and a number given on the site for women to inquire about employment at Golden Touch didn't work Tuesday.
Mateck said police have previously made arrests of similar operations.
"We have found that in recent months that these types of businesses are being advertised on the Internet," she said.
Police also have seized business records of the operation and have turned them over to the IRS for review.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Former cantor one of six charged in prostitution sting
BY KIMBERLY FORNEK, STAFF WRITER
Buffalo Grove Countryside - November 30, 2000
Six people working at a north suburban massage business, including a former cantor at a Buffalo Grove synagogue and his wife, were arrested last week and charged with keeping a house of prostitution, following a Cook County Sheriff's Police investigation.
Gordon Joel Gordon, 51, of 624 Happfield Drive in Arlington Heights, was charged with three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. Gordon was the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, which closed in early fall.
His wife, 23-year-old Alison R. Ginsberg, whose address was reported to be 619 Ivy Court, Wheeling, was charged with two counts of keeping a house of prostitution and two counts of prostitution. The couple reportedly was married at the end of August or early September. Prior to serving as cantor at Shirat Emet, Gordon was the cantor at Temple Chai in Long Grove from 1988 to 1995, when he left to open Shirat Emet, congregation officials said.
Samuel J. Gigele, 59, of 4189 Bloomington, Apt. 202, Arlington Heights, also was charged with three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Police, Gordon and Gigele handled scheduling and collected money for the Golden Touch Massage, which operated out of three private apartments in Glenview and Des Plaines.
(NAME REMOVED), was arrested in the incident and charged with three counts of prostitution and three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. (NAME REMOVED, was charged with two counts of prostitution and two counts of keeping a house of prostitution. (NAME REMOVED), was charged with one count each of prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.
The two men and four women, all employees of Golden Touch, were arrested Nov. 21 following a 10-week undercover investigation. All six people posted bond the same day they were arrested and were released, according to the sheriff's police. Women employees at all three locations allegedly offered to exchange sexual acts for between $30 and $75, in addition to massages offered for $100 to $150 each by completely nude women. According to police, the business was advertised on the Internet.
An undercover police officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told by the owner she could earn between $600 and $1,100 a day working for him, but that all activities performed would be illegal, the sheriff's police reported. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Golden Touch owner Ronald J. Gold, who police said has fled to Los Angeles. Police also are looking to arrest and charge two other women in relation to the investigation.
Police confiscated $3,059 in cash and business records from all three locations. The records will be turned over to the Internal Revenue Service for review. All arrested Nov. 21 are scheduled for a Dec. 26 court date.
Members of the Jewish community were shocked Friday that a former temple clergy member and his wife have been charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Gordon Joel Gordon, at one time the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, a now-defunct synagogue, was charged with keeping a house of prostitution after Cook County Sheriff's police Tuesday raided three massage parlors operated out of private apartments in the suburbs.
His wife, Alison Ginsberg, was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.
Gordon scheduled appointments at all three locations, sheriff's spokeswoman Penny Mateck said Friday. "The last time I saw them was when I sang at their wedding in late August," said Cantor Roger Weissberg, of Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove. "I simply can't believe that they could have been involved in all this."
Voicing similar disbelief was Cantor Eric Wasser of Wilmette, who serves as president of the Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly, the governing body of about 70 cantors in the Midwest.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Prostitution charges for former cantor
Chicago Sun Times - November 25, 2000
A former Jewish temple clergy member and his wife have been charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Gordon Joel Gordon, who was at one time the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, a now-defunct synagogue, was charged with being a keeper of a house of prostitution after Cook County sheriff's police Tuesday raided three massage parlors operated out of private apartments in the suburbs. His wife, Alison Ginsberg, was charged with prostitution and being a keeper of a house of prostitution. Neither could be reached for comment. Police said the apartments were at 10120 Holly Lane near Des Plaines, 3476 Salem Walk near Glenview, and 4264 Plymouth Woods, near Glenview.
____________________________________________________________________________________Prostitution charges for former cantor
Chicago Sun Times - November 25, 2000
A former Jewish temple clergy member and his wife have been charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Gordon Joel Gordon, who was at one time the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, a now-defunct synagogue, was charged with being a keeper of a house of prostitution after Cook County sheriff's police Tuesday raided three massage parlors operated out of private apartments in the suburbs. His wife, Alison Ginsberg, was charged with prostitution and being a keeper of a house of prostitution. Neither could be reached for comment. Police said the apartments were at 10120 Holly Lane near Des Plaines, 3476 Salem Walk near Glenview, and 4264 Plymouth Woods, near Glenview.
More women accused of being in prostitution ring
By Fred Woodhams
Daily Herald - November 29, 2000
Two more women have been charged in what Cook County sheriff's police say is a suburban prostitution operation that is advertised on the Internet.
(NAME REMOVED), 22, 2312 Windsong Court in Schaumburg, was charged with one count of prostitution and another of being a keeper of a house of prostitution.
(NAME REMOVED), 22, 1900 Marlboro Lane in Southwest suburban Crest Hill, was charged with two counts of prostitution and two counts of being a keeper of a house of prostitution.
"They were not on the premises when the other arrests were made," sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said Tuesday. "However, our officers did have cases against them."
Police spoke with the women Friday and encouraged them to turn themselves in, Mateck said.
Chinoy posted 10 percent of a $2,000 bond, and Newberry posted 10 percent of a $1,000 bond.
Police raided three suburban apartments on Nov. 21 and arrested six people on misdemeanor prostitution charges. Among those arrested was Gordon Joel Gordon, a former cantor at a Buffalo Grove synagogue.
Police still are seeking an arrest warrant for a man believed to be the owner of the operation, called Golden Touch Massage, Mateck said.
The man being sought is listed as the registrant of the Web site that police say directs customers to a phone number to schedule an appointment with a prostitute.
The phone number listed for the man and a number given on the site for women to inquire about employment at Golden Touch didn't work Tuesday.
Mateck said police have previously made arrests of similar operations.
"We have found that in recent months that these types of businesses are being advertised on the Internet," she said.
Police also have seized business records of the operation and have turned them over to the IRS for review.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Former cantor one of six charged in prostitution sting
BY KIMBERLY FORNEK, STAFF WRITER
Buffalo Grove Countryside - November 30, 2000
Six people working at a north suburban massage business, including a former cantor at a Buffalo Grove synagogue and his wife, were arrested last week and charged with keeping a house of prostitution, following a Cook County Sheriff's Police investigation.
Gordon Joel Gordon, 51, of 624 Happfield Drive in Arlington Heights, was charged with three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. Gordon was the cantor at Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, which closed in early fall.
His wife, 23-year-old Alison R. Ginsberg, whose address was reported to be 619 Ivy Court, Wheeling, was charged with two counts of keeping a house of prostitution and two counts of prostitution. The couple reportedly was married at the end of August or early September. Prior to serving as cantor at Shirat Emet, Gordon was the cantor at Temple Chai in Long Grove from 1988 to 1995, when he left to open Shirat Emet, congregation officials said.
Samuel J. Gigele, 59, of 4189 Bloomington, Apt. 202, Arlington Heights, also was charged with three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Police, Gordon and Gigele handled scheduling and collected money for the Golden Touch Massage, which operated out of three private apartments in Glenview and Des Plaines.
(NAME REMOVED), was arrested in the incident and charged with three counts of prostitution and three counts of keeping a house of prostitution. (NAME REMOVED, was charged with two counts of prostitution and two counts of keeping a house of prostitution. (NAME REMOVED), was charged with one count each of prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.
The two men and four women, all employees of Golden Touch, were arrested Nov. 21 following a 10-week undercover investigation. All six people posted bond the same day they were arrested and were released, according to the sheriff's police. Women employees at all three locations allegedly offered to exchange sexual acts for between $30 and $75, in addition to massages offered for $100 to $150 each by completely nude women. According to police, the business was advertised on the Internet.
An undercover police officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told by the owner she could earn between $600 and $1,100 a day working for him, but that all activities performed would be illegal, the sheriff's police reported. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Golden Touch owner Ronald J. Gold, who police said has fled to Los Angeles. Police also are looking to arrest and charge two other women in relation to the investigation.
Police confiscated $3,059 in cash and business records from all three locations. The records will be turned over to the Internal Revenue Service for review. All arrested Nov. 21 are scheduled for a Dec. 26 court date.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cantor charged in prostitution ring
By Ruth Silverman
JTA - December 6, 2000
(December 6) CHICAGO (JTA) - Members of Chicago's Jewish community are expressing shock and dismay about the arrest of a former synagogue cantor and his wife of a few weeks.
The two were charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Joel Gordon, 51, who has served at several Chicago-area synagogues, was charged November 21 with keeping a house of prostitution following a police raid on three massage parlors, operated out of private apartments in the northern suburbs.
His wife, Alison Ginsberg, 23, was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.
Gordon was most recently the cantor and spiritual leader of Congregation Shirat Emet, a now-defunct synagogue in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Cantorial colleagues of Gordon's were stunned by the news.
Cantor Shlomo Shuster of Ezra Habonim-Niles Township Jewish Congregation trained Gordon as a cantor.
He remembers his student as "very talented and bright - but one who liked to dance on the edge." "I'm very sad," he continued. "It's very bad for all Jews, for the profession, and it's a disgrace to God's name, especially for a member of the clergy who wears the mantle of God."
Cantor Eric Wasser, president of the Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly, said, "Obviously, we want to give anyone the benefit of the doubt until due process has taken place." Gordon, he said, "has a real musical talent. We will offer our support in whatever ways we can. Certainly, there have been clergy with problems before, but this is pretty unique."
Wasser, whose group is affiliated with the Conservative movement, said he had not seen Gordon in a couple of years. Gordon used to be active in the organization, helping to plan programs, Wasser said, but had curtailed his involvement the last several years.
Gordon resigned from the Cantors Assembly last week.
One of the founding members of Shirat Emet, Betsy Delman, expressed a mixture of anger and heartbreak at the news of Gordon's arrest.
"Once you get over the shock and disgrace of his part in something so sleazy, you feel sorry for him," said Delman, who remembered Gordon as a "Pied Piper" with children.
"What was it that turned him in this direction - the demise of his synagogue? His age? His voice was incomparable. Was it all just superficial? Was there another person in him? Was there something that made him change? How do we explain to our children what a supposedly spiritual man has done?"
Cook County Sheriff's Police said female employees at three Golden Touch Massage parlors offered sexual favors for money and the business featured massages performed by nude women.
As part of the undercover investigation, a female officer applied for a job with the owner of the business.
The officer was told by the owner she could make between $600 and $1,100 per day working for him, but that all activities performed would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
Both Gordon and Ginsberg declined comment, when reached by phone at the home of her mother. When asked if their lawyer, whom she refused to identify, would comment on their behalf, Ginsberg said, "Don't call him. He doesn't want to be bothered." Several other people were also arrested in connection with the ring. All were released on bail.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Ex-cantor's trial set in prostitution case
Daily Herald - December 27, 2000
A prostitution case against a former cantor in a Buffalo Grove synagogue, who is accused of having a dark side behind a magnificent singing voice, has been continued until Feb. 27.
Gordon Joel Gordon, 52, remains free on bail on a charge of keeping a house of prostitution in connection with a November raid on three massage parlors by Cook County Sheriff's police.
The case against Gordon's wife, Alison Ginsberg, 23, who was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution following the 10-week undercover investigation also was continued until Feb. 27 to give the defense more time to review the evidence investigators have compiled.
Both Gordon and Ginsberg appeared Tuesday for a preliminary hearing in 4th District Circuit Court in Maywood but no further details of the allegations were revealed by prosecutors. Neither the couple nor their attorney, Robert A. Demeo of Oak Brook, would comment on the case.
The couple was arrested along with four other people Nov. 21 during three simultaneous raids at Golden Touch Massage parlors. The businesses operated out of two apartment complexes in unincorporated areas near Glenview and another in an unincorporated area near Des Plaines. Two other women, who were not on any of the premises, also were charged with prostitution as a result of the investigation.
Police said the business featured massages performed by nude women and the female employees at all three places offered sexual acts for money. A female police officer was told by the business owner she could make between $600 and $1,100 per day but that the activities were "illegal," according to a sheriff's police statement at the time. Gordon scheduled appointments for all three locations, police said.
The news shocked many in the Jewish community, who had known Gordon for several years. He had built a new synagogue, Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, around him. Before becoming the spiritual leader of Shirat Emet, Gordon had served as cantor of Temple Chai in Long Grove for nearly 15 years.
An enrapturing voice and musical talent, were among the reasons his leadership was sought for the new congregation, according to one of the founding members. Cantors interpret the liturgy in song.
The congregation grew from about 60 families since its founding about six years ago to nearly 300 families. But the membership began to unravel during the past year or so and Shirat closed last fall.
"For the first two or three years everything was great," said Howard Peritz, a Lincolnshire attorney and founding member of Shirat, who attended Tuesday's hearing.
"We had heard rumors for years - rumors about sexual activity on the part of the cantor. We didn't believe them," Peritz said. "Now, you've got to wonder how many of them are true."
Sheriffs police said the suburban prostitution operation was advertised on the Internet. Business records were seized and the amount of information compiled by police during the investigation was substantial, prompting Demeo to ask for the continuance to review the material.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chicago cantor denies prostitution charges
By Ruth Gesmer Silverman
Jerusalem Post - December 28, 2000
CHICAGO - A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a brief appearance December 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of keeping a house of prostitution and, in her case, also to committing acts of prostitution.
In the small, crowded courtroom of Judge Lawrence Terrell, Gordon and Ginsberg requested additional time to review extensive discovery evidence, gathered during a 10- week investigation by an undercover policewoman. The next court date was set for February 27.
The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution house
JTA - Jan. 5, 2001
A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges., In a brief appearance Dec. 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded no The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
Gordon and Ginsberg were arrested Nov. 21 along with several others. Gordon resigned from the Cantors' Assembly a few days later.
Neither the couple nor their attorney answered questions as they left the courtroom.
Gordon was a cantor at other local Reform congregations before serving Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill. Shirat Emet disbanded in mid-2000.
The Reform temple grew from about 50 families in 1995, when it broke from Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., to more than 275 families in 1997. Key leaders began to leave in 1999 when they wanted to add a rabbi to the professional staff and Gordon rejected the idea.
Two former congregation members attended the Dec. 26 court proceedings.
Sam Bell, an attorney, said, "all who put their trust in him and who knew him feel incredibly betrayed."
Howard Peritz, another lawyer and one of the original members of Shirat Emet, said of Gordon: "He changed from the person we had all known. He was quick to fly off the handle, and rumors about inappropriate behavior were around for years. We now realize that in starting a congregation around a man, we were canonizing him."
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cantor guilty of brothel charges - Cantor and wife plead guilty to charges they worked in brothel
By Ruth Gesmer Silverman
Jewish Telegraphic Agency - March 20, 2001
CHICAGO -- A Chicago-area cantor and his wife have pleaded guilty to charges of involvement in a prostitution ring.
G. Joel Gordon and Alison Ginsberg each received six months of court supervision and a fine of $200 for the crime after their pleas on Tuesday.
Gordon resigned from the Conservative movement's Cantors Assembly after he was arrested last November.
A 10-week undercover investigation last year focused on three Chicago-area apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage.
Investigator Robert Fitzgerald said he is particularly gratified by the guilty pleas because the prostitution ring operated in neighborhoods with many young children.
Two members of Gordon's last congregation attended Tuesday's court proceedings.
"In the time I was a member of his temple and shortly afterward, I came to see the many sides of Joel Gordon, from a man who could engage in vicious shouting to one who was sanctimonious and insidious," said one former congregant, lawyer Sam Bell. "Previously, all I'd seen was what appeared to pass for compassion and support during bereavement, for example, which I now feel was just self-serving on his part."
Gordon previously served as a cantor in other Chicago-area congregations, as well as in New Jersey and Atlanta.
Officials at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, in New Brunswick, N.J., where Gordon once worked, refused to comment.
At Temple Sinai in Atlanta, Rabbi Phil Kranz said of Gordon, "We knew there was a problem. He was given a few hours to pack and be out and he left in the dark of night."
Gordon later served at Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., where his contract was not renewed.
Most recently, Gordon served Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill., before it disbanded in mid-2000.
When Gordon was asked if he had any plans to serve as a cantor in the future, his attorney, Robert DeMeo, said Gordon had no comment.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Man pleads guilty to running prostitution house
By Steve Zalusky
Daily Herald - March 22, 2001
CORRECTION/ date 3-22-2001: A story in Wednesday's Daily Herald erroneouly referred to Gordon Joel Gordon as a "church" leader. Gordon, who on Tuesday pleaded guilty to keeping a house of prostitution, was a cantor for two Northwest suburban Jewish congregations.
A former Buffalo Grove and Long Grove church official plead guilty Tuesday to keeping a house of prostitution. The official's wife also plead guilty to a prostitution charge.
Both Gordon Joel Gordon, 52, and Alison Ginsberg, 23 at the time of her arrest, entered their pleas in Cook County before Judge Daniel Kelley in a 4th District Circuit courtroom in Maywood.
Kelley sentenced Gordon to six months supervision and ordered him to pay a $200 fine. Ginsberg received the same sentence.
Gordon, formerly the spiritual leader at Buffalo Grove's Shirat Emet and cantor for nearly 15 years at Temple Chai in Long Grove, and Ginsberg must return to court Sept. 18.
The couple's attorney, Robert A. Demeo of Oak Brook, would not comment on the case.
Gordon and Ginsberg, at the time Arlington Heights and Wheeling residents, respectively, were arrested in November in a raid by Cook County sheriff's deputies at the Golden Touch Massage parlors.
According to the sheriff's office, the parlors operated out of three private apartments in unincorporated areas near Glenview and Des Plaines.
The raid stemmed from a 10-week undercover investigation, during which investigators uncovered evidence of nude women offering massages and offering to perform sex acts for money.
According to sheriff's police, Gordon and Ginsberg worked for the proprietor, Ronald J. Gold. Gordon was charged with managing the business from an apartment at 4264 Plymouth Woods, in an unincorporated area near Glenview, from September 2000 to November 2000.
Ginsberg was charged with engaging in sex acts for money and splitting the profits with Gold, according to the sheriff's office.
An undercover Cook County sheriff's vice investigator said Ginsberg offered to place her hand on the investigator's sex organ in exchange for $75.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chicago cantor and wife who ran brothel plead guilty
JTA - March 23, 2001
CHICAGO (JTA) -- Gordon resigned from the Conservative movement's Cantors Assembly after he was arrested last November.
A 10-week undercover investigation last year focused on three Chicago-area apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage.
Investigator Robert Fitzgerald said he is particularly gratified by the guilty pleas because the prostitution ring operated in neighborhoods with many young children.
Two members of Gordon's last congregation attended Tuesday's court proceedings. "In the time I was a member of his temple and shortly afterward, I came to see the many sides of Joel Gordon, from a man who could engage in vicious shouting to one who was sanctimonious and insidious," said one former congregant, lawyer Sam Bell.
Gordon previously served as a cantor in other Chicago-area congregations, as well as in New Jersey and Atlanta.
Cantor charged in prostitution ring
By Ruth Silverman
JTA - December 6, 2000
(December 6) CHICAGO (JTA) - Members of Chicago's Jewish community are expressing shock and dismay about the arrest of a former synagogue cantor and his wife of a few weeks.
The two were charged in connection with a prostitution ring. Joel Gordon, 51, who has served at several Chicago-area synagogues, was charged November 21 with keeping a house of prostitution following a police raid on three massage parlors, operated out of private apartments in the northern suburbs.
His wife, Alison Ginsberg, 23, was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution.
Gordon was most recently the cantor and spiritual leader of Congregation Shirat Emet, a now-defunct synagogue in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Cantorial colleagues of Gordon's were stunned by the news.
Cantor Shlomo Shuster of Ezra Habonim-Niles Township Jewish Congregation trained Gordon as a cantor.
He remembers his student as "very talented and bright - but one who liked to dance on the edge." "I'm very sad," he continued. "It's very bad for all Jews, for the profession, and it's a disgrace to God's name, especially for a member of the clergy who wears the mantle of God."
Cantor Eric Wasser, president of the Midwest Region of the Cantors Assembly, said, "Obviously, we want to give anyone the benefit of the doubt until due process has taken place." Gordon, he said, "has a real musical talent. We will offer our support in whatever ways we can. Certainly, there have been clergy with problems before, but this is pretty unique."
Wasser, whose group is affiliated with the Conservative movement, said he had not seen Gordon in a couple of years. Gordon used to be active in the organization, helping to plan programs, Wasser said, but had curtailed his involvement the last several years.
Gordon resigned from the Cantors Assembly last week.
One of the founding members of Shirat Emet, Betsy Delman, expressed a mixture of anger and heartbreak at the news of Gordon's arrest.
"Once you get over the shock and disgrace of his part in something so sleazy, you feel sorry for him," said Delman, who remembered Gordon as a "Pied Piper" with children.
"What was it that turned him in this direction - the demise of his synagogue? His age? His voice was incomparable. Was it all just superficial? Was there another person in him? Was there something that made him change? How do we explain to our children what a supposedly spiritual man has done?"
Cook County Sheriff's Police said female employees at three Golden Touch Massage parlors offered sexual favors for money and the business featured massages performed by nude women.
As part of the undercover investigation, a female officer applied for a job with the owner of the business.
The officer was told by the owner she could make between $600 and $1,100 per day working for him, but that all activities performed would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
Both Gordon and Ginsberg declined comment, when reached by phone at the home of her mother. When asked if their lawyer, whom she refused to identify, would comment on their behalf, Ginsberg said, "Don't call him. He doesn't want to be bothered." Several other people were also arrested in connection with the ring. All were released on bail.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Ex-cantor's trial set in prostitution case
Daily Herald - December 27, 2000
A prostitution case against a former cantor in a Buffalo Grove synagogue, who is accused of having a dark side behind a magnificent singing voice, has been continued until Feb. 27.
Gordon Joel Gordon, 52, remains free on bail on a charge of keeping a house of prostitution in connection with a November raid on three massage parlors by Cook County Sheriff's police.
The case against Gordon's wife, Alison Ginsberg, 23, who was charged with prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution following the 10-week undercover investigation also was continued until Feb. 27 to give the defense more time to review the evidence investigators have compiled.
Both Gordon and Ginsberg appeared Tuesday for a preliminary hearing in 4th District Circuit Court in Maywood but no further details of the allegations were revealed by prosecutors. Neither the couple nor their attorney, Robert A. Demeo of Oak Brook, would comment on the case.
The couple was arrested along with four other people Nov. 21 during three simultaneous raids at Golden Touch Massage parlors. The businesses operated out of two apartment complexes in unincorporated areas near Glenview and another in an unincorporated area near Des Plaines. Two other women, who were not on any of the premises, also were charged with prostitution as a result of the investigation.
Police said the business featured massages performed by nude women and the female employees at all three places offered sexual acts for money. A female police officer was told by the business owner she could make between $600 and $1,100 per day but that the activities were "illegal," according to a sheriff's police statement at the time. Gordon scheduled appointments for all three locations, police said.
The news shocked many in the Jewish community, who had known Gordon for several years. He had built a new synagogue, Congregation Shirat Emet in Buffalo Grove, around him. Before becoming the spiritual leader of Shirat Emet, Gordon had served as cantor of Temple Chai in Long Grove for nearly 15 years.
An enrapturing voice and musical talent, were among the reasons his leadership was sought for the new congregation, according to one of the founding members. Cantors interpret the liturgy in song.
The congregation grew from about 60 families since its founding about six years ago to nearly 300 families. But the membership began to unravel during the past year or so and Shirat closed last fall.
"For the first two or three years everything was great," said Howard Peritz, a Lincolnshire attorney and founding member of Shirat, who attended Tuesday's hearing.
"We had heard rumors for years - rumors about sexual activity on the part of the cantor. We didn't believe them," Peritz said. "Now, you've got to wonder how many of them are true."
Sheriffs police said the suburban prostitution operation was advertised on the Internet. Business records were seized and the amount of information compiled by police during the investigation was substantial, prompting Demeo to ask for the continuance to review the material.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chicago cantor denies prostitution charges
By Ruth Gesmer Silverman
Jerusalem Post - December 28, 2000
CHICAGO - A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a brief appearance December 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of keeping a house of prostitution and, in her case, also to committing acts of prostitution.
In the small, crowded courtroom of Judge Lawrence Terrell, Gordon and Ginsberg requested additional time to review extensive discovery evidence, gathered during a 10- week investigation by an undercover policewoman. The next court date was set for February 27.
The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution house
JTA - Jan. 5, 2001
A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges., In a brief appearance Dec. 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded no The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
Gordon and Ginsberg were arrested Nov. 21 along with several others. Gordon resigned from the Cantors' Assembly a few days later.
Neither the couple nor their attorney answered questions as they left the courtroom.
Gordon was a cantor at other local Reform congregations before serving Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill. Shirat Emet disbanded in mid-2000.
The Reform temple grew from about 50 families in 1995, when it broke from Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., to more than 275 families in 1997. Key leaders began to leave in 1999 when they wanted to add a rabbi to the professional staff and Gordon rejected the idea.
Two former congregation members attended the Dec. 26 court proceedings.
Sam Bell, an attorney, said, "all who put their trust in him and who knew him feel incredibly betrayed."
Howard Peritz, another lawyer and one of the original members of Shirat Emet, said of Gordon: "He changed from the person we had all known. He was quick to fly off the handle, and rumors about inappropriate behavior were around for years. We now realize that in starting a congregation around a man, we were canonizing him."
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cantor guilty of brothel charges - Cantor and wife plead guilty to charges they worked in brothel
By Ruth Gesmer Silverman
Jewish Telegraphic Agency - March 20, 2001
CHICAGO -- A Chicago-area cantor and his wife have pleaded guilty to charges of involvement in a prostitution ring.
G. Joel Gordon and Alison Ginsberg each received six months of court supervision and a fine of $200 for the crime after their pleas on Tuesday.
Gordon resigned from the Conservative movement's Cantors Assembly after he was arrested last November.
A 10-week undercover investigation last year focused on three Chicago-area apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage.
Investigator Robert Fitzgerald said he is particularly gratified by the guilty pleas because the prostitution ring operated in neighborhoods with many young children.
Two members of Gordon's last congregation attended Tuesday's court proceedings.
"In the time I was a member of his temple and shortly afterward, I came to see the many sides of Joel Gordon, from a man who could engage in vicious shouting to one who was sanctimonious and insidious," said one former congregant, lawyer Sam Bell. "Previously, all I'd seen was what appeared to pass for compassion and support during bereavement, for example, which I now feel was just self-serving on his part."
Gordon previously served as a cantor in other Chicago-area congregations, as well as in New Jersey and Atlanta.
Officials at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, in New Brunswick, N.J., where Gordon once worked, refused to comment.
At Temple Sinai in Atlanta, Rabbi Phil Kranz said of Gordon, "We knew there was a problem. He was given a few hours to pack and be out and he left in the dark of night."
Gordon later served at Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., where his contract was not renewed.
Most recently, Gordon served Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill., before it disbanded in mid-2000.
When Gordon was asked if he had any plans to serve as a cantor in the future, his attorney, Robert DeMeo, said Gordon had no comment.
____________________________________________________________________________________
By Steve Zalusky
Daily Herald - March 22, 2001
CORRECTION/ date 3-22-2001: A story in Wednesday's Daily Herald erroneouly referred to Gordon Joel Gordon as a "church" leader. Gordon, who on Tuesday pleaded guilty to keeping a house of prostitution, was a cantor for two Northwest suburban Jewish congregations.
A former Buffalo Grove and Long Grove church official plead guilty Tuesday to keeping a house of prostitution. The official's wife also plead guilty to a prostitution charge.
Both Gordon Joel Gordon, 52, and Alison Ginsberg, 23 at the time of her arrest, entered their pleas in Cook County before Judge Daniel Kelley in a 4th District Circuit courtroom in Maywood.
Kelley sentenced Gordon to six months supervision and ordered him to pay a $200 fine. Ginsberg received the same sentence.
Gordon, formerly the spiritual leader at Buffalo Grove's Shirat Emet and cantor for nearly 15 years at Temple Chai in Long Grove, and Ginsberg must return to court Sept. 18.
The couple's attorney, Robert A. Demeo of Oak Brook, would not comment on the case.
Gordon and Ginsberg, at the time Arlington Heights and Wheeling residents, respectively, were arrested in November in a raid by Cook County sheriff's deputies at the Golden Touch Massage parlors.
According to the sheriff's office, the parlors operated out of three private apartments in unincorporated areas near Glenview and Des Plaines.
The raid stemmed from a 10-week undercover investigation, during which investigators uncovered evidence of nude women offering massages and offering to perform sex acts for money.
According to sheriff's police, Gordon and Ginsberg worked for the proprietor, Ronald J. Gold. Gordon was charged with managing the business from an apartment at 4264 Plymouth Woods, in an unincorporated area near Glenview, from September 2000 to November 2000.
Ginsberg was charged with engaging in sex acts for money and splitting the profits with Gold, according to the sheriff's office.
An undercover Cook County sheriff's vice investigator said Ginsberg offered to place her hand on the investigator's sex organ in exchange for $75.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chicago cantor and wife who ran brothel plead guilty
JTA - March 23, 2001
CHICAGO (JTA) -- Gordon resigned from the Conservative movement's Cantors Assembly after he was arrested last November.
A 10-week undercover investigation last year focused on three Chicago-area apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage.
Investigator Robert Fitzgerald said he is particularly gratified by the guilty pleas because the prostitution ring operated in neighborhoods with many young children.
Two members of Gordon's last congregation attended Tuesday's court proceedings. "In the time I was a member of his temple and shortly afterward, I came to see the many sides of Joel Gordon, from a man who could engage in vicious shouting to one who was sanctimonious and insidious," said one former congregant, lawyer Sam Bell.
Gordon previously served as a cantor in other Chicago-area congregations, as well as in New Jersey and Atlanta.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution house
JTA - March 23, 2001
CHICAGO (JTA) -- A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a brief appearance Dec. 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of keeping a house of prostitution and, in her case, also to committing acts of prostitution.
In the small, crowded courtroom of Judge Lawrence Terrell, Gordon and Ginsberg requested additional time to review extensive discovery evidence, gathered during a 10-week investigation by an undercover policewoman. The next court date was set for Feb. 27.
The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
Gordon and Ginsberg were arrested Nov. 21 along with several others. Gordon resigned from the Cantors' Assembly a few days later.
Neither the couple nor their attorney answered questions as they left the courtroom.
Gordon was a cantor at other local Reform congregations before serving Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill. Shirat Emet disbanded in mid-2000.
The Reform temple grew from about 50 families in 1995, when it broke from Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., to more than 275 families in 1997. Key leaders began to leave in 1999 when they wanted to add a rabbi to the professional staff and Gordon rejected the idea.
Two former congregation members attended the Dec. 26 court proceedings.
Sam Bell, an attorney, said, "all who put their trust in him and who knew him feel incredibly betrayed."
Howard Peritz, another lawyer and one of the original members of Shirat Emet, said of Gordon: "He changed from the person we had all known. He was quick to fly off the handle, and rumors about inappropriate behavior were around for years. We now realize that in starting a congregation around a man, we were canonizing him."
____________________________________________________________________________________
Religion Notes - Music
Las Vegas Review - March 1, 2003
A "Concert of Peace," featuring Karen Daniel and Cantor Joel Gordon will be presented by the Valley Outreach Synagogue at 7 p.m. March 8 at Green Valley Presbyterian Church, 1798 Wigwam Ave., Henderson. Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be accepted (436-4900).
____________________________________________________________________________________
Religion Notes - Special Events
Las Vegas Review - June 7, 2003
Valley Outreach Synagogue will welcome their new Cantor, Joel Gordon and his wife, Ali at a barbecue reception at 4 p.m. Sunday at Discovery Park, 2001 Paseo Verde Drive, Henderson.
NOTE: According internet archives in 2005 Cantor Joel Gordon was no longer affiliated with this synagogue.
Cantor denies charges of running a Windy City prostitution house
JTA - March 23, 2001
CHICAGO (JTA) -- A Chicago-area cantor accused of running a brothel has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a brief appearance Dec. 26 in Cook County Circuit Court, Cantor Joel Gordon, 52, and his wife Alison Ginsberg, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges of keeping a house of prostitution and, in her case, also to committing acts of prostitution.
In the small, crowded courtroom of Judge Lawrence Terrell, Gordon and Ginsberg requested additional time to review extensive discovery evidence, gathered during a 10-week investigation by an undercover policewoman. The next court date was set for Feb. 27.
The investigation focused on three Cook County apartments used by employees of Golden Touch Massage, said by the Cook County Sheriff's Police to be a cover for a prostitution operation. The officer applied for a job with Golden Touch and was told she could make between $600 to $1,100 a day, but the activities would be "illegal," the sheriff's department said.
Gordon and Ginsberg were arrested Nov. 21 along with several others. Gordon resigned from the Cantors' Assembly a few days later.
Neither the couple nor their attorney answered questions as they left the courtroom.
Gordon was a cantor at other local Reform congregations before serving Congregation Shirat Emet, in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill. Shirat Emet disbanded in mid-2000.
The Reform temple grew from about 50 families in 1995, when it broke from Temple Chai in Long Grove, Ill., to more than 275 families in 1997. Key leaders began to leave in 1999 when they wanted to add a rabbi to the professional staff and Gordon rejected the idea.
Two former congregation members attended the Dec. 26 court proceedings.
Sam Bell, an attorney, said, "all who put their trust in him and who knew him feel incredibly betrayed."
Howard Peritz, another lawyer and one of the original members of Shirat Emet, said of Gordon: "He changed from the person we had all known. He was quick to fly off the handle, and rumors about inappropriate behavior were around for years. We now realize that in starting a congregation around a man, we were canonizing him."
____________________________________________________________________________________
Religion Notes - Music
Las Vegas Review - March 1, 2003
A "Concert of Peace," featuring Karen Daniel and Cantor Joel Gordon will be presented by the Valley Outreach Synagogue at 7 p.m. March 8 at Green Valley Presbyterian Church, 1798 Wigwam Ave., Henderson. Admission is free, but a free-will offering will be accepted (436-4900).
____________________________________________________________________________________
Religion Notes - Special Events
Las Vegas Review - June 7, 2003
Valley Outreach Synagogue will welcome their new Cantor, Joel Gordon and his wife, Ali at a barbecue reception at 4 p.m. Sunday at Discovery Park, 2001 Paseo Verde Drive, Henderson.
NOTE: According internet archives in 2005 Cantor Joel Gordon was no longer affiliated with this synagogue.
____________________________________________________________________________________
FAIR USE NOTICE
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.
We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
____________________________________________________________________________________
FAIR USE NOTICE
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.
We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
____________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment