The Rabbi and the Hit Man

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One evening in 1994, Rabbi Fred Neulander returned home to find his wife face down on the living room floor, blood everywhere. He called for help, but it was too late. Two trials and eight years later, the founder of the largest reform synagogue in southern New Jersey was sentenced to life in prison, the first rabbi ever convicted of murder. In an examination of the misuses of the pulpit and the self-delusions of power, author Magida paints a devastating portrait of a charismatic, manipulative man who used his temple as a place to acquire several mistresses--and to befriend a lonely recovering alcoholic, whom he convinced to kill his wife. The story straddles the juncture between faith and trust, asking what happens when religious leaders who set the standards of ethical behavior fail to abide by them in their personal lives.--From publisher description