Singer v. Centropa [1]

On November 21, 2008, John Singer filed a lawsuit against Centropa, a non-profit NGO based in Vienna, Austria, that focuses on documenting Jewish oral history through interviews. Centropa publishes these oral histories on its website, Centropa.org [2].  Singer's complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, includes claims for libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Singer alleges that Centropa published an interview with his mother on its website in 2005, in which she stated that neither of her sons were circumcised.  Singer asserts that he was in fact circumcised, and the complaint explains that “[a]s a Jewish male, it is in direct contradiction to Jewish law to be uncircumcised.” 

Singer further alleges that he notified Edward Serotta, the director of Centropa, that this statement was factually incorrect and that he did not want it published. According to the complaint, Serotta assured Singer in 2005 that the objectionable passage "would not be published."  In 2008, Centropa allegedly "reprogrammed its website," causing the interview to be republished.  Singer discovered the republication in October 2008 and demanded its removal.  On October 30, 2008, Singer was notified that the allegedly libelous statement had been deleted from the website.

The federal court docket reveals no activity since December 2008, and it is not clear whether Singer has served the complaint on Centropa.