California rabbi says he’s not the Joel Landau promoting Allure Group online

Online posts use San Francisco man’s photo and bio to talk up shamed real estate firm

Joel Landau of the Allure Group and the Rivington House
Joel Landau of the Allure Group and the Rivington House

A California rabbi named Joel Landau says he has nothing to do with posts made online under that name promoting the Allure Group [TRDataCustom].

The San Francisco rabbi’s photo and biography were used to promote the Allure Group, run by a different Joel Landau, to promote the company online, the New York Daily News reported.

A post on the Times of Israel website, for example, talks about growth in the healthcare sector and points to Allure as a firm that “managed to position themselves as the best possible alternative for elderly patients, providing them with affordable quality care.”

The post then links to the website of Allure’s Landau, who played a key role in removing a deed restriction from the Lower East Side’s Rivington House before selling the property to Slate Property Group, China Vanke and Adam America Real Estate for $116 million.

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The Landau based out of San Francisco said he had nothing to do with the posts.

“For some strange reason, someone is using me to blog,” the rabbi said. “Anyone who does a little bit of research on Allure sees that they’re embroiled in some less than savory things.”

“None of that is mine,” he added. “Absolutely, positively nothing. Zilch.”

Allure, which specializes in nursing homes, did not return a request for comment. In December, CABS Nursing Home filed a lawsuit against Allure, claiming the company forced out residents shortly after buying the property, and it ultimately led to the deaths of some of the facility’s residents.  [NYDN]Rich Bockmann