RJC poised to oust Rabbi Rosenblatt

Posted

Updated on June 25

Riverdale Jewish Center’s (RJC) board appears to be on the way to ousting Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt following recent news reports that he took boys to a sauna naked over a period of years.

After a June 8 board meeting and vote about how to handle the situation, RJC’s executive committee sent a letter to congregants stating in part: “We discussed the ongoing challenges and the profound impact on our shul community. The Board ultimately concluded that, in view of all these circumstances, the best course of action would be to achieve an amicable resolution with Rabbi Rosenblatt, and we are constructively engaged in discussions to that end.” 

RJC President Samson Fine and other board members have not answered phone and e-mail inquiries seeking clarification about the board vote. Last week, The Jewish Week cited unnamed sources as saying the board had voted 34-8 “to seek a financial settlement with the rabbi and for him to step down.” The Press and other news sources have not confirmed that account.

The board vote followed growing discontent among RJC members. On June 7, dozens of them e-mailed Rabbi Rosenblatt, whose contract is up for renewal in about three years, a petition calling on him to resign. They wrote that the 30-year-long leader of the synagogue “is unfortunately but irrevocably unable to lead our community. We say this irrespective of our individual points of view on the matter of Rabbi Rosenblatt’s actions.” 

Rabbi Rosenblatt’s lawyer Benjamin Brafman declined to answer questions about negotiations between his client and RJC. But the high-profile attorney said in an e-mail, “Rabbi Rosenblatt and the Congregation have agreed to negotiate a fair agreement that will hopefully resolve all issues in the near future. He is very pleased with the overwhelming support he has continues to have among the vast majority of congregants.”

Nevertheless, about 200 RJC members have signed a petition calling on him to stay as leader of their synagogue.

One signer, Mark Frieldander, said the idea is to articulate what congregants would say on the matter at a membership meeting about Rabbi Rosenblatt.

“Everything we do is in preparation for a membership meeting or to let the synagogue leadership know what is likely to happen at such a meeting,” said Mr. Friedlander, who recently retired as a judge on the Bronx Supreme Court. He added if the board moves to oust the rabbi, “I suspect it would be voted down by a large margin.”

The prospect of a settlement with Rabbi Rosenblatt outraged RJC member Sura Jeselsohn. She was one of three congregants who went on the record with The New York Times to describe Rabbi Rosenblatt’s practice of playing racquetball with boys at local gyms and taking them to a sauna naked over a period of years. The article quoted a member of the Rabbinical Council of America as saying the rabbi agreed to stop taking members of his congregation to the sauna in 2011.

“We’ve got somebody who’s behaved inappropriately for years and now we’re giving him more money instead of insisting he provide some kind of restitution to the community for his actions?” she said, adding, “It seems that he will not be barred from entering the synagogue, and I think it’s horrific.”

While no one has accused Rabbi Rosenblatt of criminal wrongdoing, and the May 29 Times article did not mention any sexual touching, the Bronx District Attorney’s office has asked people who may have suffered at his hands to come forward.

Rabbi Rosenblatt, who is a visiting scholar at Harvard University this year, has continued to visit RJC. Three congregants said on Saturday, he silently sat at the front of the synagogue’s main sanctuary during prayer services.

Mr. Friedlander said he gave Rabbi Rosenblatt a small hug to show support as the rabbi walked in a procession carrying Torah scrolls around the room. He added that many other congregants also hugged the rabbi or shook his hand.

“It’s not a foregone conclusion the rabbi is stepping down,” Mr. Friedlander said. “I can’t predict what will happen.”

Riverdale Jewish Center, Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, Shant Shahrigian

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