Leading Members Of Iconic Lower East Side Shul Opt To Forgo Board Positions Due To Ban On Women In Leadership, Critics Say

The Lower East Side's historic Bialystoker Synagogue is facing a revolt from its female members, who want to run for positions on the synagogue's board of governors.

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By JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN • New York Post

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's synagogue wants to keep the "men" in mensch.

The Lower East Side's historic Bialystoker Synagogue is facing a revolt from its female members, who want to run for positions on the synagogue's board of governors.

But the rabbi has stuck to the Orthodox congregation's tradition -- and told women members they can't hold positions of authority.

"I'm very unhappy about it," said member Debra Engelmayer, who claimed several families have left over the issue.

It's not only the women who are angry.

"It's been a boy's club since Day One," said member Daniel Cohen of the ornate temple on Willett Street, where women pray on the upstairs balcony, separated from men. "I'd like to think that it's a progressive synagogue, but it's not."

Silver, who had his bar mitzvah there, was a vice president of the synagogue for decades -- until he ditched the job in June.

"Silver walked away from his position on the board -- he finished off his term and didn't run for re-election," said Debra's husband, Juda Engelmayer.

Some members suspect the cautious Silver is forgoing the leadership role because of the anti-woman decree.

A spokesman said Silver could not be reached for comment because of the Jewish holidays.

The Bialystoker Synagogue has long been central to Jewish life on the Lower East Side. Immigrants from Bialystok, Poland, formed the congregation in 1865, and it now occupies a circa-1826 Methodist church.

But the flap has divided the house of worship. David Cohen, a housing-court judge, also left the board this summer.

The synagogue's president -- elected after the decree forbidding female board members -- is Shlomo Hagler, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge.

The fight began in May when a majority of the congregation voted to allow women to run for board positions. After member Janet Riesel announced her intention to run, Rabbi Zvi David Dromm announced his edict at a sparsely attended Saturday-morning service.

Debra Engelmayer called Dromm's decision -- coming after a public vote and while women were putting themselves forward as candidates -- "disrespectful."

Additional reporting by Lucy Kinder.

I wouldn't trust anything Juda Englemeyer says.

Englemeyer is the 5WPR sockpuppet who was behind an attempt to illegally smear Rubashkin critics.

As for Rabbi Romm, if memory serves he's a Yeshiva University graduate who, for reasons unknown, chose to follow the opinion of haredi Rabbi Dovid Feinstein excluding women from leadership roles and did so over the opposition of the majority of his congregants.

Whether this reflects YU's move to the right or whether it reflects Rabbi Romm's fear of crossing the neighborhood haredi 'gadol,' there is a solution to this problem – do not renew his contract.

Related Post.

[Hat Tips: Burich, LESKid, CS.]

Comments

[Garnel Ironheart]

> chose to follow the opinion of haredi Rabbi Dovid Feinstein

Are you aware that the Rav also held this opinion?

[Josh Nathan]

"I wouldn't trust anything Juda Englemeyer says" I agree with you about that.
Rabbi Romm is a fine outstanding person and a learned person and he believes for a woman to hold a position of authority is an issue in Halacha. The Bialystocker shul is lucky to have a rabbi like him

Gmar Chatima tova

Josh

[LESKid]

It's a scandal and disgrace that this has happened. The Orthodox powers that be in the 'hood are trying to make this go away and bully people to not talk about this. From what I understand it was really 3 people who went to "REB DOVID" to overturn the will of the members of the synagogue. These 3 men really have a lot to atone for come this Yom Kippur.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

Provided they allow uber hot Paris Hilton
"type" Jewess babes on the board, I'm all for it.

Otherwise what's the point having women on the board.

Thank you.

[chaim1]

Can someone please tell me what exactly is wrong with having women on the board.
The meforshim on rambam kings 1:5 is a woman must not be 'parnes' on the community or a position 'msimos'.
I dont consider being on the board that.

[harold]

"I'd like to think that it's a progressive synagogue, but it's not."

I guess not everyone gets what they want. This is an Orthodox shul and if there is any movement it is to the right within the Orthodox world.

I must at the same time say that for Rosh Hashana I went to a very interesting "Orthodox" shul. It was Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford CT. They used some sort of a "kosher" microphone, and had interesting seating. Low mecitzas, with one section in the balcony having men AND women! The chazzan and choir was real nice, sort of reminded me of the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem. They do have a more traditional Orthodox minyan going on as well but that had no empty seats.

It was kind of surreal when I walked out of the shul to go to the bathroom and who do I see strolling the hall, no other than Sen Joseph Lieberman! It was interesting to note that for shabbos davening he was at the more Orthodox minyan rather than the main sanctuary. He had a normal tallis (not one of the scarf sizes ones that they had in the lobby). I guess he heard that the more Orthodox minyan was followed by a kiddush.

The Rabbi (Daniel Cohen) is very pleasant and from what my wife said (she attended his shiur) an excellent speaker.

[yossi]

Doesn't the synagogue have bylaws that say who has the right to vote and be elected?

[danny]

I was in Bialystok, Poland in October of 2009. My grandfather a"h was born there.

The town always had a diverse Jewish population, including those with a Liberal/modern bent. The founder of the language Esperanto was a Jewish Opthamologist from Bialystok.

Preventing women from serving in leadership positions is asinine.

[annonnnnn]

The Rav gave his psak l'olam vo'ed?
I allow my daughter to learn gemarrah al pi haRav. Frummaker, do you?

[itchiemayer]

Bottom line is, in my opinion, that a Rav of a Shul is the ultimate decision maker in matters of halacha. As Shmarya said, if they don't like his decision(s), they can choose not to renew his contract. A Rabbi that lets a congregation runs the show (and that often happens) loses his moral authority.
although not directed at me, I will respond to annonnnn - the school my daughter attends does not teach girls (young women) gemarra. However, I would not be opposed to it as the Rav did allow it. The Rav, however, did not believe women should learn all of Shas, rather only those tractates that are more practical for day to day living.

[who knows]

There is no gender equality in traditional Judaism. The orthodox insist that traditional Judaism is unchangable, thus Rabbi Dromm is correct in assigning women to a second class status since this is the position of Halacha.

[rebitzman@gmail.com]

If they want egalitarian - the Town and Village Synagogue is a bit over a mile away. If they want Orthodox, then they have to adhere to the rules. Rabbi as ma'ar d'atra - he has spoken.

The men don't say Shelo asani isha every morning just to hear themselves daven

[itchiemayer]

Women have the merit of knowing they were made according to God's will. As a man, I can't be sure I am. What am I going to do, curse God because he didn't make me a woman? My merit may not be as good as the holy woman, but I am obligated to be happy with my lot, however inferior it may be. Thus, I must say shelo asani isha every morning, and certainly not because I am somehow better than the woman, chas v'shalom.

[LESKid]

rebitzman- the issue was the rabbi said it was halachically fine only to be overturned by a "higher authority." Sounds like the concept of Morah D'atra was violated by Rabbi Feinstein.

[Neo-Conservaguy]

This is silliness that has nothing to do with the traditional discharge of ritual obligation by Jewish men. So, none of the supporters of this psak halakha have female supervisors (anywhere up the management chain)? Would they refuse the orders of a female officer of the law? BTW, a woman is 4th in line for the order of presidential succession for the USA.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

eventually, they will realise the whole thing is a farce and they will either adopt some kind of qaraite/reformed creed or become outrite agnostics.
those hareidi idiots either forget, or never understood the meaning of 'tafasta merube, lo tafasta'; as well as that the rabbis should not impose on the tzibbur rules that they can't uphold.
trouble with these haredo-agagites, they keep cutting the size of their tzibur. they are happy with the 5 or so people left in their camp.

[danny]

Neo-Conservaguy: "BTW, a woman is 4th in line for the order of presidential succession for the USA."

Actually 3rd in line... Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

[Critical minyaN]

Poor Sheldon.

[Barry]

How things have changed from thew days of Rabbi Singer, and Rabbi Pernikoff two stalwarts of the Shul.
Since their departures the Shul has only diminished from its heralded position.
These two men were symbolic of an era of honor, and integrity long forgotten, and considered to bee passe today.

[Jay]

i thought the shul was frummer than that

[DONNA]

I HAVE EXAMINED MANY SYNAGOGUES AND IF THEY HAD ENOUGH OF MEMBERS THEY WOULD NOT HOLD SERVICES IN SMALL QUARTERS ON THE LOWER FLOOR AND NOT USE THE MAIN SYNAGOGUE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE HEAT BILL OR AIR CONDITIONER. SYNAGOGUES ARE FINANCIALY STRAPED. THE WOMEN SECTIONS ARE ALWAYS CLOSED AND SATURDAY THE AMOUNT OF WOMEN IS A POOR COUNT. GOD MADE MEN AND WOMEN BOTH IMPORTANT AND WAITING FOR BOTH TO PRAY TO GOD. I HAVE REQUESTED MANY TIME MEN OPEN THE DOORS TO THE WOMEN SECTION JUST LIKE THE MEN EVERYDAY, GOD WANT TO HEAR FROM THE WOMEN AND PRAY AT THE SYNAGOGUES AS MEN DO. WOMEN PLEASE KEEP FIGHTING ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE. NORFOLK SYNAGOGUE CLOSED WE WANT TO KEEP THE SYNGOGUES OPEN ACTIVE WITH MEMBERS

[JustFollowing]

I have seen this in my own community. A Rabbi made a written agreement to step down with a more than generous severence package. He then branded the whole board as Rashaim publicly claiming they were firing him. This is a product of YU - hopefully an exceptional case. The result was more than half of the active members left to form their own synagogue. The Rabbi a year and a half later was forced to resign due to lack of economic resources. The members who left were the ones with the cash. Between the Rabbi's inability to be a pulpit Rabbi that had the effect of causing people to leave over the years running the shul into the ground and pushing his right-wing haskafah on a rather heterogenous Orthodox crowd, he is left with less and created a very unnecessary fight. When will Rabbis realize that people don't want their ego in their face 24/7.