Synagogue Intrique

There are two reform synagogues in Haifa, the one we occasionally go to, and the one we never, ever go to.  The reason we never, ever go to the other synagogue is because we don't have a car and the buses don't run on Friday night and we would never find our way home.  Besides, the one we go to has enough intrigue to keep us entertained for years to come.

Did that sound sacrilegious?

If you are above gossip, you do not need to read any further, but if you are interested in rabbis going down in flames read on.  I exaggerate.

First, everything I am telling you is second-hand information from three different sources.  So take the story with a grain of salt.  Here goes.

The rabbi has been at the shul for many years maybe 10, maybe even 20 years and he has never taken a vacation.  He made aliyah in his early twenties and is an American citizen.  As an American citizen it has been easy for him to make many shnoring visits to the USA to beg for money from supporting synagogues.  When we first started going there, almost every Friday night there would be an American contingent visiting from one of the sponsoring synagogues.  I have noticed that recently American groups are not showing up, and now understand why.

Follow the money.

Right after the Second Lebanon War nearly 6 years ago, US money came pouring in.  Pouring in to the tune of millions, yes millions.  During that time, the synagogue spent money like there was no tomorrow and did not plan for the lean years.  They elected a board president who had a contract for a salary of around $100,000 a year for five years whether he worked the full tern or not.  He may or may not have been dipping into the till, but he really let the synagogue down and they somehow managed to get rid of him. During this time the US economy busted and the money stopped flowing.
Because of the president's questionable activities, and the lack of money since they spent the millions like a game-show shopping spree, the board took a long hard look at the books.  It turns out the rabbi bought himself a car using synagogue funds.  There was nothing wrong with that, his contract allowed him to purchase a car, but he took the money from the wrong fund aka misappropriation of funds, and -- according to many on the board -- he bought himself too nice of a car.

Too nice of a car, is relative.  According to one of the sources, it's a nice car, but if the money was flowing in, the board would have wondered why the rabbi didn't buy himself a nicer car.  So they decided to "fire" the rabbi.  They did it in such a way so the rabbi is taking a year long sabbatical where he is being paid half his salary and at the end of the year, he can re-apply for the position.  In the meantime, they have hired a temporary rabbi fresh out of rabbinic school.

But that's not really the problem.  The problem seems to be a large anti-American feeling about the congregation.  For instance, when the now fired rabbi was leading a service, the American flag was up front along with the Israeli flag.  Seems fair, since the only reason this congregation exists is because of American money.  When the rabbi is gone, the American flag is gone.

In fact, the woman whose husband paid for the building with his own funds to the tune of half a million dollars attended one evening.  She spoke to the congregation and gave a brief history of all that her husband (now dead) had done for the synagogue, and basically said:  get your act together or I'm not giving you another dime.

I don't know what that means exactly.  Does that mean they should bring back the rabbi or simply make sure they do a better job of spending their money?

The fired rabbi has done a lot for the promotion of reform Judaism in Haifa.  From his own pocket, he has helped support people in need, and is helping to bring Palestinian and Israeli children together in sporting events in order to promote peace.  I like him, he's a nice guy.  And he has established the relationship with the American synagogues that support the congregation.

For those of you who question -- why doesn't the congregation support itself? -- the answer is not so simple.  First, unlike many of the reform synagogues in the US, the congregants are not wealthy.  There's just not a lot of wealth in Haifa.  Second, orthodox synagogues in Israel are supported by the state, while reform and conservative are not.  This means that as an orthodox shul-goer, yearly dues are not necessary because Israeli tax dollars are paying for the synagogue.  But if you happen to be reform, struggling to make financial ends meet, and you are asked to pay dues to support the synagogue, the natural inclination is to think: orthodox don't have to pay dues, why should I?  That means, if there is going to be a much needed reform movement in Israel it basically has to come from American dollars.  American dollars pretty much built this country anyway.

So here is this synagogue totally dependent on American money and they're throwing out the rabbi that brings it in.  Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

David predicts that a year from now attendance at Friday night services will be close to zero.  He believes the Americans have already gotten wind of what is going on and will send their financial support elsewhere.  Part of their willingness to give was the knowledge that the rabbi was doing outreach to the Palestinians and needy in the community.  Part of their willingness to give was that they were welcomed when bringing groups into Haifa.  And maybe part of their willingness to give was seeing the American flag next to the Israeli flag.  David predicts the American supporters will go elsewhere.

It will be interesting to see what happens.