NEW YORK
Jewish Daily Forwward
JTA
Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt told his congregants that he plans to continue serving as spiritual leader of the Riverdale Jewish Center despite media attention over his method of outreach to young men.
Rosenblatt’s unusual behavior of inviting young males to join him for naked heart-to-heart talks in the sauna has prompted talk about a contract buyout or firing the rabbi, who was the subject of a recent article in The New York Times.
“This is a crisis created by my own lapses of judgment,” Rosenblatt, told a meeting of congregants on Wednesday, the New York Times reported, citing a recording of the speech transcribed by a synagogue member. “I have brought pain to people, shame to my family and I have caused a desecration of the divine name.”
Rosenblatt reportedly said that calls for him to be removed from his position are “disproportionate,” and that he plans to continue to serve the 700-member congregation, as he has for the last 30 years.
Earlier this month, the board of directors of the Riverdale Jewish Center voted 34-8 to seek a financial settlement to get Rosenblatt to resign his pulpit position.
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