NEW YORK
The Jewish Week
08/09/16
Gary Rosenblatt
Editor And Publisher
The Riverdale Jewish Center, the Modern Orthodox synagogue that recently parted ways with Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt over his unusual behavior with young men, is in financial crisis.
A message this week from the executive committee of the congregation to the membership said “the undisputable fact is that the operating account is completely depleted.”
It added that “the doors of the RJC remain open only due to the generosity of a few families who have donated approximately $120,000 in new contributions over the last month, allowing us to cover our operating expenses.”
The letter, signed by Tzvi Bar-David, the newly elected president of the congregation, said “we will need $1.2 million in order to reach a net zero in the operating account.”
“Due to circumstances in the last year, the RJC did not actively engage in many of its regular fundraisers,” the letter noted, referring to the controversy over Rabbi Rosenblatt (no relation to this writer), who stepped down this past spring from the pulpit he held for more than three decades after many months of internal debate over whether he should be removed or allowed to stay.
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