New York Orthodox Rabbis Conference Deliberates on Religious Affairs

Rabbis’ Economic Status Badly Affected by Changing Conditions

Several measures were adopted at the annual meeting of the Vaad Harabanim, the organization of Orthodox Rabbis in New York City, having a membership of ninety, with a view to ameliorating the economic status of Orthodox rabbis in the metropolitan area.

The meeting which was in session for three days at the Broadway Central Hotel ended its deliberations yesterday. At a session under the chairmanship of Rabbi Gozek, many of the speakers complained of the economic plight in which the older generation of Orthodox Rabbis finds itself due to the rapidly changing conditions in American Jewish life. The rabbis complained that many congregations on the East Side and in Harlem were abandoned because the members of the congregation, having achieved prosperity, have moved away and in their new neighborhoods they are constructing modern synagogues and centers where only modern, English speaking rabbis are engaged.

The two other sources of income for Orthodox rabbis, the supervision of the sale of kosher meat and offciating at wedding ceremonies, are lately not available for many Orthodox rabbis, In the matter of wedding ceremonies the rabbis are being substituted by cantors and other persons who pose as rabbis.

To insure the proper supervision of the sale of kosher meat and to provide a religious atmosphere for the wedding ceremony, the Vaad Harabanim adopted resolutions urging “the powers that are to put an end to the state of lawlessness in the kosher meat market.” This is to be achieved by meeting the demand of the rabbis that each slaughter house and poultry market is to be under the direct supervision of the rabbis. It was stated that the plan of the New York Rabbis Committee is that in future the supervision of the sale of kosher meat is not to be intrusted to individual rabbis but to the Vaad Harabanim.

A resolution adopted urged upon Orthodox Jews that at wedding ceremonies and in the granting of divouces not cantors or “reverends” but duly authorized rabbis should officiate. If a cantor is to officiate, the resolution urges that an authorized rabbi be present to furnish religious sanction.

A discussion also took place with regard to Jewish education, many of the speakers scoring the modern Hebrew teachers who were charged with introducing a spirit contrary to Orthodox Judaism into the Hebrew schools and Talmud Torahs.

A Synagogue service, the first to be conducted by women in Sacramento, Cal., and one of the first to be conduted in the United States by women was performed at Temple B’nai Israel, Sacramento, on Armistice Day. The members of the Temple Sisterhood had charge of the program.

Mrs. J. C. Nathan is president of the Sisterhood.

The Sons of Israel congregation has been formed at Northampton, Pa. The congregation acquired title to the former post office building which will be remodeled into a synagogue.

Louis Lucks is president of the newly organized congregation.