Congregants at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons on Sunday voted nearly 2-to-1 to oust the board of trustees and retain their rabbi at a meeting that drew more than 800 people, or 78 percent of the Reform congregation’s membership.
But the results may be invalidated on Tuesday after a Supreme Court judge hears arguments on whether the vote was in accordance with the temple’s constitution.
According to unofficial results, 574 members voted to replace the board, which had refused to renew Rabbi David Gelfand’s his three-year, million-dollar-plus contract, citing questions about funds and the treatment of administrative staff.
The rabbi sent a letter to the members before the vote telling his side of the story, according to a lawyer for members who want to replace the board.
Advocates of the rabbi said 310 people voted to retain the board. Previous votes in favor of the rabbi were done mostly by proxy, with opponents boycotting.
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