Rabbi Opposes Late Friday Evening Services and Men and Women Sitting Together

Strenuous opposition to late Friday evening services and men and women sitting together in the synagogue was voiced yesterday by Rabbi Nachman H. Ebin of Brooklyn in his presidential message at the opening of the second annual convention of the Rabbinical Association of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. One hundred rabbis, graduates of the Yeshiva College, are attending the sessions, which are being held at the Hotel Pennsylvania.

“We strenuously oppose late Friday evening services,” declared Rabbi Ebin. “Services should take place at sunset when the Sabbath is ushered in. We are, however, in favor of Friday night lectures in the synagogues, provided that the same are arranged in accord with the spirit of the Jewish religion.

“As orthodox rabbis, we uphold the time-honored tradition and custom that women be segregated from the men during hours of worship. We are therefore against family pews in the synagogue. The Jewish traditional synagogue always had a gallery for women. We urge the various communities to construct their synagogues upo the model and design of the old traditional synagogue. Those synagogues that have no gallery should make proper partitioning, to enable men and women to come to the synagogue without violating the principle of the law.”

At the opening session addresses were delivered by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Revel, president of the Yeshiva College; Rabbi Eliezer Silver, president, and Rabbi Israel Rosenberg, honorary, president, of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of America. The secretary’s report was rendered by Rabbi Solomon Reichman of New York.

The morning session was opened with an invocation by Rabbi Gutterman of Scranton. The convention dinner took place last night at Trotzky’s Restaurant. The convention will close this evening.