Reform Congregation Voting on Issue of Retaining Rabbi; Synagogue Board Spilt

Members of the congregation of Shaaray Tefila here, a leading Reform congregation, were scheduled to vote tonight, at a special meeting, on the issue of retaining Rabbi Philip Schechter, who contends he was dismissed because he tried to “modernize” procedures of the 125-year-old synagogue. The dispute has split the board of the synagogue which voted 14-12 January 31 not to extend his verbal contract, according to the rabbi and Frederick Block, president of the board. Rabbi Schechter did not receive a written contract, at his own request, when he was engaged last July. Two principals in the controversy over the 35-year-old rabbi gave differing versions to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today over key issues in the dispute, Sidney Alexander, a member of the board who opposes Rabbi Schechter’s retention, insisted that, under the congregation’s by-laws, the board has no authority to dismiss a rabbi and that, contrary to press reports, the board did not so act at a Jan. 31 meeting. Alexander, Block and Rabbi Schechter do agree that the rabbi was voted a leave of absence, with pay, for the rest of the congregation’s fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Rabbi Schechter, contending that his opponents on the board have made it impossible for him to carry out his rabbinical functions, accepted the leave of absence. Rabbi Bernard Bamberger has been called out of retirement to serve during the interim period. Alexander also told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that what the board did at the January meeting was to adopt a resolution to consider a request by Rabbi Schechter for immediate consideration on renewing his verbal contract at the end of the first year of his tenure. Rabbi Schechter denied this, citing a letter from Block to him saying that the board voted, 14-12, not to extend his contract beyond the end of the current fiscal year. He said he understood this constituted a dismissal. The 14 to 12 vote, the JTA was told, constituted a rejection of the recommendation of a committee of five leading members named by Block to evaluate the dispute, which voted 3-2 in favor of retaining Rabbi Schechter. Alexander told the JTA the appointment of that committee violated the by-laws but he agreed to it in the interests of avoiding a public controversy.

Alexander’s insistence that the board did not dismiss Rabbi Schechter apparently is a matter of terminology to some degree. Apart from the Alexander statement that the board did not act on dismissal and Block’s notification to Rabbi Schechter that it had not to renew, technically Alexander was correct in saying that the board did not fire the rabbi, since he is on paid leave-of-absence status for the rest of his year. But the resolution scheduled for a congregational vote tonight calls on the board to reverse its decision of Jan. 31, which Block notified Rabbi Schechter meant he was not getting a renewal of his verbal contract as rabbi. There was disagreement also as to what would happen tonight if the congregation votes to ask the board to renew Rabbi Schechter’s status. Alexander says that under the congregation’s by-laws, the board can only recommend and that, in accordance with the New York State Religious Corporation Law, only the congregation can hire and fire. Rabbi Schechter said there is a by-law clause which holds that a rabbi cannot be approved by the congregation without approval from the board. However a vote of approval for retention of Rabbi Schechter for the next congregational year by the congregation tonight, if rejected by the board at its regular meeting tomorrow night, appeared to raise an issue of conflict with the state law, the JTA was told.