A statement on Wednesday that Jewish patients at the Metropolitan Hospital on Welfare Island had gone on a religious “strike” because of alleged infringement of their rights of worship in the synagogue there was disputed both by the Department of Publice Welfare and the New York section of the National Council of Jewish Women.
The report, at the time confirmed at Welfare Island, was that certain patients had protested against the synagogue proper being opened only one day a week, religious services on the other days being held in the social room of the same building. It was said that Jacob Greenfield, the rabbi of the group, had resigned.
Dr. Walter H. Conley, in charge of the Welfare offices in the absence of Commissioner Coler, said the action of the strikers was due to an attempt of the rabbi to retain his position. He said the New York section had recently opened the synagogue and that while the city pays a portion of the salary of the minister the section pays the larger percentage and therefore has the right to dispose of the rabbi when it sees fit.
The New York section, through its President, Mrs. Edward Josephy, said that Dr. Greenfield had been asked to resign, effective March 15, but that he had been allowed to remain until April 1. Dr. Greenfield declared that he had tried to resign long before the strike had started. He added that he began his two weeks’ vacation yesterday, at the end of which the resignation would go into effect. The patients were still striking, he said.
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