NCYI takes on a small shul.

I see from my mail that  NCYI is at  war with a small shul in Syracuse - the only Orthodox shul for hundreds miles - and according to the shul president, they have threatened to destroy it. The issue? Not a woman rabbi, says the shul , but a woman president. Is such a thing really forbidden? And if it is, can't the rabbis find/create a kula that will save an Orthodox institution? Last year, Agudah defeated the child-protecting Markey Bill on the grounds that it would open the door to livelihood and institution destroying lawsuits. If children can be sacrificed to save a yeshiva, can't NCYI sacrifice its standards for the sake of saving an old and proud Orthodox shul?

Here's what the shul president says, in full:

Dear Friends,

I have recently been informed that National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) is having a meeting of the Delegates Assembly on this coming Thursday, June 24th, during which they plan to vote to expel our synagogue, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse. This is in spite of the fact that we legally resigned from them on August 24, 2008. According to their constitution, the assets of any synagogue that is expelled revert to NCYI.

We have prepared a position paper that details the history of what occurred, and explains why we resigned. We would like as many delegates as possible to be made aware of our story. If you know members of Young Israel synagogues in other cities, please send them the link to this website.

With thanks,

Beverly S. Marmor
President
Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse

Note: There are at least  two sides to every story. I'm happy to publish the NCYI version of events, or any official response. All information in this post appears here and was submitted to me by email from someone who is not affiliated with the shul.

Shul's version of events after the jump

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