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Bronx, NY – The so-called “Sauna Rabbi” is refusing to leave his post as rabbi and spiritual leader of the Riverdale Jewish Center in the Bronx, the New York Times reports (http://nyti.ms/1QS0LIe).
Despite what many believed to be an earlier agreement reached by the board on June 9 (http://bit.ly/1KdrCZR) with Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt to buy out the last three years of his contract in exchange for his leaving quietly, the rabbi has remained adamant about staying, telling his supporters,
“This is a crisis created by my own lapses of judgment,” Rosenblatt, 58, said. “I have brought pain to people, shame to my family, and I have caused a desecration of the Divine Name.” Even so, according to one member, the rabbi said, “Calls for him to no longer be the rabbi are disproportionate to what he did, and he looks forward to serving his community.”
Riverdale Jewish Center’s board had voted 34 to 8 to buy out the rabbi’s contract after the New York Times broke the story that Rosenblatt regularly took boys ages 12 and up to the sauna and showers after playing squash or racquetball as part of his spiritual mentoring program. Both he and the young men he brought with him were usually naked during these “spiritual sessions.”
Rosenblatt’s lawyer, Ben Brafman, said the rabbi is determined to stay because, “this is the rabbi’s life and he didn’t want to leave the pulpit.” Brafman added, “And after reflection and careful thought he realized that he did nothing that warranted his dismissal, nor his retirement.”
Synagogue members have been split on the issue, with some 200 people signing a petition for Rosenblatt to stay, and only 45 signatures demanding he should go. “He is a caring, loving, and brilliant rabbi,” said supporter Sherell Najman. “He deserves to continue his great work.”
The board does not have the power to remove Rosenblatt from his post, the rabbi’s lawyer, Brafman, told the New York Times. Neither the president, nor the chairman of the board responded to requests for comment.
First, there’s a typo. Ben Brafman is his lawyer not his rabbi.
Second, he can always be fired for a morality clause. It’s in every rabbinic contract. But no Bet Din will back the shul. And even more so with Ben Brafman handling the negotiations.
He’s going to have to leave. This is a negotiating tactic.
Looks like he and Sandusky suffer from the same mental illness.
Is something wrong w me if I don’t quite get the situation?! Are people implying that he is a pedophile and/or he has abused these kids. Or is the mere fact that he exposed kids to his naked body, & let the kids be exposed to him considered inappropriate and/or abusive?
My personal opinion is that he had no bad intentions nor did he harm in any way any of these kids, however, I do agree that it was inappropriate for today’s culture… Also I think he hasn’t realized how paranoid people have become & I must say, unfortunately for very good reason.
The reason I think this way is because, I myself as a pubescent & young adult I was considered sort of a therapist to a few boys in my yeshiva. (I guess they confided in me because they felt I understood or I can be trusted.) Some of these boys were a few years younger than me in age. Anyway a lot of these sessions took place while we were sitting in a hot Mikva during the night hours. God is my witness that none of us had any inappropriate intentions. To youngsters especially, being in a spa-like-thingy is very relaxing and has some sort of therapeutic effect to the person seeking chizuk.
Am I missing a piece of the puzzle?
Aha! Thought these things only happen by chasidim. Guess the yetzer hora has a broader field of customers
It is wrong to compare sandusky to the rabbi as not one person has accused the rabbi of anything other then bad judgement and the DA is trying with not a single person coming forward
Although perhaps inappropriate for the rabbi to be naked in front of congregants it is normal in the locker room when preparing to get into shower and wrapping a towel around oneself in the suna
I believe, “Where there’s smoke there is fire.” Nevertheless, doesn’t seem like he did anything wrong. He is from a different era when the things he did nobody would have cared about and he is now stuck in a mindless, witch hunt culture.
If he admittedly caused “desecration to the divine name,” then he’s guilty of something.
I wonder about the following: Isn’t it conventional wisdom that someone who is a true pedophile can’t be rehabilitated and continues doing predatory things to children? If Rabbi Rosenblatt stops taking young people to the sauna, and is able to do so, wouldn’t it stand to reason that what he did definitely showed terrible judgement but that he really meant no harm?
How about we leave it to the Rabbi and his congregation to make their own decisions. Did he break the law? No. So it’s a matter, assuming it’s true, of his community. Poor judgement? Certainly. But let’s ruin a mans career whom otherwise seems to be beloved by his community? I don’t know. They’ll have to make that decision. To compare him to a convicted evil child rapist pedophile is a gross misrepresentation of this situation. If you do there is something wrong with you. Has anyone come forward with accusations of molestation? No. So until then let’s quit the hyperbole.
I live in Lakewood and have known Rabbi Rosenblatt for many years. He is an upstanding MO Rabbi and although I myself am not MO, I wish there were more MO Rabbis like him. He is a G-d fearing and caring man with exemplary middos. I believe he innocently and mistakenly acted in line with a culture from a previous generation where the culture and mindset were less corrupt and perverted than they are today and should have known better – that’s all. If our society would be more pure he would not be newsworthy. Unfortunately and fortunately we are more aware of pedophiles than we ever were and that is what has caused this stir. I truly believe it’s nothing more than tabloid material to rile up readers and get people excited about getting close to “nailing another rabbi” for inappropriate behavior… Enough unnecessary bad press has been directed at this seemingly and probably innocent man so let’s end it here l’maan Hashem.
At worst the Ruv has only three years left on his contract, you can be sure that under no circumstances will his contract be renewed after that. If he decides to stay for those three years his effectiveness will be compromised. As for his naked sauna shindigs, there apparently was something missing from his youth that he was trying to compensate for. Trying to show a very misplaced attempt at being cool with a captive audience.
but he did no wrong! he never touched anyone!
ok, maybe sitting naked with kids isn’t today accepted in straight places, but still, perhaps it was his means of removing the external block to being an internal seeking Jew…
The Weberman of Riverdale. The DA will find a kid to discuss what really happened.
What do you expect from a member of the RCA. Its the association of modern Orthodoxy. Modern Ortho is the weakest link in the Orthodox chain, some contend is already a Missing Link ipso facto good riddance. Watch every Wednesday EXPOSE on Judaism of both gentile and Jewish anti Semitism etc., 10:00AM & 6:00PM New York time, go to bcat.tv scroll down to and click on Brooklyn Public Network then click on arrow in channel 2
so fire him and pay out the contract. they are rich.