Quebec- In a blatant thumb of the nose to Jewish law and tradition, the board of trustees and the board of directors of Montreal’s Snowdon YM-YWHA voted this past Monday according to their web site to allow their Jewish community health facility to be open on Saturday afternoons.
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Opposition to the Shabbos desecration is virtually unanimous in Montreal’s sizable Orthodox community, as well among many of Montreal’s traditional Jews.
According to the Suburban Newspaper After board member Leon Elfassy, who voted against the change, spoke out against it on Montreal’s Radio Shalom Jewish radio program, Rabbi Reuven Poupko of the Beth Israel Beth Aaron Synagogue called Elfassy “a hero.”
Tragically, however, the Montreal Y was reportedly only one of two such Jewish facilities across North America regularly closed on Shabbos. Only Baltimore’s JCC is now said to regularly open on Saturdays.
As a reader noted to VIN News, The Borough Park YM&YWHA is proudly Shomer Shabbos, and has been more than a half century.
The jcc in Ottawa ontario is closed on shabbat.
The YM-YWHA was always closed in Montreal. Who pushed them to open it? They have a Board of Directors who probably was out voted!!
The Riverdale Y is shomer Shabat.
In Baltimore, there are two JCC and only one remains closed on Shabbos the one on Park Heights Avenue.
I think you meant to say the Baltimore JCC (the old one) is the only JCC still closed on shabbos…the other JCC recently voted to open. As a practical matter, more than 75 percent of JCC users are not shomer shabbos so keeping them closed on weekends was no longer viable.
the jcc in ottawa ont is still closed on shabbat
The One in Savannah Ga. is also closed. A pride to the community. Its all about respect and honor of tradition and those who put their sweat and tears to have what we have today.n
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The Riverdale Y, in the Bronx, is closed on Shabat and Yom Tov.
let encourage not discourage