Edison, NJ – Township police chaplain Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg, who was terminated from the paid position Thursday, said he plans to hold a demonstration outside town hall to protest his termination if he doesn’t hear back from township officials.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
“Right now, I’m waiting for a counter-offer from the mayor,” he said.
Rosenberg, who has served as township public-safety chaplain since 1992, was terminated from his $3,800 per year position Thursday – which Rosenberg said Friday does not include a pension – because his appointment reportedly did not meet legal requirements. Township officials said state law requires such an appointment be done through an ordinance, but Rosenberg was appointed through a resolution, (as was reported here earlier today on VIN News).
“I supported the mayor in her election … What kind of thank you is this?” Rosenberg said Friday.
Chaplains in neighboring towns including New Brunswick, Metuchen and East Brunswick work on a volunteer basis and do not receive an annual stipend.
“You cannot compare what I do to what they do,” Rosenberg said. “I’m not being paid to be chaplain but for my expertise in sensitivity training, interfaith work and in dealing with people of all countries. The township is getting a bargain with me.”
Mayor Antonia Ricigliano has initiated drafting of an ordinance to establish chaplain positions – which will include clergy members serving as unpaid volunteers.
Rosenberg had said earlier that he would not agree to serve in the position for free. He is, however, willing to work without pay or even at reduced pay until the township can afford to pay him, he said Friday.
Also, he had earlier said that if the mayor was going to appoint more than one chaplain he was not interested in the position. But he said Friday, “If the mayor appoints more than one that’s fine as long as I am the senior chaplain considering my tenure.”
Rosenberg is rabbi of Congregation Beth-El in Edison.
This Rabbi’s training obviously wasn’t that good if he can throw such a hissy fit. Its obvious this is about ego and power and not about service to the community. I almost want to pay him 3000 to just shut up and stop making a chilul hashem.
What an embarrassment!
Agree with Anonymous. Enough chilul hashem. Please just step down and be a mentsch. The town will appreciate it.
Please don’t continue to embarrass the community. We’ve tried to cultivate a good relationship with the township governing body, and he is spoiling it. Do the right thing and just step down quietly. Much appreciated.
What an embarassment. Shame on him for making us look like a money-grubbing whining immature greedy ego maniac rather then the tempered, generous, yielding, polite ohr lagoyin that we should strive to be. And he isn’t even orthodox, he has a conservative temple.
calm down
This guy is a nutcase!
This “Rabbi” Bernard Rosenberg practices a deviant form of what he calls Judaism.
He is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth-El of Edison.
This is from their website:
EJCC Congregation Beth-El of Edison is a conservative and egalitarian synagogue with a family atmosphere. Men and women are called to the Torah for aliyahs. We are a caring organization and accept all Jews who want to join. It doesn’t matter if you are part of a mixed marriage or not financially sound. All are accepted in our Temple. Our membership chairperson and our financial secretary will come up with a payment plan based on your financial abilities. Members who are unable to pay their full dues will be assigned to fund raising activities.
Our Rabbi invites all of our Hebrew School students to participate in all of our services. Our Bar/Bat Mitzvah graduates demonstrate high levels of accomplishment. Their required participation in services supplements an excellent program of supervised study and preparation.
Our Shabbat services are held Friday nights and Saturday mornings. We have a Cantor during Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur. All Jewish Holidays are observed and celebrated.
Judge for yourself.
Don’t knock him for being what he is. He comes from a community where there is no Torah so you cannot expect him to even know what Chillul Hashem means let alone appreciate the concept.
To Anonymous: Edison happens to be a wonderful makom Torah with Yeshivos and Bais Yaakov schools in Rosenberg’s immediate neighborhood. He happens to be a Rabbi for a conservative synagogue and he is NOT a member of the VAAD Harabonim of Raritan Valley. But please do not disparage the wonderful community of Edison/Highland Park just because of one nutcase.
Jews applaud Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg when he is the only Rabbi speaking out against swastikas, anti-semitism and coming to the aid of a yeshiva boy who was beaten up. He is the Rabbi who keeps the memory of the Holocaust alive. What Hissy fit. ?He is fighting for his position as Chapain.Yes he is in a conservative synagogue. Thank YU placement for placing him in his first conservative shul and then refusing to give him a Mechitzah shul. All his kids are very frum. Shame on these writers. You have committed a major Chilul. Go after Burt Gimmelstob , a vicious rumor spreader and non observant Jew, who hurts people and destroys reputations.
Newspapers print their own stories.
He has offered a compromise in which he would remain Senior Chaplain with as many chaplains under him as the Mayor wishes. This occurred years ago when a young Priest served with him.
This Chaplaincy was initiated by him/. The council unanimously agreed to it. Some towns have an ordinance and some dont. If it is a state law that an ordinance is required, many Chaplains should also be terminated immediately.
He does not get paid for Chaplaincy, his stipend was for services including professional teacher of sensitivity training and professional counselling. No other chaplain I know of has two doctorates and thirty five years experience with various police departments. In addition\ he has written pamphlets and produced films dealing with how to work with people of different nationalities.
This is why I am fighting this dismissal. It was done in an undignified and insulting manner. The ones attacking him are jealous of the power he has. They are the nut caes. The biggest nut case is Burt Gimmelstob, a non obervant evil person who receives and huge pension from the state and spreads rumors and lies about people he does not agree with
Sensitivity training is what he desperately needs
The ones criticizing Rabbi Rosenberg are cowards. I f they are orthodox they should be ashamed.What a disgrace for religious people to attack a Rabbi who has done so much in the Edison Highland Park Community. Are you aware he fought for 16 years to have an eruv extended to his shul and that he has a Yeshiva in his shul. He also founded a Yeshiva. By the way he teaches at Yeshiva University where most of his children have graduated from or attend. His entire family is very frum. Go blame orthodoxy for making him into a conservative Rabbi. He is a man with a Hebrew school background who became religious.This does not say much for those in the frum community who are attacking him. It says much more about them.
Go for it! Stick up for your rights! If everybody else stands up for their rights, jews wouldnt get stepped on just like all the blacks. and all you people sooo worried about chillul hashem, Sticking up for a brother would be a much bigger kiddush hashem than having us ALL THE TIME abandoning our brothers.
Most frum edison residents feel that Rosenberg runs after kavod as evidenced by this article. There are many people who work behind the scenes in very discreet, respectful ways as liaisons with the non-Jewish political officials. We don’t appreciate his public outbursts that reflect poorly on the Jewish community in general.
We needed more rabbis like Rabbi Rosenberg .During the Holocaust. Cowards such as those who attack him are like the ones who stood silently by.
What an embarassment. Shame on him for making us look like a money-grubbing whining immature greedy ego maniac rather then the tempered, generous, yielding, polite ohr lagoyin that we should strive to be. And he isn’t even orthodox, he has a conservative temple.
I have the distinct feeling that Rabbi Rosenberg himself is authoring many of the above posts that defend him. He even refers to “He” & “I” in one post. He probably just doesn’t understand that most folks here don’t respect him for his constant LOUD and whining remarks directed to anyone who will listen to his tirades. He doesn’t try to endear with his remarks. He just turns folks off. Other folks in the community have JD, MD, PhD degrees (together with smicha!), but they conduct themselves in a much more professional and dignified manner while working diligently for the Klal. I suggest the Rabbi with double degrees do the same. Don’t become the Farakkhan, l’havdil, of the Jews here. We don’t respect the egotistical rants.
How many times must we here Rabbi Rosenberg has a Conservative synague. Send a letter of thanks to YU and the RCA. I am a colleague from Flatbush. You in Edison and Highland Park are a disgrace to Yaaduth.
Rabbi Rosenberg always signs his name. Unlike you he is no coward. Read his hundreds of articles and many books. By the way this conservative Rabbi teaches hundreds of frum kids. You gus are just plain fools.
For the record, I did not write any of these comments. I am in fact embarrased over all this. I raised 4 frum children in Edison. and have created a shul which houses a Yeshiva. Ask the Rabbinical Council of America and YU placement how I ended up in conservative synagogues. I raised over one and half million dollard for YU and I teach there. For 12 years I taught Yeshiva kids Holocaust and public speaking at Moshe Aaron Yeshina High. The RCA president years ago told me he would ruin the shidduchim of my children if I ever went public about what was done to me. Thank G-d 3 0f 4 of my children married frum. The other one learned in Isael for two years and is now at YU.I never hide behind anyone. This is known in the community whether you like me or not. Please stop all this chillul Hashem . It is unbecoming for us as Jews. Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
No, I didn’t refer to you or anyone else as an ‘a.’ Surely, if you daven every week in any shul, you would not engage in such talk. Rabbi R. should be giving a sermon on the topic of bain adam l’chavero, or how to respectfully disagree with another’s comment without engaging in cursing. All we have said is that we don’t appreciate his rants which evidently embarrass quite a few people here in the community. And, for your information, many of us grew up in conservative synagogues and still are close to relatives and friends who daven there. This has nothing to do with conservative or orthodox.
i was a student of rabbi rosenberg’s in YU. he is a great man who speaks his mind. and he is FRUM.. all you people who post disgusting comments on here bashing other jews shouldnt be considered frum… why dont you get off this website and stop posting mean comments and do something productive in your life like open a sefer
I personaly know Rabbi Rosenberg. He is an ehrliche mench. I’m not sure if he believs that the Toirah is from Hashem or if it was written by men (like the Conservatives believe). He tries to help people and he is the Rabbi of the Conservative Congregation where many of the people drive to shul on Shabbos & Yom Toivim and men & womens sit together because there is no mechitza and even the women get aliyos. The’re a little farmisht over there. They think that it’s Jewish.
I ALSO AM A STUDET OF Rabbi Dr. Rosenberg. He is a genius and fantastic teacher. How dare you horrible people who think you are religios attack him. He has helped thousands of students and people of all ages. What Torah do you study? Maybe you read the Koran not the Chumash.
Where were all you people in Edison Highland Park when swastikas were on the Rabbis synagogue. Did any of you show support.? You know the answer. You could not bother becuse it was a conservative synagoge. When there was a swastika on an orthodox synagogue Rabbi Rosenberg was the first to help. This is more than a disgrace.
No one condones the swastikas on the shul. There has been an ongoing investigation. But R Dr. R. just needs to learn to lower the decibel level of his protests. In every thing I read by him – it’s all about him: double degrees, where he’s taught, what’s HE’s done, etc.. Does he think he’s the only one educating our youth or bringing up frum children? He just shouldn’t embark on his public tirades in the press without understanding first how other members of the community view it.
Rabbi Rosenberg shouldn’t be blamed, albeit maybe he’s a little selfish. This is a result of every town in New Jersey makes Shabbos far zich alain. Its all political. If towns would get together (merge) services can be shared & cut, and patronage jobs can be eliminated and the taxpayer can save money. Oh the taxpayers, “the taxpayers will always go along with what we decide, we know whats good for them”.
Is thre ever an end to the Chilull Hashem we bring upon ourselves? Maybe someone has the name of a good proctologist?
I, too am a congregant at Beth-El and I am not going to get drawn into the name calling going on here. My older daughter is already in Yeshiva at the schul and has become sehr frum. It is a pleasure to have a Rabbi who is not afraid to open his mouth when wrong is being done. How about the Mayor’s demand that Rabbi identify the Police Officers he has counseled? He rightly refused, and I do not see the Mayor being taken to task over that inappropriate request.
And where were all you kvetches when we were cleaning the swastikas off the temple doors? I was there. You were probably telling the Rabbi to be quiet and not make waves. Rabbi Rosenberg is a good man. Try to emulate him.
Anon is an idiot.. Dr. Rosenberg fights for others with great vigilance. Where are the other silent religios leaders? Put a lid on it.
The Rabbi is a very good man who means well. He may come off as a bit selfish, but he has earned the right so say whatever he likes. Whenever there is a problem confronting Jews in the community, he is always there to stand up for us, and this has been the case for a long time. He has always had our backs, and we should repay the favor. Perhaps he is making a bit of an unnecessary public uproar, but it doesn’t mean that we should turn against him. And shame on the “Jews” who would cast judgment on their brothers and sisters who choose to practice their faith in a conservative rather than an orthodox manner. A real Jew embraces his brothers and sisters because we are too few to divide ourselves. Absolute shame on those who do so.