Battle Over Touro Synagogue - Charges and Countercharges Fly Between Newport and NY
Tuesday, February 08, 2022
The charges — and countercharges — are flying between Congregation Jeshuat Israel at the historic Rhode Island Touro Synagogue in Newport — and New York-based Congregation Shearith Israel.
This past week, Jeshuat Israel in Newport said it was “shocked to learn that Shearith Israel – which has leased the historic Touro Synagogue to Jeshuat Israel for 120 years – had filed legal proceedings to evict the Congregation from the Synagogue, effectively seeking to dismantle and displace the Congregation, which has served as the Synagogue’s faith community and sole steward for generations.”
U.S. Congressman David Cicilline called the move by the NY-based congregation “shameful and egregious.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNow, the NY-based Shearith Israel is countering their claims — with Newport's Jeshuat Israel weighing in on their response.
New York Fires Back
“Shearith Israel owns Touro Synagogue. The courts confirmed that. The recent proceeding commenced by Shearith Israel seeks to change the Board overseeing day-to-day activities at Touro Synagogue. No congregants are being evicted. No congregant will ever be evicted. Shearith Israel also hopes the current Rabbi of Touro will consider staying, as he is very welcome. Ritual services will remain the same,” said Louis Solomon, President of the NY-based Congregation Shearith Israel, in a statement.
“Congregation Shearith Israel is exercising the rights clearly granted it by the final court decision against CJI [Congregation Jeshuat Irsrael]. Our disagreement is solely with a few members of the CJI Board, and we wish to restructure the group overseeing day-to-day activities of Touro Synagogue to restore the trust and confidence that has historically existed, for close to 200 years, between Shearith Israel and Touro Synagogue,” Solomon continued.
In their initial statement, Newport's Jeshuat Israel said Shearith Israel’s eviction filing was “retaliatory, unprecedented, and unjustified"…adding the New York congregation had "rebuffed mediation efforts and instead is exploiting its legal status to punish Jeshuat Israel for functioning as an independent Congregation.”
Solomon contested that statement, as well.
“CJI enlisted two mediators who actually considered the issues and made recommendations,” said Solomon in their statement. "Shearith Israel was willing to go along with both of the CJI mediator's proposals. In each case CJI rejected its own mediator's proposals.”
Newport Refutes NY’s Latest Statements
Louise Ellen Teitz, Co-President of CJI in Newport, called Shearith Israel’s response “disingenuous at best.”
“Shearith Israel has filed a court proceeding of eviction and ejectment in state court. Publicly Mr Solomon is now claiming they aren't evicting us, but it is literally and legally an eviction of our Congregation. A Congregation is, at its core, its members,” said Teitz. “Furthermore, the only authorized mediation was with former Chief Justice Williams, a mediator of Sherith Israel's choice, which was the mediation they walked out on.”
“If the leadership of Shearith Israel wants to change our Board, they should become members of our Congregation, worship with us, and work with us from within our community,” said Teitz. “Instead, they are attempting a hostile takeover from the outside. Congregation Jeshuat Israel is a separate and independent congregation and Mr. Solomon has in effect indicated he is starting another entity and he has put in writing that he wants to stack the board with Shearith Israel members and others from across the country, which is not the spirit of our community Congregation.”
“We would no longer be Congregation Jeshuat Israel, we'd become Shearith Israel's 'Newport Annex.' We've made it clear that this is not what the members of Congregation Jeshuat Israel want,” said Teitz. “We want to maintain our independence and continue to worship in peace, as we have for almost 140 years.”
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