149. Trouble at Park East Synagogue With Ben Sales

Park East, a historic synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is going through a critical upheaval. Over the last month, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the 91-year-old senior rabbi, fired the shul's assistant rabbi, Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt, over an alleged coup. Teams have been formed, and allegations thrown around. This week, Uri and Rivky speak to Ben Sales, JTA reporter, about this story and ask, is this merely salacious gossip about real people and their lives, or does this story actually signify something bigger? Relevant links: https://www.jta.org/2021/10/20/ny/park-east-synagogue-pushes-out-assistant-rabbi-sparking-protest https://www.jta.org/2021/10/27/ny/a-world-famous-rabbi-a-popular-assistant-and-a-succession-crisis-inside-the-rupture-at-park-east-synagogue https://www.jta.org/2021/10/29/ny/park-east-fired-rabbi-says-accusations-of-synagogue-coup-are-completely-unfounded-and-personally-hurtful https://www.jta.org/2021/11/02/ny/fired-park-east-rabbi-holding-rival-services-blocks-from-his-old-synagogue https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/park-east