Why We Are Independent
.לֹא־תִהְיֶה אַחֲרֵי־רַבִּים לְרָעֹת
Exodus 23:2 “You shall not follow a crowd to do wrong.”
In sum, Beth El of Manhattan has been an unaffiliated or independent synagogue since 2001 because Scriptural ethics required that we choose to disassociate from the association in which we and our founding leaders had across a combined nearly 40 years been members and honored clergy, employees, national and international emissaries, and corporate officers.
This ethical necessity was because we had discovered very serious corruption in the highest echelon of the association leaders [active links are underlined]: embezzlement of funds, perjury in official proceedings, literal acts of sadism –– and –– forgery of signatures on corporate documents, & false information published to voting Members to influence business and elections - and more.
When confronted, one such leader literally laughed at the idea he could be held accountable, and declared he intended to go right on stealing ministry money belonging by contract to someone else! These are, obviously, not petty differences over obscure theology issues: these are matters of criminal misconduct and high ethical violations. [FYI: Documentary evidence is provided at the Links above and below at the conclusion of this note.]
Scripture is clear in regard to the reaction required of God-following people, once having become aware of such levels of wrongdoing. If such levels of criminality are confronted and are not ceased, repented, and restitution made for the harms done –– then any actual God-follower(s) of healthy conscience are to separate from such intentional and ongoingly unrepented corruption. (Isa. 52:11, Matt. 5:18:17, 1Cor. 5:11, 2 John 1:10, etc.)
In 2001, after two years of attempts to get honorable and unbiased due process for the above crimes and sins among leadership (1Tim. 5:22) when it became clear no change was coming; and more and more wrongdoing attempting “cover-up” was being heaped upon the crisis-originating misconduct –– Beth El of Manhattan resigned from it’s many levels of Association membership – including transferring our Rabbi’s ordinations out of those tainted auspices.
Our Manhattan synagogue’s leaders have, across their entire careers, been people strongly engaged with peer and wider accountability structures, and who sought as honorable “whistleblowers” during over-long, highly delayed and deflected due process, to remain hopeful of ethical health returning to their American and International associations; even with so many ‘leaders’ having gone so seriously astray from Biblically sound conduct – even into literal criminality – yet, despite a decade (1995-2005) of repeated efforts toward healthy repentance and honorable accountability (1Tim. 5:20), no repentance or even slight change among the corrupted leaders ever rose into view.
As of late 2023, the situation remains substantially unchanged, except that a few of the central wrongdoers have emigrated to Israel. “The whole head is sick, and (therefore), the whole heart is faint,” is how Isaiah wrote of such a situation in his era. The highest leadership echelons of the American and International “Messianic Jewish” associations remain significantly populated with unrepentant criminals and ethics-breachers profiting off of their misdeeds both financially, and in terms of stature-office acquisition/retention.
May Heaven show mercy on our generation and the ones to come. “All the house of Israel are our brothers,” as the traditional prayer goes: we pray God visits all our brothers and sisters in breach with “the repentance that leads to life.”
It should, for clarity, be here noted:
Beth El of Manhattan has, and from the start of its existence has had, a very strong accountability structure written into its Corporate Documents, so Member safety is protected in our legal codes of operation. There is no Beth El leader who is insulated in any way from being accountable for his or her words, teachings, or actions; and any enfranchised Member can call any leader to account when or if a need arises. For the rabbi or any leader of any level to seek to evade in any sustained way accounting for their words or deeds would result in removal from office or employment or both. These safeguards were written into our Federal and New York State corporate papers in the 1990s during our founding era, so no Member would ever be exposed to absolute authority exercised with no accountability.
Healthy faith, healthy community, and member safety are the top priorities in our legally binding structure. May it all be for “shalom.”