I was saddened and disappointed to read in the May Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle of the decision by the board of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center that “The JCC’s opening time on Saturdays shall be 8 a.m.”
JCC executive director Mark Shapiro pointed out in the article that the resolution was passed by a supermajority of more than 67 percent. I suggest supermajority votes have been reconsidered in the past and overturned.
The significant point is not the numbers, but the merits of the reasons for and against the proposed decisions.
The JCC mission statement says the agency is “founded upon Jewish ethics and values.”
Its “Vision Statement on Jewish Education” states, “Pursuing cooperation and harmony with other Jewish institutions in the community, we will foster a community of learning Jews who are consciously Jewish; who are respectful of Jewish differences; who are knowledgeable and committed to Jewish values and practice; who participate in synagogue life and Jewish communal and cultural life…”
I submit that the proposed 8 a.m. opening time is not adopted in “harmony with other Jewish institutions in the community.” To the contrary, it is in competition with the sacred time of Sabbath morning services, and as such undermines and interferes with those sacred practices.
One of the Jewish people’s great gifts to the world is a day of rest and participation in communal worship on the Sabbath. There are enough other hours of the week for JCC activities without competing with Sabbath worship.
I ask the JCC board members to review their decision and to conclude that it is inconsistent with the JCC’s mission.
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