new york | A Baton Rouge, La., synagogue has closed its shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina and placed its rabbi on administrative leave.
The board of Congregation B’nai Israel asked Rabbi Barry Weinstein last week to take a paid leave of absence for an unspecified period. The rabbi, who has served the congregation for 22 years, has three years remaining on his contract.
Weinstein had led B’nai Israel’s effort to house dozens of evacuees who had fled their devastated Gulf Coast homes in the wake of Katrina. The synagogue shelter, in turn, had received an outpouring of donations and supplies from Jewish communities and individuals around the country that had heard of the congregation’s efforts.
The degree to which the shelter closing and the rabbi’s leave are linked is a matter of disagreement. But the developments suggest another unexpected fallout from a natural disaster that has disrupted so many lives.
The turmoil has divided and confused a small congregation that for nearly two weeks had come together to help displaced victims.
“This has been very painful for everyone,” said Victor Sachse, the president of B’nai Israel, a 230-family Reform congregation that traces its roots to 1858.
Synagogue officials say the decision to ask Weinstein to take a leave was related to a personal matter and was not directly connected to the shelter issue.
But some of the rabbi’s supporters charge that a few influential members of the community who opposed using the synagogue as a shelter had pressured temple officers to act.
The supporters expressed dismay that the shelter has been closed and Weinstein has been barred from the synagogue.
The last of an estimated 100 evacuees who had found refuge at B’nai Israel left the premises this week, Sachse said.
Sachse said the synagogue would serve as a base of operations for medical personnel who had come to the area for relief efforts. He also said it would continue facilitating relocation efforts for victims from other shelters and would help fund transportation costs for people needing bus and plane tickets.
Within the B’nai Israel community there are differing opinions on whether it was the shelter itself or the way it was handled that led to its sudden closing and the rabbi’s paid leave.
The shelter was created on Aug. 31 as New Orleans was being submerged under water and beleaguered residents were fleeing their homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
While walking his dogs in Baton Rouge, Weinstein came across a family of evacuees at a nearby gas station. After consulting with Sachse, who got the approval of the synagogue board, the rabbi brought the family to B’nai Israel and a makeshift shelter was created.
Weinstein and volunteers provided bedding, food and counseling. During the next several days, they arranged for several families to find new homes as far away as Miami and San Diego.