WRVR News Special: Brooklyn Synagogue Expelled Over Bingo, 1963-03-28

ms a wi fi our new special water nixon reporting a brooklyn synagogue the jewish center of king's highway has been expelled from the united synagogue of america for sponsoring bingo games for fundraising purposes in announcing today the unprecedented action taken by the united synagogue board of directors president george mason of freeport long island characterize the sponsorship of bingo for fundraising as an open a notorious form of gambling contrary to jewish law <unk> maison totally what we are imagining yeah the way all of the conservative movement represents about seventeen sixty congregations in the united states in canada with a constituency of about two whistles in nineteen fifty nine a convention of the amount of sitting on it adopted spanish for congregations or affiliated amounts of standing who has a

provision that fundraising should be kept and that no one rating should be a major dam when we thought that it was an immoral practice there was not in keeping with the stands and the ethics of the judaism and violent of jewish law and that particular congregation the jewish energies highway and there are several others that raised the funds for maintaining their synagogue opened a notorious bastion of bingo and we have been in touch with this congregation for about a year now only been trying to get him to stop this practice and we have met with very much success we'll offer cash into the congregation on earth

extortion the who could advise and how will probably raise funds for sitting down and keeping the high standards and they have not to take advantage of this service we want to do after year of attempting to get them to stop this play bingo and a synagogue with santorum at this meeting of the twenty fourteen to speak about my sunday in a sense to show cause one i should be expelled to continue his practice represented kgb we got attention aboard about forty members and we question them about this practice their response was that they needed these funds to maintain the summit on michael moss is doing maybe they felt that it was nothing that we got

to show them that would be able to have them changes collectors i asked the refinery or third day it would consider an immediate future stopping playing bingo and their answer was that they couldn't see how this could be done it was of course with a very heavy heart that the world records came to the conclusion that the condition should be expelled from the in a synagogue and that was the actions taken you suggested that there are other cases of a similar nature in this area you have those under consideration they are under consideration we have several cases where they've stopped lending know they've taken advantage of the service that we offer to them and there are some cases right now where they're still playing bingo we feel that there is a reasonable expectation that they will stop at least

from our conversations with them but you must understand that we don't act hastily in these matters that we don't want to take this action but after all in on synagogues not in business to see how many politicians if you get to be affiliated with it are much of an income the messing up and yes we are a religious institution i think we have a higher possibility than willing to increase our numbers are presenting now this action is in conformity with a policy statement previously adopted by the united synagogue <unk> report was adopted in nineteen fifty nine invention of the national guard and again to reiterate rather in nineteen sixty one of the convention now we're going to appear at a convention in november nineteen sixty three were going to celebrate our chilly convention fifty years of existence i do

they gave us what we did with it and how we are implemented it and that i feel that that we've waited about two four years five years now and i think that the time has come when we have to make some definitive action i don't think it's fair to have a standard adopted by a convention attended by about fifteen hundred people and then this attack and eric holder summed it all happened i think we have the responsibility you think that border is has that responsibility and it said before we're unhappy about the fact that we have to on affiliate and expel a congregation is the first time we've done it with respect to a congregation that violates this phase of our standards but the house to be a beginning somewhere is and this is the first one now if this continues another congregation is why a similar actually get

united synagogue i believe was organized in nineteen thirteen either been any previous instances where a congregation has been expelled yes that in cases where a congregation has acted in a manner which was detrimental to the best interests of the movement of the conservative movement and and in those cases we have the explanations for this type of lufthansa in one case that i can recall where this was another this kind of offense now in another kind of situation can you tell me where bingo games were being held but this jewish center of things are way in the shells that have a big sign outside advertising they go where things every tuesday night probably

you very much but i don't think they're so make sure to be involved in this sort of thing especially when gambling is considered to be immoral and violation of jewish law a gambling of any kind i think it requires the villages mainly people of color gambling played by stocks on the stock market or people called him leave the wall street and that misjudgment automobile it's coming on the gamble across a statement calling on her aide gary has many definitions so we're addressing ourselves to this so called open a notorious gambling that might hold the movement in the senate in a bad light as in and i can understand the congregation sisterhood planning bridge parties

or similar an occasional raffle possibly as sir they can to get the rule only sings on gambling is in this is mr earl and we're getting ourselves to this more literal than the notorious for gambling with respect to the united synagogue or alternatives are open to this particular congregation after the act of expulsion lesson if i were to say deal with it as soon as we stop playing gambling we would those whose situation where at a woman husband are separate because the husband is carry on in atlanta on becoming a test them out that way and if the white house

i think that she'd be just as guilty of the moral act as he is so we certainly can't say the same thing to the congregation however when the situation is out of self political look at it and see you what can be done just like the wife many times will take back because no matter what he does so i suppose there are cases like that the door would be open to this congregation if you wish to conform with the policy of human synagogue to submit a application for retaliation i will say this the recession thing is true and since we are really biting considerations always given to repent is obviously that will cost at that show ever when we come to it rabbi norman siegel of the jewish center of king's highway sets forth the position of his congregation oh absolutely

it is you were born into you are we don't know

it was and now isis sister well

close i'll be they did earlier that that they had offered such expert advisory council and finance says that might be helpful to be a sadder that way during the period when this year it is mr baker are

polls last year vice president henry ian rapoport of united synagogue chairman of that committee on congregational standards in testimony before the new york state moreland commission urged that they will be banned for charitable institutions as well as private individuals the present law exempts charitable institutions from the general ban on bingo this is been a w o r t e r <unk>