New York Board of Rabbis Records

The New York Board of Rabbis (NYBR) is a cross-denominational Jewish organization for rabbis seeking to foster fellowship, provide educational enrichment, and rise above theological differences to strengthen and defend the Jewish community while advancing educational, religious, and social values. Originally created in 1881 as the New York Board of Jewish Ministers under the guidance of founding members, Rabbi Gustav Gottheil, Adolph Huebsch, Henry S. Jacobs, Kaufman Kohler, F. de Sola Mendes and H. Pereira Mendes, the Board's mission was to improve Jewish education at a time of a rapidly changing and growing Jewish population in New York. From the beginning, the Board’s efforts included the provision of chaplains to those Jews that for whatever reason had been placed outside of the Jewish community due to either incarceration or illness. By 1946, the organization was retitled as the New York Board of Rabbis and in 1954 moved into its first official location at 10 East 73rd Street, the former home of Dr. Albert Berg.

Throughout its history many of the Board's officers and members also represented other Jewish defense organizations and as a result there was increased coordination of efforts between these groups on issues important to the Jewish community. To assist the clergy in these efforts the Advisory Council of the New York Board of Rabbis was created. The council is comprised of prominent laity that helps the Board meet its financial obligations, develop advice on policy, and aid the Board in promoting events and services. The Council members come from positions of prominence in the Jewish community and exercise civic leadership in problems affecting community health and welfare. In addition to the Advisory Council, Ad Hoc committees are created to collectively respond to social and urban crises. The mission of the Board has been facilitated through the efforts of the Brit Milah Board, the Broadcast Commission, the Jack D Weiler Chaplaincy Service, various publications and pastoral seminars.

The Brith Milah Board of New York was created in 1914 as an independent organization by the Kehillah to train and certify mohels for the religious rite of circumcision. By the 1940s, the Brith Milah Board was subvented by the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and managed by the New York Board of Rabbis. As advances in medicine were made, the training of mohels grew from not only knowing the law and tradition, but also the latest methods of asepsis and medical hygiene. Other duties include outreach to hospitals to educate hospital workers of the importance of the rite and work with them to provide accommodation. In 1968, the Brith Milah Board opened a school for the training of mohelim at Mt. Sinai Hospital, the first such institution in Jewish History.

The Broadcast Commission manages the Board’s effort at outreach using radio and television programming. In addition to programming focusing on Jewish holidays, regular programming featured current events and theological discussions. The Broadcast Commission's inter-religious program Point of View was for a time the NYBR's main telecast on WOR-TV. The show worked in conjunction with the Diocese of New York and the Episcopal Diocese of Newark to present a variety of current events from the perspective of the three faiths with each group working in rotation. Other efforts in television programming included shows for the CBS, NBC, and ABC television networks such as First Estate on NBC-TV, Look Up and Live on CBS-TV, and Accent On which aired on ABC-TV. In radio, the show Sunday Talk that aired on WHN featured Rabbi Irving Block as its host. There were many other programs on other stations such as Religious News on WOR and Jewish World This Week on WABC to name a few.

Chaplaincy has been a consistent effort of the Board since its founding and with the support of the UJA-Federation of New York the Board’s efforts have increased. Their chaplains serve as counselors and spiritual leaders to men, women, and children in numerous hospitals, mental health facilities, correctional facilities, youth shelters, homes for the aged and long-term care facilities and ensure that they receive kosher food and religious articles essential for living the Jewish life. The Chaplaincy Service has established criteria certifying rabbis as chaplains and assists them in carrying out their duties by sponsoring lectures, seminars and in-service courses. In 1948, the Board created the Chaplaincy Institute held in conjunction with Mt. Sinai Hospital’s own Institute of Pastoral Psychiatry and in 1974 the NYBR opened its own chaplaincy school. The work of the Chaplaincy Service has been the appointing body for all State and Municipal institutional chaplaincy positions in the State of New York since 1950.

The Board works closely with the clergy of other faiths to improve outreach to the society to further the cause of moral behavior, protection of human and religious rights, and the introduction of the spiritual and moral teachings of the great religions into government, schools, and the marketplace. The hope of this ecumenicalism is that by working with other faith groups broader bridges of understanding, respect, and love between the various communities that make up the region will be built. The Board serves as an advocate for Judaism to the government and intercedes when policy or legislation negatively affects the Jewish community and works with the leaders of other faith groups when such action affects them all. The NYBR also works with other faith communities to promote increased understanding of one another and to pursue avenues of common concern.

Sources:

Alvin Kass Watchman For The Community: A History of the New York Board of Rabbis, pages 9-22 in The American Rabbi: A Tribute On The Occasion Of The Bicentennial Of The United States And The Ninety-Fifth Birthday Of The New York Board Of Rabbis, edited by Gilbert S. Rosenthal. New York: KTAV Publishing House, Inc. 1977

The New York Board of Rabbis website available at http://nybr.org/ accessed on September 21, 2011.