Move to oust Caulfield Shule board over Rabbi’s future

A group of Caulfield Hebrew Congregation (CHC) members has gathered more than the 50 signatures required to force a special general meeting, in a push to remove the shule’s president and board amid concern over the future of senior Rabbi Daniel Rabin.

CHC member Raphael Sztrochlic, who circulated the email and petition to fellow members, has told the AJN that the petition has now passed the 50 signatures needed to compel the board to convene a special general meeting within 30 days.

Under Section 15 of the congregation’s rules, a minimum of 50 members is required to trigger such a meeting.

The move comes as Rabbi Rabin earlier this month travelled to Texas, as a candidate for a rabbinic position.

While there, he participated in services and attended a question-and-answer session at the United Orthodox Synagogues in Houston, which is conducting an active search for a new Rabbi.

In his email to members, Sztrochlic wrote that “members are distressed at the current situation concerning the employment of Rabbi Daniel and Rebbetzin Sarah Rabin”, and urged members to sign “in order to secure the Rabins for a long-term contract with a new board”.

The petition’s stated business includes the conduct of the president and board that “has resulted in the Rabins seeking a position at the United Orthodox Synagogues in Houston, Texas, USA or elsewhere”, and the failure to enter into a contract with each of the Rabins.

It further proposes resolutions that the positions held by the president and board “be terminated forthwith”, that Robert Weil be appointed president until elections in 2027, and that Weil immediately enter negotiations to secure the Rabins under a new contract.

In a statement to the AJN, Sztrochlic said it had been “a shock to the members of the Caulfield Hebrew Congregation and the wider Melbourne Jewish community” that a flier circulated to the public had disclosed Rabbi Rabin’s candidacy for the Houston pulpit.

He said the president had previously stated in a weekly email that, with the board’s approval, the congregation had entered into an employment contract with the Chief Cantor and Assistant Cantor, while no contract was in place with the Rabbi and Rebbetzin.

The Rabins’ five-year contract is due to expire in October this year.

Sztrochlic said the congregation was “in disbelief” that the president, vice presidents and board had failed to finalise a new five-year contract with each of the Rabbi and Rebbetzin.

He said it was “reasonable to infer” that the Rabbi had been driven to seek an alternative position due to a breakdown in the relationship with the board and an impasse over the terms of the proposed new contract, adding that it was understood lawyers for each side were involved in the negotiations.

Sztrochlic praised the couple’s contribution, saying Rabbi Rabin worked seven days a week despite being entitled to a day off, and was the “prime source” for revitalising the shul into “the place to be”.

In a letter to members, CHC president Dr Howard Zeimer, writing on behalf of the board, said Rabbi Daniel and Rebbetzin Sarah were “currently on personal leave overseas” and asked members to “refrain from relying on rumours or unverified information”.

Dr Zeimer said the board had been in ongoing discussions with the Rabins about renewing their contract well in advance” of its conclusion at the end of October 2026, describing the conversations as occurring “in a constructive and respectful spirit”.

“We remain fully supportive of them and their family,” he wrote, adding that the board was “committed to acting in the best interests of both the Rabins and the CHC community.”

Rabbi Rabin has declined to comment.