Time for Rabbi Milecki to leave
Rabbi Milecki must realise that for the shule to survive, if it can, he must leave the congregation.
OUR SAY
A COUPLE walk into mediation to finalise their divorce.
The couple blame each other for 10 minutes then the mediator stands up and shouts, “Stop this!
“Neither of you cheated, there is no point blaming each other because now you have to focus on how to move forward for the sake of your kids and your own happiness. Staying married and fighting about the past is not the way forward. You have to go your separate ways and move on.”
This is the challenge facing South Head Synagogue and Rabbi Benzion Milecki, with the majority of the congregation – the kids in this scenario –stuck in the middle.
NSW Supreme Court Justice Paul Brereton ruled that Rabbi Milecki has life tenure unless a Beth Din rules that he has failed to properly perform his rabbinical duties, and the rabbi has made it abundantly clear to The AJN that he has no intention of leaving.
One could argue that Rabbi Milecki is not fulfilling his role – it was only four months ago that he told the congregation he won’t speak to anyone that wants him to leave – but that point may never be determined.
This week, the three people who have the $1.5 million mortgage on the property told the members, “The very existence of our beloved South Head Synagogue now rests in the hands of Rabbi Milecki.
“If he does not resign (with a fair financial settlement, in line with the award of a Beth Din in similar matters), there will be no future for our shule and liquidation will commence.
“There is no viable alternative.”
It might not seem fair, because there is no doubt that successive boards should take some, if not all, responsibility for the mess. But sometimes, life isn’t just about fairness.
It’s time to stop fighting. The shule will close tomorrow (Friday) but the property and the congregation can still be saved.
Rabbi Milecki must realise that, despite his great service to South Head Synagogue for 32 years, to ensure the future and unity of the congregation, he is no longer the right man for the job. He must accept that, even if he has no culpability for South Head’s demise, it’s time to accept a pay-out and leave.
Anything else will see the death of a congregation that was once the pride of Sydney.
In the meantime, there are valuable lessons other congregations must learn from South Head’s misfortunes, issues of careful fiscal management and life tenure for employees chief among them.
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