September 12, 2005
A synagogue in Louisiana is shutting down its shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina and has put its rabbi on administrative leave, the "Jewish Telegraphic Agency" reports. Rabbi Barry Weinstein was asked to take paid leave from Congregation B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge for an unspecified period. He had led the effort to house dozens of evacuees who fled their Gulf Coast homes in the wake of Katrina. Synagogue officials say the decision about the rabbi was related to a private matter, not directly to the shelter issue. They said the synagogue would continue to house medical personnel helping with rescue efforts. But some of the rabbi’s supporters charged that a few influential members of the community who are opposed to using the synagogue as a shelter had pressured community officers to act. The supporters expressed outrage that the shelter was closing down and that the rabbi has been barred from the synagogue.
