Why a Prominent U.S. Orthodox Group Dumped Its Trump-loving Leadership
During the Trump years, the National Council of Young Israel became so political, it found itself entangled in the president's impeachment trial. Last week, grassroots activists forced the organization to change course.
A Modern Orthodox synagogue organization that had become closely identified with pro-Trump politics, voted decisively last week to remove the leaders who entangled the group in the first White House impeachment scandal.
America’s National Council of Young Israel voted Thursday to replace its sitting national board with a slate of candidates who vowed to depoliticize the organization and to return its “primary focus” to servicing its affiliated Young Israel synagogues across the country. Long-time members of the New Jersey-based organization said it was the first time in their memory, perhaps in history, that the board nominated by its existing leadership had been contested, let alone defeated by an “alternative” grassroots list.