S.I. Jewish Community Center Drops Prayer Services After City Investigation

City officials are now paying closer attention to the separation of church and state when it comes to not-for-profit organizations, leading to the notable end of in prayer services at the Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center in Staten Island. NY1’s Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.

Every year, a Seder is held at the Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center to mark the beginning of Passover.

Next year, the annual Seder will still feature community, food and music, but it will be missing something.

“There's no prayer-related activities in our programs,” says David Sorkin, executive director of the JCC.

Thanks to a joint investigation by the city’s budget office and the Law Department, there will be no prayers.

The city reviewed three dozen not-for-profit organizations that receive city grants to make sure they're following the rules, and that means closely obeying laws involving separation of church and state.

While the JCC can teach about Jewish tradition and culture, prayers cannot be conducted in any of its programming.

At the same time, any religious group that wants to use the facility for religious programming can do so, as long as the space is made available on an open and equal basis.

“If a church or synagogue or mosque or any other organization wants to use the center for an activity, whether it be religious services, or whether it be recreational activities, they can use it at their behest,” says Sorkin.

The JCC held two information sessions to inform members about the changes.

Those NY1 spoke with said they didn't even notice the difference.

“I had no expectations of having religious activities here. Jewish activities, yes, and they do have it, but now they do it in an inclusive way, and if they have a Shabbos program, they don't recite the blessing. It’s okay,” says JCC member Ed Leibowitz.

The two and three-year-old children who attend the popular pre-school program, which is open to non-Jews, used to participate in a Shabbas ceremony every Friday before going home for the weekend.

Parents say they can live without the prayers.

“If I wanted to send her to get a very religious education, I would send her to synagogue, but I don't,” says parent Suzy Belkin.

“I go to church every Sunday, and that's what I do and that's what they should do,” says parent Kim Devito. “There's all different cultures that come, so everybody does it on their own time.”