Thursday The Rabbi Walked Out

44

BEFORE THE CHANGE IN THE BYLAWS, THERE HAD BEEN three vice-presidents, the intention was that the first vice-president would succeed when the president's term expired, the other two would then move up and only a new third vice-president would be elected by the congregation at large. Envisioned, had been a kind of self-perpetuating board about whose composition the general membership would have little to say. It never worked, they continued to elect three vice-presidents, but the positions were purely honorary.

Under the new order, there was only one vice-president, and his sole function was to chair the meeting in the absence of the president. Barry Fisher had not wanted to run for vice-president but had agreed to only because Henry Maltzman had asked him, he had been a friend of Maltzman's and devoted to him ever since they had been in high school together. Now, in middle age, they were even closer, in part because his insurance agency nicely complemented Maltzman's real estate business, and they were in a position to do each other favors. While it was regrettable that "the girls." their wives, didn't hit it off together, it did not seriously interfere with their friendship, they saw each other several nights a week to go to the hockey or baseball games in Boston or to work out at the local Y, they lunched together or conferred on the phone almost daily.

It was Saturday afternoon and they had just finished a game of squash, which Barry Fisher, who was thin and wiry, had won quite easily, he was good at racket games, his long legs easily covering the court and his long arms reaching seemingly impossible shots, as usual, he explained apologetically., "I guess I was lucky."

To which Maltzman gave his usual magnanimous answer, "No, Barry, you're good." And then added complainingly, "Jesus, you don't even sweat."

"Maybe I got nothing to sweat."

They showered and toweled down and then went to the locker room to dress. Seeing they were alone. Barry Fisher asked, "How does it look for tomorrow?"

"In the bag," said Maltzman. "We've got eight votes, solid." "So that's eight to six. I'd say that was pretty close." "A margin of two votes. What do you want?"

"Yeah, Hank, but if one of ours decided to go the other way, that would make it a tie, seven to seven."

"So then it would be up to me to cast the tie-breaking vote. But those eight votes, believe me, they're solid."

"No chance of picking up any of the six? How about Jessica Berger or Linda Svolitch?"

Maltzman shook his head. "Allen Glick sounded out Jessica. No go, she was on some committee with the rabbi's wife and thinks the world of her. Now, I ask you, is she going to vote against renewing the rabbi's contract?"

"And Linda?"

"You mentioned her because she's Women's Lib. Right? Well, I figured her as a possible, too, in spite of their being like kind of Orthodox. So I talked to Mike Svolitch, well, according to him, the sun rises and sets on Rabbi Small. Lucky I didn't come out and ask him point-blank, because I'm sure he would have gone running to the rabbi." He chuckled. "The way I put it to him, I said I'd heard a rumor that some of the board including Linda were planning to vote against renewing the rabbi's contract and whether there was any truth to it."

"Playing Mickey the Dunce." said Fisher admiringly.

"Right. So when he told me how he and Linda felt about the rabbi. I backed off and said something like, some wise guys got nothing better to do than pass around rumors. No, those six votes are as solid as my eight."

"I still think it's awfully close. Hank. Say, I got an idea. How about I make a motion, where it's a secret ballot and all, that the president be allowed to cast a vote just like anybody else, after all, the president of the United States does it. I mean, he votes in elections. Some of them go back to their hometown to do it. It shows them on TV all the time."

"Nothing doing, Barry." said Maltzman peremptorily. "But why not? Then it would be nine to six and—"

"I'll tell you why not. Because then you make it an issue. You make it like important, and somebody is going to smell a rat, then there'd be a discussion, and people would say things, and other people would react. I can see some of the diehards maybe even walking out so we don't have a quorum. No, I want it like a straight matter of business, just like any other piece of business, like tha vote on the light bill, or on the insurance, the only reason for having it a secret ballot is so the members can be free to vote any way they want to. But that's all. Get it?"

"But what if there's a holler afterward? What if they ask for reconsideration?"

"How're they going to do that? The only one who can ask for reconsideration is someone who voted with the majority, that's parliamentary law. Okay, so let's say they get into a sweat and go around lining up people to call for a referendum. But before they can get something like that off the ground, we've already sent out a letter to the rabbi telling him we voted not to renew, and if I know the rabbi, we'll get a letter of resignation from him in the next mail, and I'll shoot a letter right back, expressing regrets and all that crap, but accepting his resignation."