My Story 21

Excited and encouraged by my Sofer course, and given some breathing space by the generosity of Satmar, I was able to look realistically at my situation. Someone did approach me about a rabbinic position in Monsey, which was offering a big $3,000/year. I asked how I was supposed to live on that, when it would not even cover my rent. The man said "Hmm...we just threw in the money to sweeten the pot. We thought the honor of being a rabbi in Monsey would be enough!" I realized more and more that I was dealing with a community that wasn't playing with a full deck. At last, a neighbor got me an interview with the principal of a Hebrew High School in Mamaroneck, close to the Connecticut border. Although the school was ostensibly Orthodox, with a very dedicated principal and teaching staff, the students were mostly cynical and rebellious. They saw their teachers as hopelessly "out of it". Some would turn on a large radio in the middle of class. The principal would say that there was nothing that could be done, as the parents were generous donors. However, I established a good rapport with the students, who were impressed by my arcane knowledge (e.g., that Linda Rondstat had once been with a group called "The Stone Ponies") and that I could converse with them about their secular subjects as well (particularly French and chemistry). One day, a student, in the middle of class, interrupted with "Rabbi Siegel, do you know what a synthesizer is?" I replied that it was a series of oscillators, used to produce music, sounding either like traditional instruments, or electronic sounds. Their jaws dropped. They had never been in contact with a rabbi who was in possession of such vital information! They began to pay attention to my Torah and Talmud classes as well. I was in touch with many of these students for several years after they graduated. Now that I had an income, I did two things. One, I called the Satmar group, telling them that I would no longer need their help. The man said "thank you, but we will continue to send food for another month, so you can get on your feet a little". The second thing I did was to discuss with Sima where we should go now. We looked at a map of Connecticut, seeing what towns would have decent access to Mamaroneck, New York. We figured that the further away from New York City, the more chance of finding a welcoming community. Our plan was to visit another community each Sunday, and hope for the best. The first stop was New Haven. We were fortunate to meet a rabbi from the local Yeshiva. He praised the city, and assured us that we would be most welcome. We felt encouraged, and drove home with much to think about. No sooner did we enter the door, than the phone rang. It was the chairwoman of the New Haven Mikveh Committee, offering Sima the position of mikveh attendant. The position only entailed a few hours a week. There was no salary, but it provided housing for the attendant and her family. We drove back a few days later and signed a contract. I still needed to go back to Monsey three evenings a week for a few months, in order to complete the Sofer course. I would often sleep in my car after the course, going right to Mamaroneck the following morning. On days when I didn't need to go to Monsey, I would usually take the commuter railroad. It wasn't easy, but we felt like we were finally getting somewhere. In our second year there, I was offered a position in the New Haven Yeshiva High School. As I shall describe in my next post, not all was peace and quiet there, but we were happy. I often have deep regrets that we did not remain there. I did learn more about Jewish communal politics, for in this lovely community of about 150 Orthodox families, there were five factions. Often, there were clashes, and sometimes lawsuits, with the mikveh being at the center of some of these. More about that next time.