Orthodox Union Sets Vote Amid Leadership Feud
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The Orthodox Union has set a date to pick its next president in highly unusual contested elections.
The umbrella group of Modern Orthodox synagogues and organizations, perhaps best known for running the largest kosher certification operation in the world, announced on Jan. 17 its board will convene at the Sheraton Hotel in New York on March 10 to choose between incumbent Simcha Katz and former president Harvey Blitz.
A source told JTA that a meeting held between Katz and Blitz aimed at settling their differences ended inconclusively on Jan 15.
As previously reported by The Jewish Week and JTA, insiders say the organization has been gripped by a power struggle resulting in a recent succession of managerial changes.
In an email to JTA on Friday, the Orthodox Union took issue with the characterization of its leadership as being in a state of “disarray.”
“The OU is much more than kosher: it is teens, campus life, the disabled, public affairs, synagogue and community services and much more,” said Mayer Fertig, a spokesperson for the group. “Day-to-day operations in all areas are uninterrupted and the kosher division, in particular, is operating effectively under the leadership of its CEO, Rabbi Menachem Genack.”
Katz told JTA last week he would run on a platform of affordable tuition fees and upholding Jewish values, but he did not sound like he was preparing for a fight.
“[Blitz] is a dear and old friend and I hope he actually relieves me of the burden,” he said. “He is a tremendous person and would be a good caretaker for the organization.”
Blitz declined to be interviewed.
Fertig, the OU spokesperson, said the organization’s ability to hold an election with two contenders was proof it provided “an opportunity for an open and candid exchange of ideas and points of view, all for the betterment of Klal Yisrael.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
