A Criminal as Congregation Member 129 _—_— I»
donor. In this case, besides giving a gift to the synagogue, he is honoring his parents, which makes it a double mitzvah.
To sum up, the money itself is changed from its original form and all authorities agree that it is acceptable. As for the donor, it is his duty to support the Temple according to his means and we have no right to prevent him from doing his duty. As for a plaque, he should not be so honored in his own right, but if he wishes to have a plaque put up in memory of a close relative, such a plaque should be put up, and his name mentioned on it as the donor.
A Criminal as a Member of the
Congregation Questions and Reform Jewish Answers(New York, 1992),#41
Walter Jacob
QUESTION: A member of our congregation was(several years ago) convicted of brutally murdering his wife by repeatedly stabbing and drowning her in a bathtub in the presence of one of his children. He is serving a lengthy prison term and shows no remorse as he claims to have acted in self-defense. His children live with members of the congregation and attend our religious school. The man is still listed on the congregations membership roster. May we expel him from membership?(Los Altos
ANSWER: We must ask ourselves about the purpose of expulsion from a congregation, which is the equivalent of the herem or nidui in past ages. At times, the herem was invoked to protect the congregation or to indicate that certain kinds of action were considered reprehensible and would not be condoned by the community. This power was invoked for criminal acts, various types