Jewish Center’s Kleinfeld should apologize, resign

To the editor:

As a member of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, I would like to comment on your July 11, 2024, article.

In the article, the chairman of the center’s board, Jack Kleinfeld, “he understands there is suspicion regarding the potential deal with Innovative Development, but he is not profiting off the deal in any way.”

G-d only knows what Mr. Kleinfeld’s true motives are.

However, Mr. Kleinfeld is effectively giving away the 33,000-square-foot Jewish Center and its adjacent property, the historical Denishawn House, for $3.6 million in cash. This amount is approximately half of its assessed value, by the New York City Department of Buildings, of $6.972 million.

Because of concerns with the way decisions about the center’s future are being made, eight members have filed a letter of complaint with the New York State attorney general. Therefore, the final decision by the attorney general of whether or not to approve the sale of the center is years away.

Yet, Mr. Kleinfeld has effectively driven away one of the center’s rent paying tenants, the JASA Older Adult Center. He is now working on evicting the remaining one, MMCC Early Childhood Learning Center.

In effect, Mr. Kleinfeld has created a self-fulfilling prophecy of bankrupting the Jewish Center and preparing the building for the wrecking ball.

Wouldn’t suspicion concerning Mr. Kleinfeld’s motives be justified?

Collateral damage is the destruction of a 60-year-old institution that serves as the heart of Van Cortlandt Village.

Mr. Kleinfeld has betrayed his sacred trust and fiduciary responsibility to do what is in the optimally best interests of the Jewish Center. Indeed, he has done just the opposite.

Anyone who has raised these and other legitimate concerns with Mr. Kleinfeld has been, without exception, stonewalled. However these valid questions and concerns will not go away.

Responsibility for this unfortunate public controversy that now surrounds the center rests entirely on Mr. Kleinfeld’s shoulders, not those who expressed their legitimate concerns to Mr. Kleinfeld but were silenced.

It would be in the best interests of the Ven Cortlandt Jewish Center for Mr. Kleinfeld to apologize to the membership and then resign.

Fischel Baiser