12/17/07

Rabbis for the Rich and Famous Part II

New Yorker wrote about Aish HaTorah. UPI followed up now with a blurb from the NY Post and a little more about the price tags for their services. UPI sent it out under the "Quirks" news category. To me it is distasteful to say the least.
Service offers rabbis day in and day out
Published: Dec. 16, 2007 at 10:48 PM

NEW YORK, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- For $10,000 per year, busy New York Jews can keep a rabbi on call to meet with them anywhere and almost any time.

The service, offered by the Aish New York non-profit Jewish educational center, has four rabbis on call five days a week who meet with clients in conference rooms and at coffee houses to discuss religious texts, relationships, and sometimes even recipes, The New York Post reported Sunday.

Clients of the Executive Learning Program -- who include Kirk Douglas and executives from finance giants like JPMorgan -- say it helps them get in touch with their religion in a way that their schedule would not otherwise allow, the newspaper said.

In return, the center asks clients to make a minimum donation of $10,000 per year -- though some give as much as $250,000 -- and refer their Jewish friends.

For the less well-heeled, the center offers group study sessions and Shabbat dinners for singles, the Post said.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"UPI sent it out under the "Quirks" news category. To me it is distasteful to say the least."

Which "it" are you referring to? The way UPI categorized this story, or the story itself?