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Communal Crisis An email from two of the federation’s largest donors two months later revealed what Minkus had not. The donors said they would be withholding further contributions because allegations by employees were being concealed from the board. Other donors soon followed suit. Albrycht quit the next day. By the end of June 2021, 11 members of the board had resigned. Several would later register their protest in affidavits accusing Minkus and her allies on the board of deception and mismanagement. The sequence of events at the federation is drawn from three lawsuits filed against the federation in recent months. Four board members who stayed on when the 11 resigned are asking a New Mexico court to strip authority from the federation’s executive committee. They want a court-appointed overseer to step in and audit the federation’s finances. Meanwhile, two of the people who complained to HR about Lennick filed separate lawsuits. Sara Koplik and Jordi Gendra have since been laid off in what their lawyer is calling an act of retaliation. Koplik and Gendra were responsible for a unique federation program certifying Sephardic heritage for applicants seeking citizenship under Spain’s Law of Return, an
Sephardic citizenship bids at risk amid alleged “implosion” of New Mexico’s Jewish federation leadership BY ASAF SHALEV J e w i s h Te l e g r a p h i c A g e n c y
effort launched in 2015 to make amends for the persecution suffered by Jews during the Inquisition hundreds of years ago. As a rabbi and native of Barcelona, Gendra is believed to be the first rabbi to have been born in Spain since the time of the Inquisition. The federation had raised more than $1 million in fees from applicants, with additional fees going to a local synagogue whose rabbi signed the certificates, according to court filings. But at the end of last year, certificate holders learned that the federation had abruptly shut down its Sephardic heritage program. At stake in the cascading dispute is the future of communal Jewish life in Albuquerque and beyond, according to the lawsuits and interviews with the local community members, one of whom said she was “horrified,” characterizing the situation as an “implosion.” “Under current leadership, the very existence of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico weighs in the balance,” Renni Zifferblatt, the attorney representing the four board members in revolt, wrote in a Feb. 6 District Court filing. Zifferblatt accused Lennick, Minkus and other members of the federation’s executive committee of “intentional and reckless misconduct” that has transformed the federation into an “autocratic entity.” To back up these claims, Zifferblatt solicited input from Samuel Sokolove, who was the federation’s executive director from 2005 to 2015. Sokolove signed an affidavit for the court describing the “chaos” at the federation. He defended Koplik and Gendra, with whom he had worked, and laid the blame for
COURTESY JAMES ORD
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ith his livelihood on the line, Rob Lennick texted the wrong Deborah. The CEO of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, Lennick sent a message asking for support of an extension to his contract. He was also asking for a $30,000 forgivable loan from the federation to pay for the repair of a home he was hoping to purchase. Lennick had meant to reach Deborah Boldt, who was serving on the federation’s board of directors—but he reached Deborah Albrycht, the federation’s human resources officer. What happened next set off a crisis in Jewish communal life in New Mexico that many say could unravel the philanthropic structure supporting synagogues, elder care for Holocaust survivors, youth programs and cultural initiatives. The situation is also causing uncertainty for thousands of people who were depending on the federation to help them gain Spanish citizenship under a reparations program for descendants of Jews expelled during the Inquisition. Before she received Lennick’s errant message, Albrycht didn’t know that the board would be voting on Lennick’s request at the board’s upcoming meeting. But she did know that several employees had recently complained to her about Lennick, court records show. They reported inappropriate behavior such as harassment, intimidation and gender discrimination. After getting the misdirected text message, Albrycht decided it was important to inform the board’s president, Sabra Minkus, about the complaints before the vote on Feb. 17, 2021. Minkus seemed concerned about what Albrycht told her, and she even hired a mediator to begin investigating. But she also told Albrycht to keep quiet, and when the time came to vote on Lennick’s contract extension and loan, most board members had no clue that his conduct was under investigation, according to court records. They approved his new contract by a 20-to-1 vote.
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An applicant for citizenship under Spain’s Sephardic restitution law, James Ord, right, traveled to Barcelona in May 2019 to sign paperwork. Now, his certificate is in limbo and he’s angry.
the strife on the federation’s leadership. He warned that the federation could “fail as an organization” if nothing was done. Echoing the same concerns, the Rabbinical and Cantorial Association of Albuquerque has called on the current leadership to step down, “given the conspicuous harm caused to the reputation of the federation.” Meanwhile, Lennick—after having lobbied for a long-term contract and purchased a house locally—announced in a federation meeting on March 23 that he would be leaving in June to pursue an unspecified new career opportunity. In response to an email seeking comment from Lennick, Minkus and current federation president David Blacher, Blacher wrote that they have been advised by a lawyer not to comment on pending litigation. Like the other 146 organizations affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America, the New Mexico federation raises funds for local Jewish institutions and global Jewish causes. Eric Fingerhut, JFNA’s president and CEO, acknowledged the recent turmoil but downplayed its severity. “We are supporting the Jewish Federation of New Mexico as it works to mend the rifts in that community and continues supporting Jewish infrastructure, uplifting Jewish life, serving the most vulnerable, and exceeding its fundraising goals,” Fingerhut said in a written statement. According to a JFNA spokesperson, “There is no indication that the Jewish Federation of New Mexico’s continued operation is in question in any way, shape or form.” The fate of the Jewish federation in Albuquerque matters to the dozens of local causes it supports, but the crisis in the Land of Enchantment is also reverberating across the country and the world. For one, the issue of hostile workplaces is inching to the forefront of attention in the Jewish world, with investigations of rabbis recently launched in at least three Reform synagogues. Lennick, ordained as a Reform rabbi, started at the New Mexico federation in 2019. He had served in the pulpit of congregations in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Florida and Connecticut, often for very short stints. Court filings suggest that the plaintiffs’ lawyers are scrutinizing his record in these places. Around the world, there are some 20,000 people holding certificates of Sephardic heritage from the federation. Some of them have successfully petitioned for Spanish citizenship, but it is estimated that thousands of others are still in the pipeline. With no dedicated staff available to advocate for them and field questions, many certificate-holders are feeling abandoned. What adds to the sting is
