Staten Island, NY - Orthdox Jews Outcry Over Shabbas Hours at New JCC

Staten Island, NY - The Jewish Community Center's decision to open its new exercise facility in Sea View on Shabbas is causing controversy among Staten Island's Orthodox Jews.
They say, Saturday is the Jewish Shabbas, when many things are prohibited, including starting and stopping electrical equipment like treadmills, elliptical trainers and other exercise equipment found in the JCC's fitness center. Jews do not work on that day, nor can they handle money. They cannot carry things -- like gym bags -- outside of a symbolic enclosure known as an eruv, and the new JCC is not covered by the eruv.
"It's pretty cut and dried," said Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss of Agudath Israel of America. "A Jewish center that is carrying the name of the Jewish community should not be desecrating the Shabbas."

But Lewis Stolzenberg, executive director of the JCC, said he and other leaders have worked closely with the Orthodox community to accommodate their needs as much as possible, and because men and women may not swim together, separate hours will be set in the pool, and a system will be in place to ensure that no money need change hands on Saturdays. "We feel it's the right thing to do," Stolzenberg said. "We want to make this place very welcoming for everybody. And most Jewish people on Staten Island will recreate on Saturday."