During the year that I spent in Jerusalem, at the Schechter Institute as part of my rabbinical studies, in 2000-2001, I learned that Schechter -- the Masorti (Conservative) Movement's academic institution in Israel -- prides itself on the seriousness with which it approaches halakhah (Jewish law). I am surprised, then, to see the Schechter administration act in direct contradiction of halakhah.
Two weeks ago, the Schechter faculty returned to work from a partial, week-long strike after contract negotiations between employees and the administration broke down. The parties have now resumed negotiations, though these have been plagued with accusations that Schechter is employing the age-old union-busting technique of trying to negotiate separately with individual groups of workers in order to dissolve the union.
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