SYNAGOGUE BOARD SHOWS SUPPORT FOR BRIARCLIFF RABBI

BRIARCLIFF MANOR -- The Conservative rabbi who was charged with
having 27 grams of marijuana in his car and convicted of impaired
driving won a vote of confidence for a new contract from his board
yesterday -- an indication that the respected spiritual leader has
been forgiven, even if his crime has not been completely forgotten.

In an e-mail sent to members of Congregation Sons of Israel
yesterday, the president of its board of trustees said the 550-member
synagogue would eventually vote on a new one-year contract once it
was negotiated with the rabbi, Steven Kane, a 50-year-old father of three.

"My only comment on the whole situation is that I am very pleased
with the board's decision," Kane said yesterday. "I look forward to
continuing to be the spiritual leader of an active and inspiring
Jewish community."

Efforts to reach board President Steven Rosen and other members of
the synagogue's governing body were unsuccessful.

The board discussed the rabbi's future until 1:30 a.m., according to
Rosen's e-mail. Members agreed that the one-year contract "shall
contain performance criteria and benchmarks to enable evaluation of
the Rabbi's performance during that period."

The congregation was understandably shaken in August when headlines
announced that Kane had been arrested on misdemeanor charges of
criminal possession of marijuana and driving while ability impaired
by drugs after state police troopers stopped his car in the town of Southeast.

The board met to suspend him for 30 days, but reconsidered at the
last moment. Instead it required the rabbi to receive counseling and,
at the board's request, random drug testing, among other conditions.

In September, a Putnam County judge dropped the drug charge -- 27
grams is about 1 ounce -- and Kane pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor
impaired driving charge. He also paid a $400 fine. The question then
became what would happen when the rabbi's contract expired in June.

The board answered that yesterday with a plan to begin "good faith"
negotiations with him.

"I think what this shows is the congregation has been working
together as a community to be constructive," said William S. Null,
the managing partner of Cuddy & Feder in White Plains and a
congregant of Congregation Sons of Israel. "We are a congregation of
people who care about one another. This has been difficult but
everyone has worked hard to listen to each other and address one
another's concerns."