Synagogue disclosure bill crushed at the state house
By Ted Siefer
The Jewish Advocate
State representatives heated over privacy of financial records at religious institutions
The State House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a bill last week that would have required churches, synagogues and mosques to file the same annual financial reports as public charities.
The vote, 147 to 3, came after the Senate approved the bill by a wide margin in November, a reversal credited to a broad coalition of religious bodies, including the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, that lobbied against the bill.
The Synagogue Council contended that the bill would place a disproportionate burden on synagogues and churches, which lack the hierarchal structure of the Archdiocese of Boston, whose financial woes, bill backers acknowledged, supplied the impetus for the legislation. Jewish Community Relations Council and the Anti-Defamation League also argued that the bill would constitute a violation of the separation of church and state, a concern that resonated at the State House during the Jan. 25 debate.
"My grandparents came to this country to escape religious prosecution, but not every member of my family came," Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, said on the floor of the House. "Today, I do not have a single family member in Europe. The reason for this is they met the fate of Europe's Jews."
While stressing that she didn't mean to compare that bill to the abuses of Nazi Germany, Balser insisted: "We in this country have been vigilant about the separation of church and state."
Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, originally supported the bill, but changed his position after hearing concerns from his constituents.
During the debate, Linsky said that he encouraged religious institutions to volunteer financial information, but that this should not be coerced by the government. "For those organizations that choose not to disclose their finances, members of that religion and potential donors are free to vote with their checkbooks and ultimately, their feet," he said.
The ADL issued a statement after the vote commending legislators for responding to the concerns of faith communities that had come together "in an unprecedented coalition" to oppose the bill.
Some members of the Jewish community contacted by the Advocate, however, expressed support for the bill's aims.
"You can't preach [separation of] church and state when it fits, and then support churches when it doesn't fit," said Samuil Manksi, who claimed to encounter resistance from his synagogue when he tried to get financial information. "You can't give a church leeway just because it is a religious institution," he added.
Donald Siegel, of the Newton Centre Minyan, said: "The transparency and accountability that flows from increased [financial information] is more important than the cost of compliance [with filing requirements]."
