Rabbi Daniel Greer: Dedicated to Helping Others
Rabbi Daniel Greer entered Yale Law School in September of ’61. At that time, under the direction of Rabbi Aaron Gelman, there was a small Kosher Kitchen at the Yong Israel Synagogue on Norton Street.
Herby Gold headed the ‘Kitchen’ served four weekday suppers to about seven or eight students. Only one undergraduate participated as there were actually several deterrents, First, all undergraduates had to pay University ‘board’, whether or not they ate the food. Second, there was an option of having kosher TV dinners. A third deterrent was the off-campus location.
During the summer of ’62, after his first year at Law School, Rabbi Daniel Greer, moved the Kosher Kitchen from the Young Israel Synagogue to rented quarters at 24 Dixwell Avenue, not far from the
Yale Gym. Mrs. Frankfurter was hired as the cook, and the offerings expanded to all weekday lunches and suppers including Sunday lunch.
For the kosher dining to be financially viable, though, at least ten participants were necessary. It was certainly helpful when Rabbi Daniel Greer’s room-mate, (Gov.) Jerry Brown periodically ate at the Kosher Kitchen on Dixwell Avenue.
When two observant Jewish freshmen came to the college, Carl Feit and Carl Posy, Rabbi Daniel Greer with the help of Richard Israel, brought their plight to the attention of the Yale Administration. If they could be released from paying ‘board’, they could participate, instead, with the Kosher Kitchen and eat freshly cooked food rather than TV dinners. Feit and Posy stood their ground, and the case prevailed. A new precedent was established, releasing kosher eaters from paying mandatory board.
The Young Israel House at Yale, now actually located on campus, took off. Lunch and dinner were served daily, with a festive breakfast each Rosh Chodesh. As luck would have it, though, plans were afoot in the City to build a ‘connector’ slated to connect 1 95 to 1 91, and passing through 24 Dixwell Avenue. The building of the kosher kitchen was to be taken by eminent domain.
Rabbi Daniel Greer and Richard Israel arranged with the Hillel Foundation to purchase 35 High Street as a residence for the Hillel Chaplain, with the basement allocated for the Kosher Kitchen. As the popularity of this dining option grew, it became necessary to move to Crown Street, where the Young Israel House at Yale remained until the present Slifka Center was built.
