 Many conservative rabbis criticized Hillel's decision to no longer recognize its teachers’ union for the purposes of collective bargaining.Among them was Rabbi David Nelson, religious leader of the Conservative synagogue Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park, Michigan, who said if “you understand Jewish law, you have to have sensitivity toward the working person”.Rabbi Jill Jacobs defended the rights of workers to unionize and authored conservative movement's top lawmaking body 2008 teshuvah, or religious legal ruling, dealing with unionization and other related employment issues.