what did the rabbi hold about the hataras niduy the say in many shuls?
The Rabbi told me he wasn’t a fan. He didn’t do it in his Shul.
An old timer told me that many years ago they did say it in Shul (early second street days) and the system was as follows. Half the Shul sat down while the other half stood up and said the Nusach. Then they switched. The whole business took 30 seconds.
Are you referring to hataras nedarim? If so is it an obligation? Is there anything we can do in its place?
No. This is referring to a custom some have to say that if they were condemned to be excommunicated, it should be null.
Regarding the custom to say Hataras Nedarim, that only needs to be said once. One of the things you say in Hataras Nedarim is that all future Nedarim should be null and void.