South Blooming Grove, NY – Hasidic Developers Allege Discrimination Against Jews in Building Moratorium

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    Lawsuit claims discriminatory practices aimed at preventing Hasidic Jews from expanding in southern Orange County.South Blooming Grove, NY – A group of Hasidic landowners who own nearly half of all the property in the Village of South Blooming Grove is suing the municipality in federal court for what it claims are discriminatory practices aimed at preventing Hasidic Jews from expanding in southern Orange County.

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    The suit filed in U.S. District Court in White Plains contends that South Blooming Grove’s extension of a building moratorium, as well as its recently proposed zoning changes are aimed at preventing them, and members of the Hasidic community in general, from entering the village.

    The moratorium, put in place before the village’s incorporation in 2006, has been in place for two and a half years.

    The zoning change proposal includes decreasing density, banning two-family duplexes and creating a conservation overlay district on large parcels, said Michael Sussman, the Goshen attorney for the plaintiffs. “So it would be particularly directed to people like those in this group (of landowners),” Sussman said.

    The plaintiffs, Zalman Berkovitz, Solomon Witriol, Mendel Schwimmer, Bernie Jacobowitz, Joseph Strulovitch, Jacob Gold, Moses Greenfield and Sam Wiesner, own a combined 1,400 acres of vacant land within the village purchased in total for $25 million, Sussman said.

    Some are key stakeholders in the former bungalow colony and golf course located on 862 acres known as Lake Anne, Sussman said.

    Hasidic investors in that property once suggested building more than 200 homes on it.

    The lawsuit says the incorporation of the village itself was an attempt by the Blooming Grove community to prevent Kiryas Joel investors from developing their land in Blooming Grove and then annexing their property into Kiryas Joel.
    “The existence of Kiryas Joel cannot be an excuse for anti-Semitism in this county,” Sussman wrote in a news release publicizing the suit.

    South Blooming Grove Mayor Rob Jeroloman said he learned about the suit from a reporter before the complaint even arrived at his desk in Village Hall. He questioned why Sussman would make the case public before his village was even served.

    Sussman said he sends out press releases on high-profile cases to notify the community about their magnitude.

    “Clearly these plaintiffs seek to have their claims adjudicated in the media,” Jeroloman said in an e-mail. “The village will respond in the court, where these false claims of discrimination will be soundly rejected.”


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    25 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Why do we always have to shout anti- semitism wen Jews or in this case chasidic jews cant do as they please. Laws are meant to be followed. If it was physically hurting then maybe you could say they are discriminating. Nonetheless, It is zoning laws. Seriously people get a life. Dina d”malchusa dina. This discrimation and fighting has got to stop! Remember those who are worthy will be redeemed in the time of Moshiach, b’meira b’Yameinu! Have an inspiring shabbos!

    destro613
    destro613
    15 years ago

    good for the village

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    While I agree that we, often, play the anti-semitism card too freely, it is equally troubling that there are those among us (when achdus is needed more than ever) are equally quick to stick their heads in the sand and not see obvious discrimination. I believe that this is one of those cases. To self-righteously cry dina dmalchusa dina (especially from one who obviously has not taken the trouble to explore the parameters of that injunction in SA or in shas) is painful. Our default during these trying and painful times, more than ever, must be unqualified and unappologetic achdus. This is, no longer, about Lakewood, CC, CB, Brisk, Chabad, Satmar, Poilishe, Ungarishe, Mumbai, Chicago, France, EY; It is about yidden finishing off golus once and for all as we stand together in a united front prepared to take on whatever final challenges will be thrown our way. Let’s start to default to defending each other rather than jumping to criticize. BDG is the xception to the rule not the rule.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    What’s worse antisemetisem from the out side or from inside these two factions In kiryas yoel would do anything to. Block one another… Let them preach what they pray

    M Feldman
    M Feldman
    15 years ago

    To those who claim that this is not anti semitism, that might be right (kirays joel abuses the system and I’m sad to say that a lot of the residents in KJ don’t have any regard for another). This said, I have done a big job in upstate ny, further than albany, and I can’t discribe not only the anti semitisem but also hate towards italians, mexicans and simply because we where “city monsters”. To make my point, there is definatly a lot of anti semitisem,some are because the way we act, while some are just out of jeliousy and plain anti semitisem.

    For the record, if the is a true anti semite, you can teach him how to smile, but you can’t change his heart.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I think people are way to quick to allege anti-semitism. I grew up in Orange County when it was a lovely, rural area and mostly single family homes spread out from each other, except in the various town and village centers where homes were a little closer together. There were still lots of dairy farms and orchards. Now, much of it has become a dense, crowded area with lots of traffic, noise and congestion, not to mention air pollution and crime. I hate seeing what all the development has done to Orange County. The failure to have good, strong zoning laws in place has been a disaster. Did it ever occur to the commentors that it was seeing more and more dense housing and loss of green space and more congestion that led to the moratorium and zoning/building disputes, and not who owns the land or lives in the housing. There are zoning battles all over that have nothing to do with religion or nationality. People don’t like seeing their communities ruined by too much development. Yidden should understand that since, they recognize the importance of tradition and don’t like change. Maybe its time to show some respect for people who have lived in O.C. for decades. And yes, I’m Jewish.
    As the song says, “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what we’ve had till its gone.”

    Shua
    Shua
    15 years ago

    Anonymous (#5) said: “It is about yidden finishing off golus once and for all…”

    The Ribbono Shel Olam is sending us messages over and over again, but we’re just not listening. Kol HaKovod, in the above quote Anonymous demonstrates a clear understanding of the message: that it is time to FINISH OFF GOLUS once and for all. It is NOT the time to be expanding our communities in America and enlarging our ‘stake’ here. It is NOT the time to be entrenching ourselves even further in this golus.

    The developers mentioned in this story do not understand that the zoning rules
    passed by the village are a message from Hashem that there is NO future for yidden in Orange county. Rather than suing for their ‘dalet amos’ of golus, they should be selling their 1400 acres, buying property in Eretz Yisrael, and building homes for families ready to take part in the geula.

    shmiel glassman
    shmiel glassman
    15 years ago

    if south blooming grove is concerned about density do your math
    200 homes on 800 acres!!!!!!!!!! 4 acres for a 2 family home!!!!!!!!!
    if they dont want to see the jews ask for a 1 acre buffer zone -perimiter on the golf course
    THIS IS A LONG PROCESS & IF THEY WANT TO BUILD IN 2011 THEY GOT TO START FIGHTING NOW

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    “You have no clue about real estate. This Town of Bloominggrove are highly anti semetic. I once was in contract on a piece of property, and the seller a goy told me to buy it under a different name so the Town will grant the approvals. Dont mix in dina dmalchisa dina. Once you go to these stupid Town meetings you will see its nothing but some stupid people in the town that were elected for some reason have the power to do wahtever they want. and in the meantime let you die if you are waiting for permits, approvals, c/o’setc “.

    If you were to substitute ” cheap Jew ” for every time you said ” stupid people” andused one anecdote about a chasid in KJ, you would scream anti-semitism.

    those that sue and claim dina demalchusa dina
    those that sue and claim dina demalchusa dina
    15 years ago

    take the time and realize that if you own land and are getting govmt programs it is not dina dimalchusa dina

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    People go to the country to be in the country. By definition rural communties or the country is defined as rural districts, including farmland, parkland, and other sparsely populated areas, as opposed to cities or towns: Many people from more populated areas like Brklyn, Manhattan etc used to spend their vacations in the country in the bungalows.
    A city is a populated area with many people, buildings, little if any grass or trees, busy. noisy etc.
    Is it possible that the zoning board want to keep the area, as a quiet place, free of extra buildings and noise and less populated??
    People used to go to Monsey as “the country” but now it is turning into a “city”. Buildings and traffic and noise and litter. A shopping trip to the supermarkets used to take only a few minutes now it literally turns into a half hour trip. For arguments sake, lets assume they dont mind a house per family. Maybe they just dont want it to turn into a city.

    SAM
    SAM
    15 years ago

    It’s probably anti-Hasidim more than anti-Semitic. It’s a different culture and lifestyle they’re used to, and the Hasidim want to stay with their culture and lifestyle, and penetrate right among them. They live there now, and have the right to resist that. I wonder how the village would react if one of the South Blooming Grove community would purchase a big parcel of land to develop 200 apartments somewhere around Satmar Dr. wouldn’t they change the zoning, or make a big deal about these people trying to destroy our heritage.

    berl
    berl
    15 years ago

    All of us (jews) are unfortunately blessed with our own hatred against each other, think about that look on your face when seeing another of your own in staying at the same hotel in Miami or anywhere else, or when you avoid going to some places on Chol hamoed due to the fact that there are to many of us there. lets face it we are not an easy crowed, and wherever we go to be it in the mountains be it a new village to live all year round this means countless special treatment requests by us from the local authorities, we all know that we are a demanding bunch of people and that wherever we live we have our issues with the our neighbors, and as soon as a new neighborhood is developed successfully many of us will see an opportunity to to enrich their pockets by buying out the locals houses and converting the entire town into our OWN village by voting out the older elected officials and putting in our own guys to run the show, which give good reason for all small towns around NY to avoid at all cost getting involved with our people. had we been a bit more human with the locals around KJ and a little less demanding they’d had no issues inviting us in.

    gobits
    gobits
    11 years ago

    This is not about Jews, Hasidim or not. This is about preserving the country feel of Blooming Grove. I know, I live here. I drive through Kiryas Joel. I don’t want to live in that kind of density. I don’t care if you have Peyas or a Led Zeppelin t-shirt. Whatever floats your boat. But I moved up here to be away from the city. I f I wanted to live in Queens, I would move to queens. If you like the city life go to the city, don’t try to recreate it up here. This is all about housing density and road infrastructure. And, yes, the Hasidim do contribute to congestion and accidents. Again, I have first hand knowledge of this as well. Saying that they dont’ drive on Saturday, is no argument. There are six other days of the week. And Friday afternoons can be hairy on the highway if one family is running late going home. I have been passed several Fridays by Hasidim in minivans full of passengers that were flying north on the NY State thruway, (traffic there flows at around 75 mph as it is) zipping in and out of lanes trying to get home before sundown and I have seen accidents involving Hasidim that shut down route 17 where I waited for over an hour.