Cooper City, FL – Nine months after losing a federal discrimination lawsuit, the city has reached an $800,000 settlement with an Orthodox Jewish synagogue that claimed Cooper City used zoning laws to kick out the Chabad of Nova Outreach Center.
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“It’s time for Cooper City and the Chabad to mend their fences and move on. And hopefully no other religious [groups] will have the same problems Chabad did,” said attorney Franklin Zemel, who led the two-year legal battle against the city.
In 2005, Rabbi Shmuel Posner was forced to close his center after city officials told him it was not allowed in the city’s business district. Posner filed suit in May 2007.
A year after being booted out, Posner opened his outreach center in a Davie shopping center three blocks from the Griffin Road storefront he left behind.
Today, Posner said he hopes to return to Cooper City when a space becomes available.
“I’m praying for it,” he said.
In July, U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga ruled the city violated federal law by banning religious groups from business districts. The city has since changed its code.
A Miami jury awarded Chabad $325,750. The rabbi will receive $330,000, which includes the jury award plus 2.5 percent interest. The rest will go to pay attorneys’ fees.
The settlement will be paid by Florida Municipal Insurance Trust, the city’s insurer.
Thank G-D! Didan Natzach!
Way to go Shmulek! Kepp up the good work.
Where’s Mr. Anonymous #1 to tell us “This is a chillul Hashem,” “The non-Jews will not like us now,” and “This rabbi should have followed the law before he moved in”?
I guess he’s busy up there in Minnesoto.
Look, I love Chabad a lot. They kept me on the derech when I was away at school. I support them monthly with my tzeddekah because I will never forget the chesed they did for me. But, we need to follow the law before thrusting a shul or outreach post.
I posted this before… this isn’t NYC. The locals will say… Hmmm.. You have a big Chabad synagogue in Cooper City. This one is near Nova’s main campus, which also has a Hillel. Why do you need this one?
So now the tax payers in Cooper City will see an increase because lawsuits, even after the insurance policy pays, almost always results in taxes going up. So the hatred to Jews continues.
What can chabad buy with 350,000
Not even enough for a down payment
What a shame on the government
Who cares if the goyim love us or hate us………as long as they RESPECT us !!!