TOMS RIVER, N.J. (VINnews) — The Toms River Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved an application by Rabbi Moshe Rotberg to expand Khal Zichron Yechezkel, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in the township’s North Dover section.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The approval allows the synagogue to add about 4,000 square feet to its existing roughly 3,000-square-foot building, more than doubling the size of the facility. The properties are located at 1865 and 1871 Old Freehold Road.
The site is in Toms River’s rural residential zone, where houses of worship are permitted as a conditional use. The combined properties span more than two acres, meeting the township’s minimum lot-size requirement for a house of worship.
Community leaders estimate that about 2,500 Orthodox Jewish families live in Toms River, with roughly 40 synagogues serving the community, most of them concentrated in North Dover.
The application had previously sought site-plan approval and related zoning relief, including a side-yard setback variance for an existing nonconforming condition.
The board’s approval clears the way for the expansion to proceed under the approved plans.
Zoning boards exist to ensure that growth happens responsibly and within established community guidelines. This decision from Toms River shows the process working as it should, with an expansion approved for a house of worship that meets the local requirements. It is a good outcome for the synagogue and the community it serves.