48.5 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Jewish Groups Sue NY Towns for $25M Claiming Discrimination

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

(Photo by Fritz Mayer courtesy of riverreporter.com)

On Monday, September 8, in Manhattan federal court, a multi-tiered group of Satmar plaintiffs joined together to file a lawsuit for $25 million against the village of Bloomingburg, the town of Mamakating, and their respective elected officials. The suit alleges that the defendants have purposely participated in “government-sponsored religious discrimination” aimed at stopping the influx Hasidic Jews into the area.

According to MIDHUDSONNEWS.com, the plaintiffs also requested that a June vote by Bloomingburg residents to get rid of its zoning and planning boards, be blocked by the court. The vote provided Mamakating’s governing boards with de facto power.

Included among the plaintiffs are the Bloomingburg Jewish Education Center, Sullivan Farms, Learning Tree and local Hasidic families. They all share that they will benefit from the completion of Shalom Lamm’s 396-unit Hasidic village, Chestnut Ridge, going to fruition.

Bloomingburg and Mamakating are charged in the suit with “seeking to use their political power, economic pressure, zoning laws, and sheer intimidation to prevent a certain type of people from joining their community.”

Furthermore in the lawsuit are allegations that new Bloomingburg Mayor Frank Gerardi was elected based “on an express platform” geared toward the prevention of the relocation of Brooklyn Hasidics to the area.

Officials from both communities are accused in the suit to have routinely “conspired” to with hold building permits and other formalities, with the specific intentions of halting Lamm from progressing with Chestnut Ridge. The plaintiffs have requested to be granted a trial by jury.

The NY Post reported that on Monday evening, September 9th, they reached out by phone for comment from Bloomingburg Mayor Frank Gerardi, who replied with a denial of knowing about the suit.

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -