Thursday, April 02, 2009
Victoria Park residents beg City Hall for help with Jewish sect
Victoria Park residents are upset about a Jewish sect whose very popular, elderly leader has moved into the neighborhood, attracting people to the 7,000 square foot home.
Residents complained in emails to Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom that scores of people have religious meetings at the home that involve stomping and noise. They say a Hasidic Jewish Sect, The Tosh, from Montreal, Canada, has moved there.
“There is no doubt in our minds that the Rabbi is a very spiritual man,’’ resident Larry Eskesen wrote to his commissioner, “ … but does he have to be spiritual so noisily?’’
The city is taking a cautious approach to this, citing what happened to Hollywood in 2005, City Attorney Harry Stewart said Wednesday.
“We see it as not too dissimilar from the altercation that Hollywood got into with the Chabad,'' Stewart said. "The Chabad is still there and Hollywood got tagged for $2 million.’’
Federal law dictates that cities treat religious groups as they treat any other group. For example, if the Boy Scouts can meet in Victoria Park, then so can members of a religious organization. Houses of worship aren't allowed in the Victoria Park neighborhood, but a residential home where religious meetings occasionally occur would be OK, Stewart said. The city looked into allegations of parking and garbage code violations, and found none, he said.
Hollywood tangled with Chabad Lubavitch, which wanted to operate a synagogue in two homes in Hollywood Hills. The synagogue received $2 million in a 2006 settlement with the city.
Cooper City also lost a court case, in 2008, after forcing the closure of Chabad of Nova Outreach Center on the basis of zoning laws. The city changed its zoning code after a federal court said it violated federal law. A jury said the city should pay $325,750 for discriminating against the synagogue.
Victoria Park Civic Association meets tonight. Stay tuned for more.
Rodstrom advised the neighborhood president, Ted Fling, in an email Tuesday that the city "welcomes the diversity of all of our residents and guests'' and had found no evidence of code violations at the house at 417 11th Ave.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/04/victoria_park_residents_beg_ci.html
Residents complained in emails to Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom that scores of people have religious meetings at the home that involve stomping and noise. They say a Hasidic Jewish Sect, The Tosh, from Montreal, Canada, has moved there.
“There is no doubt in our minds that the Rabbi is a very spiritual man,’’ resident Larry Eskesen wrote to his commissioner, “ … but does he have to be spiritual so noisily?’’
The city is taking a cautious approach to this, citing what happened to Hollywood in 2005, City Attorney Harry Stewart said Wednesday.
“We see it as not too dissimilar from the altercation that Hollywood got into with the Chabad,'' Stewart said. "The Chabad is still there and Hollywood got tagged for $2 million.’’
Federal law dictates that cities treat religious groups as they treat any other group. For example, if the Boy Scouts can meet in Victoria Park, then so can members of a religious organization. Houses of worship aren't allowed in the Victoria Park neighborhood, but a residential home where religious meetings occasionally occur would be OK, Stewart said. The city looked into allegations of parking and garbage code violations, and found none, he said.
Hollywood tangled with Chabad Lubavitch, which wanted to operate a synagogue in two homes in Hollywood Hills. The synagogue received $2 million in a 2006 settlement with the city.
Cooper City also lost a court case, in 2008, after forcing the closure of Chabad of Nova Outreach Center on the basis of zoning laws. The city changed its zoning code after a federal court said it violated federal law. A jury said the city should pay $325,750 for discriminating against the synagogue.
Victoria Park Civic Association meets tonight. Stay tuned for more.
Rodstrom advised the neighborhood president, Ted Fling, in an email Tuesday that the city "welcomes the diversity of all of our residents and guests'' and had found no evidence of code violations at the house at 417 11th Ave.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/04/victoria_park_residents_beg_ci.html
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