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The leaders of a Jewish group fighting the establishment of a designated area in Westhampton Beach in which Orthodox Jews would be exempt from certain religious rules, urged more than 100 people at a Sunday morning meeting to sign petitions in support of their position.
The petitions will be submitted to village officials, and to the utility companies which would have to agree to the placing of strips of PVC piping on telephone and power line poles that would delineate the boundaries of the area. Within the proposed one-square-mile area, called an eruv, Orthodox Jews may bypass religious restrictions and push or carry things—including wheelchairs, baby carriages and strollers—to temple on the Sabbath. The synagogue first proposed the eruv to the Westhampton Beach Village Board in February.
At the meeting, held at... more
The petitions will be submitted to village officials, and to the utility companies which would have to agree to the placing of strips of PVC piping on telephone and power line poles that would delineate the boundaries of the area. Within the proposed one-square-mile area, called an eruv, Orthodox Jews may bypass religious restrictions and push or carry things—including wheelchairs, baby carriages and strollers—to temple on the Sabbath. The synagogue first proposed the eruv to the Westhampton Beach Village Board in February.
At the meeting, held at... more
Opponents to the eruv in Westhampton Beach have said that it is not a civil rights issue and that they are not anti-Semitic towards Orthodox Jews.
Really? Who are the "unwelcome people" who "would change ...more the community for the worse"?
Imagine if that were said that about any other group.
The issue is Government is not forcing observant Jews from performing certain activities; Jewish law is. Why should an elected government give relief to a religious law? It defies logic and I think that should this go all the way to the Supreme Court (assuming the Village refuses) the Village would be upheld.
Suppose during Lent an observant Christian wants to eat meat on a Friday, or during Ramadan an observant ...more Muslim wants to have lunch. Do they go to City Hall and ask for a law to be passed to allow it?
I am sure we all want to keep this civil and respectable.
as stated and/or implied by Mr. Kringstein (in the New York Post article, during the two JPOE meetings, and in a number ...more of witnessed public statements) is to prevent Orthodox Jews from moving to Westhampton Beach.
By raising money to willfully exclude a particular group from living in a particular place because of their religous beliefs, Mr. Kringstein, Mr. Schieffer and the active members of JPOE may have violated New York State and Federal law.
I don't always agree with Mr. Greenbaum, but in this case I think he has "gotten it together." He is not claiming that people who don't want the Eruv are anti-semetic, rather that it seems to be the intention of JPOE and Mr. Kringstein in particular to keep a particular group of people from moving to Westhampton Beach.
Mr. Greenbaum is, in effect, standing up for all minorities and we should thank him. Hopefully Mr. Greenbaum and other community leaders will refer this matter to the appropriate state and federal authorities.