(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Earlier this week, YWN reported on extensive surveillance of Jewish homeowners in Jackson, New Jersey. Leaked documents showed high ranking township officials were apparently obsessed and angered by Jewish residents gathering to Daven in the comfort of their own homes.

Now audio has surfaced of two Jackson township Code Enforcement officials confronting homeowners over the allegations.

First, we hear the voice of Ken Pieslak, the head of Code Enforcement. Ken informs the homeowner that they are aware of prayer gatherings taking place on the premises, which is somehow against the law. He doesn’t sound exactly sure which law is being broken, but he mentions the required conditions for a building that is primarily an institutional church, including a 2 acre lot and 200 foot setbacks. Needless to say, this person’s house is primarily a private residence and thus not subject to these requirements.

At the end of the video, we hear the voice of Code Enforcement Officer Connie Sidor, who fills in the details: an anonymous tipster took a video of people praying in the house and reported it, which is apparently illegal.

Transcript of the conversation is below the video:

Ken Pieslak:  I’m Ken Pieslak, department of compliance supervisor.

Are you the owner? Okay.

We’re getting, we’ve received some complaints last week that on Friday, you’re conducting services in the house. And we don’t want to bother, we didn’t want to come Friday at sundown and bother you so we wanted to get a hold of you ahead of time, cause you may not be aware that we have a code that doesn’t allow it. It only allows it in certain zones and you need X amount of property and, be, 200 foot setbacks and so forth. And we can get you a copy of the code, I don’t have it on me right now, but we just wanted to make you aware that it isn’t allowed.

I mean, if you have something scheduled for tonight, we understand, we don’t wanna, it’s last minute, we’re okay with that. But anything in the future beyond that, you know, we’re going to have to give a notice of violation followed up by a summons and that sort of…

Connie Sidor: The complaint came in, and we have a video of, they say, 30 people going into the garage and holding some kind of service or something. So, the ordinance says you can’t hold, on a continuous basis, any type of church or religious service.

Jackson Leaks, which obtained the audio, noted that the New Jersey state constitution says prayer service in one’s home cannot be regulated in New Jersey using zoning, regardless of how many people or books are involved. The opinion in Farhi v. Deal Borough Commisioners states:

The court therefore holds that the guaranty of freedom of worship as set forth by our State Constitution forecloses any use by a municipal authority of its zoning power to prohibit the free exercise of religious activity in the privacy of one’s home.

In September, Jackson Township passed a controversial ordinance making it illegal to construct an Eruv in the public’s right-of-way. Earlier this year, Jackson passed an ordinance against opening schools or dormitories in the town. Agudath Israel of America has filed a lawsuit against Jackson over that decision.

The New Jersey Attorney General has filed a discrimination lawsuit against another township, Mahwah, over its ordinances prohibiting an Eruv or the use of town parks, decisions deemed to be targeting Orthodox Jews.

(Nat Golden – YWN)