A Rabbi trying to build a Jewish girl school in Nanuet faced a very hostile crowd of residents at an informational meeting at Clarkstown Town Hall on Monday night, News12 reported.
Rabbi Aaron Fink, dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in New Hempstead, purchased the Grace Baptist Church, where he hopes to move his private school of about 300 girls .
The packed crowd attacked Rabbi Fink even before he had begun to speak, with shouts of “go away, we don’t want you, go back to Ramapo” clearly audible.
The crowd shushed the shouters – with one woman saying “let’s all remain civilized because we are a civilized community” – allowing Rabbi Fink to begin speaking.
“We are not here to buy homes and move in to live – we are here to educate our daughters,” he said.
Some members of the crowd said they were concerned about the school’s history. Last year, emergency crews found Fink’s school on Summit Park Road operating without electricity and water while students were inside.
“There was some insinuations that we take shortcuts for the safety of our students, which is not fair, not correct. On the contrary, we followed all of our codes – we’ve always had and always will,” Fink told the crowd.
The crowd turned hostile at around the 2:15 mark of the video below, and one woman signaled for the crowd to leave the room. Some 30% of the attendees rose and left the meeting.
Rabbi Fink then rebuked the crowd: “That was the attitude in Pittsburgh. It doesn’t belong in Nanuet.”
Rabbi Fink said he is now selling his school’s current property in New Hempstead. He says he wants be a good neighbor and plans to speak with the Nanuet school district to discuss traffic concerns when they move in.
The sale is expected to close in January, but there is no word on when the school will open.
Rabbi Fink was scheduled to speak at a Clarkstown Board meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, where the town supervisor will also be making a statement.
(Nat Golden – YWN)
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38 Responses
Why go where you are not wanted?
Build a school where the girls and their families live.
By telling the residents that you are not there to buy homes and move in, but merely educate your daughters, you are saying to the residents: ‘Spend your tax dollars on police, fire and other services for us, and our community will bring not one cent of tax dollars to your town to offset the cost.’ Like it or not that is personifying the stereotype of ‘cheap Jew’ to the residents of the town.
Rabbi Fink will make no friends with that attitude and words.
I am a resident of a small town. I’ve been in local politics and an office holder for decades. If Rabbi Fink approached our Planning and Zoning Board with that approach I’d be against the school too.
Rabbi Fink needs a Dale Carnegie course…How to make friends and influence people.
No news here. The same thing has been going on in Chestnut Ridge for about a year now, where they are trying to find a workable plan to build Shuls. Every time there is a hearing, the residents spew hateful and antisemitic rants, which spewed against any other minority would be plastered all over the NY Times and CNN. The double standard is scary because other racial minorities have caused plenty of change to the character of the neighborhoods that they moved into including causing housing prices to plummet and if you say boo, you are a racist. In 2018 America like in 1935 Germany, antisemitic rhetoric is just fine – particularly if you’re using it to save the “character” of your neighborhood.
slime will be slime will be slime.
WAKE UP WE ARE IN GOLUS AND IT IS GETTING REAL BAD
I felt very sad reading this article.
Where were the manners of the audience to respect the rabbi?! Who were the people who shouted so rudely that they did not want the rabbi!
They have to apologize to the rabbi.
We should respect our Rabbis.
With all the open space available that is zoned for commercial and institutional use, why do yidden constantly seem to be insisting on locating mosdos in areas where the local neighbors are opposed? While in some cases I expect there is clear anti-Semitism involved, the more prevalent scenario seems to be normal NIMBY factors that could be avoided by longer-lead time planning to allow for locating the right building site and working through the local outreach efforts required to achieve a successful facility siting effort
Why should the town have to accommodate a school that is not from their town. Obviously they are upset.
What a bunch of bigots.
May these antisemites find their demise one way or another, over the next 30 days.
CTLAWYER,
You may be an office holder for decades, you may be in local politics in whatever small town you are but I think you’re very much mistaken.
You definitely raise a valid point regarding taxes and you may be right that Rabbi Fink needs a Dale Carnegie course.
However; why did he say that they’re not there to live there? Because he knows that they simply don’t want orthodox Jews living in their town. Do you mean to say that had he said we’re coming to join you as neighbors, we’re gonna add to your tax base- without taking a nickel- it would be different??
Well then – can you explain the serious Anti-Semitism manifesting itself in resistance to Jews moving into Jackson, NJ; Toms River, NJ? And the other areas near Monsey where Jews HAVE been moving to? Stop trying to sugarcoat it- they hate us because we are Jews- Period!
American Jews, smell the coffee! Sell up and move to E.Y. whilst you’ll still get good money for your property. This is a snapshot of the Halochoh- Esav Soney leYaakov….Time to move to Eretz Yisroel and to double/tripple the already formidable voting power of Charedim in eretz Yisroel…….When Moshiach comes- where do you wanna be?
To ct lawer There was a time when jews used to say “what will the goyim say”. We’re living in 2018 people should be able to live where they want to make an eiruv build shuls and schools. Of course zoning laws have to be followed WHEN they aren’t discriminitory against jews.
UncleMo
November 28, 2018 1:56 am at 1:56 am
CTLAWYER,
You may be an office holder for decades, you may be in local politics in whatever small town you are but I think you’re very much mistaken.
You definitely raise a valid point regarding taxes and you may be right that Rabbi Fink needs a Dale Carnegie course.
However; why did he say that they’re not there to live there? Because he knows that they simply don’t want orthodox Jews living in their town. Do you mean to say that had he said we’re coming to join you as neighbors, we’re gonna add to your tax base- without taking a nickel- it would be different??
Well then – can you explain the serious Anti-Semitism manifesting itself in resistance to Jews moving into Jackson, NJ; Toms River, NJ? And the other areas near Monsey where Jews HAVE been moving to? Stop trying to sugarcoat it- they hate us because we are Jews- Period!
———————————
Uncle mo ,
Lets call a spade a spade.
Would you be ok with a mosque moving in your immediate neighborhood?
To those of you who say that he should not have said “we are not moving in”, you are obviously not familiar with the (antisemitic) atmosphere that currently exists out the open in Rockland. Whether some Jews may have asked for it or not, the attitude among the non-jewish residents is to do anything to insure that the dirty orthodox Jews don’t move into their communities. It was that fear that he was trying to address. He figured that perhaps they would swallow the existence of the school if they are assured that they won’t have to live next to a filthy orthodox Jew. Take Rabbi Fink off that stand and replace him with a leader from any other minority group and you know that the entire country would be tumulting about the racism.
Gadolhadorah, I understand that you stick up for anti-Semites continously and indiscriminately, but currently in Rockland County the law is that a school needs to be in a RESIDENTIAL area. Every single school in Rockland County is located within a residential area.
And every single public school in Rockland County is loaded with illegal children and children of illegals and NO ONE IS SAYING ANYTHING, only when Jews want to educate their kids is there problems.
I personally am not a fan of building congestion as is being done in Monsey and Spring Valley, I hate the traffic, noise and dirt, NEVERTHELESS, I would never scream people shouldn’t come here, period. This is the US, I may hate it, but everyone has a right to live where they want to. I don’t scream at illegal kids in public schools in my area and neither would I protest if a non-Jewish school would want to open in my area, provided all the zoning laws are upheld.
I didn’t mean to write in my previous post that illegals have a right to live anywhere in the US.
1. I meant to write that US citizens have a right to give where they want and to set up schools where they want to provided it does not violate local zoning laws
2. It is disgusting that illegals can send there children to school wherever they want to but Jewish children are not tolerated. This is blatant anti-Semitism.
It’s interesting to analyze the political learning on this neighborhood and area. In the most recent election about 60% of the vote went for Democratic tickets (including A. Cuomo for governor). What does this have to do with this article?? More than we know, and it certainly tells us about hypocrisy among these haters. Many of the large platforms of the NY Democrats involved flexibility over illegal immigration, “women’s rights”, including #METOO and anger towards Kavanagh becoming a Justice, and progressive ideals of health care for all, college and preschool, and etc. If you dared tell many of those in the audience that you plan on building a wall against the Mexican border, there would likely be outrage over discrimination. If you question how universal health care can be funded, they will likely shout that it’s not fair that a child in the US can go without healthcare— same deal with universal pre-school or free colleges. I’m sure they would be in favor of eliminating the death penalty for a mass murdered. When it comes to an issue such as building a private Jewish school in their town, suddenly all their liberal and politically correct tendencies dissipate, and they become vicious with no progressive rules applying towards their thoughts of the Jews. I don’t mean for this posting to be a political argument of conservative-liberal, good-bad but to merely point out that liberal political principals and ideals only apply to those populations and demographics which they want it to apply towards.
Takes2-2tango,
Why are you always from the first on the bandwagon NOT standing behind your frum brethren (an assumption I make lightly, I don’t quite know why)??
Don’t give me this garbage. What comparison is a girls school to a mosque in 2018?! They are a violent pack of animals- all around the world- how much terrorism and murder by Muslims?? So yes- I would not be happy if a mosque was moving into my neighborhood. If you don’t see the difference; well I cannot help you. Jews don’t slit people’s throats, they don’t ram cars into others. They don’t blow themselves up on crowded buses with women and children. They don’t fly planes into skyscrapers.
Let’s call a spade a spade- a mosque is INCOMPARABLE to a Jewish girls school. They simply don’t want Jews living in their town.
And FYI- I live hundreds of miles away from NJ or Monsey, in an area where frum Jews are a VERY small minority.
Anyone notice they always have a problem with very Yeshivish and Chasidish moving in but not modern orthodox and not frum? Something to think about maybe its cuz how they act? I dont want New Yorky Chasidim moving into my neighborhood either.
TGIShabbos ,
So true, very good points brought up.
I have been to many of these meetings for ateres and for other Yeshivas, we scream now because it’s non religious people saying things that they shouldn’t.
There are many religious people that say the same. Traffic is an issue the busses. An back up onto the street the staff come at the same time along with students that miss the bus. These are valid concerns and should be addressed. Just to knock their concerns is wrong he should of had a traffic mitigation to show them as and respond to them and show them that he is taking their concerns seriously
The locals will see
how little they will be disturbed
by the Zniusdikke girls
and slowly come to admire them.
If they were going to build a public school in the middle of a frum neighborhood your telling me people wouldn’t complain and try to stop it? (And please no “but we’re different” says its an elementary school with no issues of kids roaming the area after school and they have a tzinus dress code.)
GadolHadorah,
The property being purchased by Ateres IS an an institutional property. It is already zoned for religious and educational use (it used to be church). They aren’t opposed to this school because of the institutional use, they are opposed because that institutional use will be that of Orthodox Jews.
CTLawyer,
Rabbi Fink barely said a word and the crowd was already jeering him and not letting him speak. That isn’t reasoned discourse. It is animosity and bigotry. As it happens, I and other Orthodox Jews do live in Clarkstown (Nanuet is a hamlet within Clarkstown) and pay taxes to Clarkstown. So the tax argument does not really hold up. As others have noted, Rabbi Fink knew (he wasn’t the first speaker) that people were opposed to Orthodox Jews moving into Nanuet and made the comment about not living there in order to assuage those bigoted fears.
Love all,
There might be legitimate traffic concerns that should be addressed (that is why such meetings are held) but the venom at this meeting was not about school bus traffic.
Takes2,
Yes, I would be ok with a mosque moving in to my neighborhood. And if other Jews wouldn’t be, it is because they are prejudiced against Muslims. And not letting a mosque in your neighborhood because you are afraid of Muslims is unconstitutional and a violation of New York state and federal law.
All of the places I’ve lived in my adult life, there hasn’t been a school tax increase, either sales tax addition or property tax that was voted down. I wonder if these are the same people who will tax themselves to death for a public school, yet will shout this Rabbi down. These Blue states…
benignuman,
Would you mind sharing if you’re Jewish,or unaffiliated Jew ,if indeed
you are??
My 6th sense is vibrating….. Something ain’t kosher with you…… not even Halal.
……I ask that because you condemn Jews as prejudiced if they don’t want a Mosque in their neighborhoods..
Can you blame them?
The most vociferous hate vs. Jews globally is from Muslims, from MiddleEast, to Europe to social media.
Whether it violates law is irrelevant..
Jews are naturally wary of Muslims & mosques for good reasons…
Even the government monitors mosques.. Do Muslims want a shtiebel in their neighborhood???
benignuman,
“And not letting a mosque in your neighborhood because you are afraid of Muslims is unconstitutional and a violation of New York state and federal law”
So it is now against the constitution to be afraid of ruthless murderers and terrorists, people who act like savages? That is unconstitutional? I need to go back and refresh my knowledge apparently. And btw; the question wasn’t about “letting” a mosque, the question was whether we’d sit silently or attempt to stop it. The answer- I’d attempt to stop it. So would many law abiding American citizens.
I actually grew up just a few blocks away from the mosque where that blind sheik who planned the world trade center bombing in ’93 “preached “. I remember when the FBI raided the place. So are my concerns legitimate??
ZionGate,
I am a frum Jew from birth. Certainly the Muslim community worldwide has high rates of anti-semitism, but Muslims in the United States are far less anti-semitic. Remember, if they are coming to live in the United States and want to be American, they are unlikely to be subscribing to the more extreme versions of their religion. The vast majority of Muslims in the United States are not anti-semitic, or anti-American. They are ordinary people trying to make a better life for themselves.
And the best way to counter anti-semitism in the Muslim community is to welcome them with open arms, to show them that we are not their enemy.
I’ll bet they have no problem with all the liiegals trying to get in
This town meeting is a clear indication of bigotry against Jews–pure and simple–the Rabbi’s personality not withstanding. Those who rail against the school for Jewish girls should ask themselves ask why the divorce rate, the number of illegitimate children, the crime rate, the slaughter of school children in Colorado and Connecticut might not exist in such numbers if the words and commandments of the Almighty are an integral part of the school’s curriculum as indeed I’m sure this proposed Jewish school for girls is. And, I am equally sure the public schools where these antagonists to the private school DO NOT have such curriculum !!!
A goy,
Gerry Mullen
benignuman,
You got it backwards.
We don’t need to show them we’re not their enemy; they have to show us they’re not our.
This is typical liberal Jewish thinking.
I don’t apologize for being a Jew , and carry no cockamamie “Jewish values”
guilt.. We don’t hate them, they hate us…
Let them welcome us with open arms first…. We’re not in the business of sycophanting or kissing up to anybody.
Look at CAIR, the Mulim org. vs. ADL, BNAI BRITH, HIAS….
Difference? They put Muslims first, we Jewish nebs worry about the whole cotton pickin’ world first , to show how “moral” we are.
This is a galut mentality.
ZionGate,
“We don’t hate them, they hate us” I think your posts indicate otherwise. You don’t want to welcome them, fine. No one is forcing you to do so. But to try and stop them from coming in to a neighborhood–that is bigotry and hatred.
benignuman,
You can call me all the Yidlib pejoratives you want… I don’t give a rat’s belch…. This is the lib mantra, call people bigots.
Well, boo – hoo .My concern is for my family and my Jewish brethren’s safety , you obviously aren’t bothered … These people hate us and are murderers… You are sadly, a naive foolish Jew…
They hate you too, fool.
“Anyone notice they always have a problem with very Yeshivish and Chasidish moving in but not modern orthodox and not frum? Something to think about maybe its cuz how they act? I dont want New Yorky Chasidim moving into my neighborhood either.”
Thats not true…at least with respect to MO. In the Tenafly and West Hampton eruv cases, those cases were to keep modern orthodox jews out of the town. I suppose you could say that the towns wanted to make sure that Yeshivish and Chasidish wouldnt move in — possible — but the Eruv plaintiffs in both those case were modern orthodox. Clearly, at least in those two towns — Orthodox were Orthodox. BTW — in makes sense that they wouldnt want any orthodox in town because one of the “problems” we bring is that we dont use the public school. Right — you would think that that would be good — because we pay taxes yet dont use the schools. However, there is a little brain drain that makes the schools worse.
takes2…I am in a neightborhood where the missionaries bought a house and they are building .. we can do nothing about it..
we are in galus ..and we will have to deal with it..
and we are also dealing with churches all over and we everyone worship as they wish..
same should be here..
“Would you be ok with a mosque moving in your immediate neighborhood?”
Absolutely. In fact, there is one that is about a ten minute walk from me and I found an internet site that lists 39 others in the Bronx where I live — one of which hosts a (Jewish) Shabbat minyan every week.
“When it comes to an issue such as building a private Jewish school in their town, suddenly all their liberal and politically correct tendencies dissipate, and they become vicious with no progressive rules applying towards their thoughts of the Jews.”
“Why go where you are not wanted?”
Well here in the Bronx, Cuomo got 87% of the vote. But we would love to have more Jews move here — housing is still relatively affordable by NYC standards — and set up some more schools. In fact we do not have currently have a charedi girls school in the Bronx and it would be great to have one as the currently small number of charedim in the Bronx today have to send their girls on long bus trips. I invite Rabbi Fink to talk to Borough President Diaz.