The Jackson Township Council on Tuesday evening unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that will greatly enhance the ability of kehillos in the township to establish shuls and mikavos in their neighborhoods, LAKEWOOD ALERTS reported.
Prior to the ordinance, kehillos wishing to establish shuls faced the monumental task of finding a property with a minimum size of two acres on which to place their building. This has forced most kehillos in the township to hold minyanim in people’s homes.
With tonight’s ordinance passing, the minimum property size required for a shul would be dropped to 1 acre in most areas of Jackson, with just half an acre required for shuls in some sections, including the Brookwood neighborhoods. The ordinance still must pass a second reading.
THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON LAKEWOOD ALERTS STATUS
Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office applauded tonight’s historic vote by the Jackson Township Council to lower the zoning threshold required for a house of worship from two acres to one acre for most areas of the town.
In a statement provided to YWN, Agudath Israel said:
“Tonight’s vote will finally provide worshippers in Jackson Township, including Orthodox Jewish residents, the ability to pray in houses of worship without an unrealistic burden placed on them by the municipality.
Agudath Israel of America has been advocating for years on behalf of the rights of the thousands of families residing in Jackson Township, who have expressed their concern about the difficulty of establishing places of worship in the town.
“This vote is a giant step forward for religious rights in Jackson, New Jersey,” Rabbi Avi Schnall, director of Agudah’s New Jersey Office, said.
“This will allow the growing Orthodox population in Jackson to freely exercise their religious rights,” Rabbi Schnall added.
Rabbi Schnall also thanked Jackson Mayor Mike Reina, whom he credited with ensuring an ordinance be presented that will be beneficial for all Jackson residents.
“Mayor Reina’s leadership over the last few months is what enabled us to reach this this point,” Rabbi Schnall said.
“The mayor has been the driver behind this ordinance and we look forward to working with him on similar issues in the years to come.”
Agudath Israel also extends its gratitude to Jackson Council President Martin Flemming, along with the rest of the councilmembers, for their votes tonight and all their assistance on this particular issue leading up to this point.
Agudath Israel looks forward to the final passage of this ordinance, which is expected to take place in the next few weeks.
THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON LAKEWOOD ALERTS STATUS
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5 Responses
Rabbi Avi, Yiddin need you in this capacity for a long time! Please reconsider.
Kol hakovod to the Agudah lawyers who assisted here and in several other recent cases of blatantly anti-Semitic zoning and land use ordinances. They have developed an effective strategy of negotiation with a backstop of litigation. They also have been assisted by a network of pro-bono lawyers with expertise in local land use statutes and regs.
Does anyone know what the proposed frontage requirement will be? Until now it has been 200 feet.
It’s not antisemitism considering what was done to monsey and lakewood. You can be happy that the bill passed but don’t mix this up with real antisemitism. Real antisemitism is hatred for no reason at all. Here they are scared of over population and traffic jams. Big difference @gadolhador
The increased traffic, noise, density, overload on water and sewer systems etc. are ALWAYS the indirect tools invoked in these cases to varying degrees. The initial refusal in Jackson and similarly situated situations to accommodate land use concerns in my view has real anti-Semitic overtones.