The religious organization seeking to replace a colonial-style home at the corner of East 28th Street and Avenue R with a new Mikvah won the blessing of Community Board 15 this week – and the consternation of some of its neighbors.
Sephardic Mikvah Israel already operates a MIkvah at 810 Avenue S, but group leaders say that facility is overcrowded.
The group is now seeking a variance from the Board of Standards & Appeals to convert the vacant single-family home at 2802 Avenue R into a new 2,740-square-foot mikvah.
In August, the Department of Buildings found that the application was non-compliant with front and side yard requirements – triggering the request for a variance.
Critics charge that granting the variance would violate the character of the block.
At an ugly and contentious Community Board 15 public hearing held last week at Kingsborough Community College, supporters of the new mikvah angered some when it was suggested that unhappy homeowners could sell their houses and “move to Pennsylvania or wherever.”
“I know they made fun of me about keeping the trees,” said longtime resident of the block Sharon Serkin. “The attitude is this is our neighborhood now we’ll do what we want. Someone who is religious turned to me and said, how disrespectful.”
Supporters of Sephardic Mikvah Israel tuned out en masse for last week’s Community Board 15’s public hearing and submitted a petition reportedly containing the names of 90 area residents in support of the project.
Members of Community Board 15’s Zoning & Variance Committee were never shown the proposed mikvah, however. Instead, an image of the existing home at 2802 Avenue R was projected on a wall throughout the night.
This week Community Board 15 Chairperson Thesesa Scavo publicly addressed the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association at P.S. 195 on Irwin Street, and denied charges that she had in any way shown favoritism to mikvah supporters.
Opponents like Serkin insist that the issue is not a religious one, but rather one of preservation.
Some invoked State Senator Carl Kruger when he blasted the operators of Cherry Hill Market last month with “chipping away” at the special district in Sheepshead Bay.
Kruger, however, immediately sent a letter to Community 15 denouncing the reference and voiced his support for the new mikvah.
At a meeting before the full board held a day after the public hearing, City Councilmember Lew Fidler called for a compromise and attempted to strike an accord between Sephardic Mikvah Israel and neighborhood critics that would preserve more greenery and affect the façade of the proposed mikvah.
Community Board 15 member Eileen O’Brien advanced a motion to that end, but it was defeated.
(Source: Your Nabe)
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8 Responses
The frum neighbors on the block are 95% unified that a mikvah is a siman bracha for the entire neighborhood. The primary opponent is a rabble rouser and his wife on the block who opposes all Jewish neighbors building permit requests. The only house on the block that he did not oppose a permit on was a non-Jew who not only got a free pass but built an illegal dormer on his attic level. The opposition comes from a very small number of anti-Semites be they Jewish or non-Jewish. We celebrate and welcome all positive investment in our community especially a mikvah,
With Hashem’s blessing, I hope they succeed. That neighborhood has experianced much growth.
why spend the money on a new mikvah when there is a perfectly acceptable mikvah in the neighborhood.
there will need to be fundraising involved, funds that could have gone to help educate children.
Overcrowded? that means there are women using the mikvah, B’H! Celebrate this but when there is a finite amount of money out there why spend it for something you already have?
Please bear in mind that we are talking about a mikvah on East 28th Street and Ave R, which is a great distance from the other mikvah(20 street blocks + a long avenue block from East 8th & S). The lack of a local mikvah creates an undue burden for people to walk so far(eg. Friday night and Haggim).
The mikvah will probably also serve people living in the East 30’s making it ludicrous to suggest that people should have to go all the way to East 8th.
Due to the discrete nature of this mitzvah, people do not appreciate a crowded facility, and could perhaps put a bad taste in the mouths of those clients who are only marginally committed.
Shame on all those who seek to put stumbling blocks before people, by imposing difficulty upon people desiring to perform this beautiful mitzvah!
As far as parking is concerned, if people have a mikvah which is local, they don’t need to use their cars to get there, and the drive around for 20 minutes to find a parking spot. They simply walk over (which also helps the environment).
It should also be pointed out, that an easily accessible mikvah in a neighborhood is a plus for the entire neighborhood making it more attractive for young couples to move there, and will ultimately help long term property values. Thus, residents who oppose the mikvah are actually seeking to shoot themselves in the leg financially!
#4, a mikveh is more important than education. If crowded conditions at the existing mikveh discourage even one woman from using it, then the new mikveh is worth it. And if you’re worried about the cars at this location, imagine what a burden the cars must be at the existing mikveh! Why should that block suffer such congestion, and this block should be free?
Flatbusher: Having this Mikveh would be extremely beneifical on shabbos and yom tov. The East 8th location is very far to walk to and if helps even one woman not to even delay going to the Mikveh, because of the distance, then it would be worth building.
For goodness sakes, we live in Brooklyn, we know about the parking situation. That should not be an issue to prevent the observance of the major Mitzvah. The entire world was created to benefit the jews. Ex. The Verrazno Bridge, was created so Jews could get back and forth, to Lakewood.
The entire world was created to benefit the jews. Ex. The Verrazno Bridge, was created so Jews could get back and forth, to Lakewood.
Why? Were Jews not permitted to use the Holland Tunnel?
The Wolf
read some of the local newspapers regarding this issue and you will see why the goyim in this neighborhood hate us. just because we are the majority doesn’t mean we have to treat our neighbors like dirt and speak to them in such vulgar terms. its bad enough we have our own internal disputes that have become downright uncivilized we don’t have to let the goyim know how disgusting we can be to outsiders. we are only guests in this country and we can’t shove our beliefs down every goy’s throat and expect them to take it without a fight.