The hearing regarding Yeshiva Me’on Hatorah, which operates in a Shul on Homestead Lane, was adjourned Tuesday until Sept. 12 to accommodate an expert witness for the yeshiva who could not attend the Planning Board hearing Wednesday because of an injury.

The Roosevelt Preservation Association is appealing Zoning Officer Bob Francis’s decision that the yeshiva did not violate the local zoning ordinance by operating the school in a residential area.

Planning Board Vice Chairwoman Jane Rothfuss, who was acting as chairwoman for the hearing, said lawyers on both sides of the issue agreed to the postponement.

“In my conversation with the two lawyers, they represent that they think the next meeting should be it,” added Ms. Rothfuss.Planning Board Chairman Ralph Seligman has recused himself because he lives within 200 feet of the property.

The adjournment follows previous postponements of the hearing in June and July. Ms. Rothfuss added that she and Ronald Gasiorowski, the association’s lawyer, pushed for reassurance from the yeshiva’s lawyer that the witness will be available during the next meeting.

“We’ve both � this board and Mr. Gasiorowski � essentially said Sept. 12, or it’s your obligation to obtain another witness to testify on your behalf,” Ms. Rothfuss said.

Bert Ellentuck, who lives near the yeshiva and is a member of the association, read from a letter from Mr. Gasiorowski saying that he did not consent to the adjournment.

“I did not know until I walked here to this Borough Hall this evening that the hearing was not going to be held, and frankly, I’m offended,” Mr. Ellentuck said.

Ms. Rothfuss said Mr. Gasiorowski had reluctantly agreed to the adjournment after he sent that letter.
Aside from the appeal, the yeshiva and its landlord received a separate violation notice in May from Mr. Francis because 12 students who attend the yeshiva are living in a single-family house on Rochdale Avenue. A date for that hearing had not been set, although Ms. Rothfuss announced at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting that a notice distributed to the public which stated that the matter would be discussed Wednesday was deficient because it contained erroneous information and was written improperly.

Mr. Francis has resigned his local position since sending the notice but that is not expected to have any bearing on the hearings, which he is attending.

The yeshiva, a school where Orthodox Jewish males 13 years and older study the Torah, has been at the center of a debate between proponents who say the school is a welcome addition to the borough and opponents who say its presence threatens to upend the town’s diversity as well as its school system.