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Religion & Law

: Religion Clause

RLUIPA Lawsuit Filed By Hasidic Group Against New York Village

By Howard M. Friedman

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A lawsuit has been filed against the village of South Blooming Grove, New York by a Satmar Hasidic group that wants to restore an old club house at a former resort on Lake Anne. Today's Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record reports that the lawsuit, originally filed in state court but transferred to federal court on the judge's order, claims that the village's refusal to consider Sheri Torah's application violates RLUIPA. The village says the application by the Jewish group raises questions. Originally Sheri Torah sought to build a synagogue, then it asked for a special use permit to build a yeshiva, and finally it filed a site plan for a subdivision with more than 500 homes. Sheri Torah, a group opposed to the leadership in the nearby Satmar community of Kiryas Joel, is associated with a group of investors who have been trying for years to develop the 800 acres-- nearly half the land in the village-- that belonged to the former resort on Lake Anne. The village's attorney accuses Sheri Torah of trying to bully their way to get land use approval. According to Wikipedia , South Blooming Grove was incorprated in 2006 to check expansion of the Satmar Hasidim in Kiryas Joel. Since then, two other RLUIPA lawsuits have been filed against it.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on June 21, 2010 (boomark / email).