Haverstraw's Khal Bnei Torah Wins Second Federal Lawsuit Brought Against Shul After Property Purchase

By M.C. Millman

On Wednesday, January 3, Khal Bnei Torah (KBT)  won a victory in its second lawsuit in two years, both of which were a direct result of the shul's purchase of a new property in Haverstraw which the shul sought to develop for the rapidly expanding kehilla. 

While KBT presently davens in a storefront at 130 West Ramapo Road in Garnerville, the shul purchased the property at 62 Riverglen Drive in the Town of Haverstraw in October 2019. 

United States District Court Judge Cathy Seibel dismissed the suit on Wednesday brought by neighbors of the Riverglen Drive property. The plaintiffs sought to have the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) and state laws designed to protect the free exercise of religion declared unconstitutional. The neighbors also complained in federal court that there would be too many shuls on the block, given that there already was a shul on the same street. 

The second lawsuit followed the previous suit the shul had to file to proceed with its goals. The second suit followed fast on the heels of the failure of the Town of Haverstraw, which KBT sued after the planning board denied the shul the necessary permits required to convert the house into a shul, as reported by Rockland Daily here

The agreement from the first lawsuit allowed the shul to convert a one-family home into a shul, something the kehilla has been trying to do since 2021 when the shul was ready to move ahead with building. The agreement diverted litigation, which would have cost local taxpayers millions.

Complaints from the new litigation brought by neighbors included that KBT congregants "frequently park on both sides of the street overnight" and the ever-popular complaint in Haverstraw, as reported previously by Rockland Daily here when on November 10, 2021, during a public meeting, resident Nick Colella told the planning board that if he were to hit a frum Jew with his car in the dark, he would "of course back over them again."

This time, the neighbors, John Coritsidis, Tina Coritsidis, and Kareen McKenzie, told the judge that by allowing the shul to be built, congregants would "walk in the middle of the street in dark clothing with no reflectors in dimly lit Riverglen Drive and the surrounding streets because members ... cannot operate vehicles at various times."

As of last week, the second lawsuit was dismissed after being dragged out for over a year on the heels of the first lawsuit due to the lack of jurisdiction on the part of the plaintiffs, according to the federal judge.

At this point, KBT is looking forward to moving forward with a building campaign to raise the necessary funds to make their address the new home of the kehilla after four long years of waiting.