Jane Lerner of The Journal News reports:
The operators of a yeshiva where a cow was slaughtered in the backyard earlier this week (reported here) have written a letter apologizing to neighbors for the incident. Neighbors said this morning that the letter was hand delivered last night to people who live near the school at 609 Route 306, bordering the villages of Pomona and Wesley Hills.“The unfortunate incident that took place on Monday evening on our school property was totally not within parameters of our school charter or mission purpose,” states the letter signed by Rabbi Gershon Bornfreund, administrator of the Bobover Yeshiva of Monsey. “Ritual animal slaughter is beyond the scope of elementary school education.”
The yeshiva, in a Colonial-style house that town officials maintain is being illegally used as a school, will go before the town’s Zoning Board next week to seek variances to allow the construction of a building on the property to serve 250 students. The 2-acre site also has a nursery school.
Ramapo officials have said the yeshiva began using the existing building as a school illegally.
Rodney Wechsler, who lives next door to the school, said this morning that letter was brought to his home last night by a rabbi from the yeshiva.
The apology, coming days after his wife and 3-year-old son looked out of their kitchen window and saw men with knives slaughtering then decapitating the brown and white spotted cow, was overdue, he said.
“It’s better than nothing,” he said of the letter. “It was obviously written by a lawyer to cover them.”
{The Journal News}
