Federal prosecutors are reviewing Airmont village’s zoning code for discrimination against Chasidic and Orthodox Jews and the village’s adherence to two previous settlements, according to a letter the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed in the civil rights case.
The village is defending itself against a new legal action taken by Congregation of Ridnik and several rabbis.
Airmont officials updated the village zoning code, including criteria for houses of worship, in 2018 after a building moratorium that drew protests from many Orthodox Jewish residents. The prosecutors’ statement claimed the village never notified them about zoning changes in 2007, as required by past settlements.
“To be clear, the United States offers no opinion as to the merits of Plaintiffs’ factual allegations or legal claims at this point in the proceedings. However, the issue of the potential unlawfulness of the 2007 and 2018 amendments were brought to the Government’s attention only recently by virtue of the present private lawsuit, and this Office’s review of these changes to the Airmont zoning code and their implementation in practice is ongoing.”
Read more at LoHud.
{Matzav.com}
