Orthodox Jewish Group Sues Mahwah Over Eruv Summonses Plan

MAHWAH, NJ — An Orthodox Jewish group who has partially constructed an eruv in town has filed a federal lawsuit against the township regarding a plan for the township to issue summonses against the group beginning next week.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court of New Jersey by the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association and Yisroel Friedman and S. Moshe Pinkasovits, two Orthodox Jewish residents of Rockland County, New York. They claim that the township allowed religious animus, fear and xenophobia were the contributing factors in the Township Council's unanimous vote to start issuing summonses Friday if PVC pipes on utility poles that outline the eruv remain displayed.

According to the plaintiffs, town officials "hastily proposed" a last-minute ordinance to deal with the eruv that was "plainly discriminatory in its motivation."

"The object, motivation and effect of the actions of the township is to suppress the religious practices of the plaintiffs and certain other Jews who reside in Airmont and other parts of Rockland County," the lawsuit states. "The eruv presents no aesthetic, safety, traffic, fiscal or other concern to Mahwah."

Yehudah Buchweitz, an attorney representing the South Monsey Eruv Fund, a subsidiary of the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association, told NorthJersey.com Friday, that the eruv will remain up despite the threat of summonses from the town.

The lawsuit also claims that the town, especially Mayor Bill Laforet, initially recognized the eruv's constitutional validity, but later yielded to an openly anti-Semitic campaign by residents Mahwah and other neighboring municipalities.

The town has argued that the eruv violates a municipal ordinance prohibiting signs on utility poles, trees and rocks, the lawsuit states.

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