Rockland Leaders Grapple With Development, Anti-Semitism

The furor in Rockland County over the growth of the local ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and the anti-Semitism expressed in return continues to expand.

After the local Republican party's "Storm Brewing" video, which was condemned by state as well as local officials for its anti-Semitic tone, came anonymous "hate packets" thrown on lawns around Clarkstown with rusty nails, animal feces and notes calling anti-development lawmaker Laurie Santulli a Nazi. Lawmaker Aron Wieder, who has vociferously called residents anti-Semitic, shrugged off the vandalism to the media as "free speech." Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann said police hope residents' home surveillance cameras caught the perpetrators.

Then more than 100 people tried to attend the county Legislature's meeting Tuesday night — too many to fit into the small room.

"People are fed up," County Executive Ed Day told FIOS1 News about the crowd.

The video warned that since the Hasidic community tends to vote as a bloc it could win control at the polls in November, threatening "our way of life." The chairman of the local GOP removed the video from Facebook at Day's request.

Asked if he thought the Hasidic community was taking over Rockland, Day said, "I think there is unbridled development going on. In some respects it is for the housing needs of the Ultra Orthodox community. That's a fact. It's not a religious observation, it's a reality."

He said he would fight local political expediency that ignores laws and the county's standards for land use and planning.

The problem that has simmered for years and erupted in the past week is a problem that has to do with building out Rockland's less-developed areas and with the rapidly growing local Hasidic community.

Many non-Hasidic county residents have fallen into one or more categories: those opposed to over-development, those opposed to disregard for building and safety codes and zoning laws and those opposed to blockbusting.

Some have objected to what they see as preferential treatment of the ultra-Orthodox by politicians who want support from a community that tends to vote as a bloc. For example, a state grant of $1.6 million in 2014 for a 26,000 square foot kosher slaughterhouse across the street from a non-Hasidic residential neighborhood, against the local zoning code.

Some county residents have also complained about cultural issues in the regional Hasidic community.

Others have combined all of the above with anti-Semitism. That's been particularly acute on social media, but also in graffiti and political signs.

Given the level of rancor and the development pressure, Nancy Low-Hogan, the vice-chair of the county Legislature, asked her colleagues to back a plan to hold a moderated "summit"in which all the parties could describe their own needs and concerns in the hopes of finding a way forward.

"It is not enough just to say that the anti-Semitic remarks and the anti-Semitic video were deplorable and unacceptable – which of course is true," she said. "Nor is it enough to just say the high density development in the Town of Ramapo is out of control and shows a willful disregard for our land use policies and water and sewer supplies – which of course is also true."

Her Summit Resolution was sent to the Multiservices Committee, to be heard at an upcoming meeting.

In an Op-Ed on Patch, Kevin Sharp said Rockland needs more than one summit, because the county needs to grapple with infrastructure, economics, the environment, education and more. In "Six Steps To Saving Rockland" he said:

"Yes, we desperately, desperately need a "Rockland's Future Summit", but please don't let it simply be a pissing contest between the Rockland County GOP and the citizenry of Monsey. While the strained relations between the Orthodox Jews of our County and those that see them as a threat is an important issue, Rockland County's future is about so much more than that, and it's all interconnected. Our elected leaders need to see that, to understand that, and to act accordingly - not like schoolyard bullies, but like the best of us, the most intelligent of us, the most compassionate, caring and understanding of us."

Day posted his Fios1 interview on Facebook.

Day also objected to Wieder shrugging off the name-calling against Santulli when just a few years ago Day had come to Wieder's support when he was the target of anti-Semitic name-calling.

Here's Low-Hogan's full statement:

The time has come for all of us who live in Rockland County to face the significant problems that plague our County. We have two big problems that are often linked.

The first problem viewed by many in our County as the most significant overarching concern on the part of most Rocklanders is: the unsustainability of the growth of high density housing and the related problem of ignorance of building and health codes and enforcement.

The second problem, increasing in seriousness every day, is the increase in hate talk and fear-mongering, and the increase in anti-Semitic sentiment in our conversations and on social media.

The high density developments in the Town of Ramapo and in other towns as well, and the related problems of lack of building code enforcement and corruption, are in fact, prompting an extreme negative backlash that threatens to go out of control.

We must find a solution to move forward before that happens. So while it is important, it is not enough to just lament a rise in anti-Semitism. It is not enough just to say that the anti-Semitic remarks and the anti-Semitic video were deplorable and unacceptable – which of course is true.

Nor is it enough to just say the high density development in the Town of Ramapo is out of control and shows a willful disregard for our land use policies and water and sewer supplies – which of course is also true.

No, the time has come and we must do more than just yell and scream and express our anger and fear.

The time has come to admit these problems are real and DO SOMETHING about them.

The time has come for the County Executive, and this Legislative body, and every person in this room and every person in this County to commit to working through these issues and identify specific ways to fix them.

The time has come for a County-wide conversation to take place – where all stakeholders can participate in a civil atmosphere, with a goal of identifying solutions that will help propel our County into the next 10 or 20 years of its future– not in the negative atmosphere of fear and hate, but in the positive atmosphere of communication and professionalism.

A Community Summit would not just be one meeting, but a series of meetings, led by a professional facilitator from outside of Rockland County. The cost would not be great – certainly not when compared to our over $700 million County budget. It would be an investment in our County that is well worth it.

And this is because the current situation is unsustainable and it must be addressed.

For those people who are not willing to support the idea of the Summit, I challenge them to share with all of us their better idea on how we can move forward. I have not heard one other suggestion – from anywhere – as to how to honestly address these problems in our County.

I was reading over some of the comments about the Summit on social media. To no one’s surprise some of the comments were mean-spirited and ugly. But then, I saw a comment from the Mid-Hudson NAACP endorsing the Summit, and I was heartened. And then, I saw a comment from a teacher in Nyack who said he supported the Summit asked if his class of 30 students could attend the Summit, participate in it or watch it, and again I was heartened.

So I ask my fellow Legislators to please, please, please support this Resolution so we can begin the process of admitting, fixing and changing now – right here -tonight!

Remember – “we all love it here.” No one wants to move. This is our County! Let’s be honest about our problems and work together to solve them.

SEE ALSO:

• County Lawmaker Calls For Summit On Rockland's Future
• County GOP's "Storm" Video Unleashes Political Firestorm
• 'Hate Packets' Thrown On Clarkstown Lawns
• Court Tells Controversial Ramapo Development To Start Over
• Illegal School Holding Classes In Stadium Funded Through Fraud
• Halting Real-Estate Solicitation In Chestnut Ridge
• New Report Shows NY Code Enforcement 'Hellscape' In The HV
• Firefighters, Officials Call for State to Intervene in Ramapo, Spring Valley Code Enforcement
• Spring Valley Building Inspector, Businessman Indicted
• Yeshivas Drop Fight Against Rockland Fire Inspections
• Political Signs with Anti-Semitic Undertones Appear in Rockland
• Rockland County Reports Progress Taking on Slumlords
• East Ramapo Parents Sue to Compel State to Act
• County Executive Throws Down the Gauntlet To Ramapo, Other Rockland Developers
• Video Compares Rockland County to Nazi Germany

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been lengthened for clarification.