A fight between residents and a local synagogue may need a lot of prayer and reflection before it is resolved.
Kew Gardens Hills neighbors are hoping to stop the proposed expansion of a the temple’s school, which they say will further diminish their quality of life by increasing noise and garbage, while decreasing available parking spots and their property values.
The synagogue, the Sephardic Congregation located on 72nd Avenue between Main and 141st streets, plans to add another floor, which leaders say is necessary to cope with the school’s population increase.
Currently, the building has two floors and a basement level and towers over the houses on the block. Since the community is zoned for family homes, the temple requires Community Board 8’s approval for a variance to the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA).
“I’m worrying about one thing. I worry about the kids in the community,” said Rabbi Asaf Haimoff, who is also the principal of the school. “As an educator, I am responsible to make sure my kids get what they need. Neighbors have a different agenda … but the school is not closing down. It’s growing. It’s been growing and growing.”
31 comments:
Too many synagogues and not enough asian churches. Throw some illegals into the mix and we've got an authentic nyc neighborhood. There must be a synagogue within walking distance for all because jews are too lazy to walk saturdays or something like that.
The Jews have shown the Koreans that if you claim to be a religion you can do whatever you want.
Never let the Jews open a 'Synagogue' on your block if you care about quality of life....
When will the city stop catering to religious organizations? This is another reason why housing is so expensive in NYC. These organizations expand and take up room that could have been used to Maybe actually be a house for someone. Around my neighborhood, I blogged about the church that allowed to buy five houses that could have housed five families. Instead a church was able to buy all five of those houses in a row. Across the street from me, there is a house that was bought Recently that is owned by a religious organization and there are people living in it and in the basement, they hold church meetings. They were reported to the dob but of course the dob doesn't do anything. The city let's these religious organizations get away with murder.
The City and State do not pay the children's tuition, as the school is not public. So they are saving taxpayer money. Argueably, they also get a better education: over 95% of parochial school students graduate high school, while only 66% of public school students graduate. Let them build. They only want one more floor!
BSA rubber stamps any variance a church wants.
Anon Nos. 2 and 3:
A few people have made the point that some people have posted deliberately offensive items to make this whole website look bad. It seems to me that you're proving it.
Mike -
And you're too lazy to say something smart.
Religion is just made-up nonsense from an archaic time designed to explain scientific phenomena and control people, especially women.
Everyone knows that these organizations and their people are just scamming the system. How many Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn are on welfare?
I've worked with numerous Orthodox Jewish women over the years - they worked like dogs and were never promoted at work because they had to constantly run out to deal with their gazillion children. Meanwhile, their husbands "studied!" all day long.
It would be great if these women could separate the great family traditions from the bullshit oppressive religious strictures designed by men.
It's the 21st God-damned century already - open a science book! Walk away from this nonsense.
No more tax-subsidies to churches - instead pass on the savings to not-for-profit secular schools and colleges!
A few people have made the point that some people have posted deliberately offensive items to make this whole website look bad. It seems to me that you're proving it.
Got that right - sounds like something a politician would do.
Anon No. 10:
It wouldn't surprise me at all.
Yeshiva Ohel Simcha is more than a synagogue, it provides early childhood education to a growing number of local families who do not wish to send their children to public school. With the mayor expanding universal pre-K to private and parochial schools, we should expect to see such schools expanding citywide.
While some of the neighbors of this yeshiva-synagogue are upset, most KGH residents are clamoring more more options in Jewish education.
Finally, the requirement of Orthodox Jews to live within walking distance of their temples is a plus. It means that the temple and the neighborhood are closely connected to each other.
In contrast to St. Saviors in Maspeth, where a Korean congregation that had nearly zero local residents had no regards for local history and sold the historic structure.
As for the atheists here who enjoy attacking faith, perhaps faith is homophobic, but you are theophobic.
SK
Anonymous said...
Anon Nos. 2 and 3:
A few people have made the point that some people have posted deliberately offensive items to make this whole website look bad. It seems to me that you're proving it.
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First off those comment do not make the website look bad, they are comments.
More importantly : FREEDOM OF FUCKING SPEECH. We make look like a third world shit hole country , but we still have certain freedoms.
DEAL WITH THE COMMENTS.
Joe -
They do make this website look bad, because they're clearly written to offend anyone who is Jewish, or think rationally. As such, I will not "deal with it."
And people in "third world countries" often deal with it in violence, rather than with words. I'm using words, not violence. You deal with that.
Yeshiva Ohel Simcha is more than a synagogue, it provides early childhood education to a growing number of local families who do not wish to send their children to public school. With the mayor expanding universal pre-K to private and parochial schools, we should expect to see such schools expanding citywide.
The Jewish people are always trying to separate themselves from society. If they don't want to associate with other cultures, then why not just move upstate where there is a lot more "jewish communities"? Why waste space in nyc if you don't want to associate with the rest of society?
They do make this website look bad, because they're clearly written to offend anyone who is Jewish, or think rationally. As such, I will not "deal with it."
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Then stop coming to the site!
I like how only Jews "think rationally". Not one person has defended Asian churches yet. Guess Jews have thin skin. I hope a Hindu or Buddhist temple gets set up next to your Synagogue with a full on swastika. Did you know Jews are actually a minority compared to them? Jews are suppressing the majority with their minority just like Saddam Hussein's Sunni minority suppressed the Shiite majority in Iraq.
Moving on, the government should just revoke tax exempt status from "religious organizations" and end this bs once and for all. However, they won't since the would be tax money turns into money politicians would get in the form of bribes from lobbyists for those groups.
Man, that's an ugly building. They couldn't afford a parapet?
Anon No. 16:
I'll keep coming here, and keep going after people like Anons. 2 and 3.
Mike -
Jews aren't the only people who think rationally, Most other people in the world do. You, on the ohter hand, are another matter. There are fewer Jews than Hundus and Buddhists. And so what? There are probably fewer Catholics and Baptists than Hindus and Buddhists as well. And so what?
Anyone who wishes a neighbor who would post a swastika off on someone is full of hatred and ignorance. And I can't think of any Buddhist or Hindu Temple that would do something like that, either.
And I agree with you about ending religious tax exemptions, by the way.
Time to expand your circle of multicultural friends then. Plenty of my Hindu and Buddhist friends have paintings of Buddha/Vishnu/Shiva/Ganesh etc. with swastikas in them. Travel the East and you'll find temples are marked with swastikas. In Hinduism, you bless a new house with a swastika painted on the grounds to affirm that it is.
The fact that the Jews are a minority using their insularity to suppress much larger groups of people make them no better than their oppressors in 1945. You want religious freedom, give it to others instead. It's not like the Hindus and Buddhists are painting their symbols on your cars calling for your death. It's like the cross to them. How would you like it if they barred the Star of David and starting crying that they were offended?
Of course the ones who do use it hatefully should be prosecuted, no question about that.
Sounds like your friends are Neo Nazis Mike. The Jewish people are under threat, you can't blame them for defending themselves. You're like the scum that defends the terrorists and attacks Israel for bombing their rocket sites, not the terrorists Islamists who hide among innocents and use babies as human shields.
The board voted it down.
Anon, ironic how you sound like Hitler right now. A picture of Buddha with a swastika is about as far away from persecution as you can get. You're as bad as the Chinese government putting down Falun Gong.
You'd think people would learn from being oppressed, but instead they turn around and do it to the guy behind. Sad.
If BSA approves the application, it would not be the first time that it goes against community wishes.
Maybe they should look for an empty lot of even a building for sale/lease. There is always options out there.
Community board 8 denied the request last night.
Always options anon? I think we know what sort of options these folks will go with. They'll bribe the BSA with just a bit of gold to give them what they want.
Native American tribes in the Southwest used swastikas long before the Nazis did. So what? And the same for the Buddhists and Hindus.
It doesn't matter what it used to mean to anyone. Swastikas mean evil now. Only a Nazi would be so vile as to show one publicly in ANY situation.
That would be like me claiming to be offended by the Star of David and demanding the use of it in public be banned.
The fact is that the Native Americans use it just adds to the argument that it is the minority trying to suppress the majority.
Would you like to put down all the Native Americans, Hindus and Buddhists like Mao Zedong put down the Boxer Rebellion?
The cross shouldn't be allowed because so many other people were crucified other than Jesus Christ. It's a sign of the evil Romans killing those who dissented.
The Star of David is the new symbol of oppression and intolerance. Evil in the making right here judging from the mindset of the "believers" here.
They want to build up, not out. That doesn't take away housing from anyone. NYC has only so much land - building up is the only solution.
However, traffic is terrible right around this synagogue/school, which isn't entirely their fault but is a contributing factor. 72nd Av was never a quiet street, being an exit off the Van Wyck and being right next to Main St.
>There must be a synagogue within walking distance
>because jews are too lazy to walk
Troll detected.
>Mao Zedong put down the Boxer Rebellion
Troll confirmed.
And how the heck did swastikas come into the conversation? Did I miss another article where some Jew was triggered by seeing on a Hindu temple?
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