Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

MONROE - A judge has ordered the immediate closure of a Hasidic girls school that opened in a house without town approval and kept operating after the building inspector issued citations and demanded it close.

State Supreme Court Judge Robert Onofry approved Monroe's request for a temporary restraining order on Thursday, three days after attorneys for the town and property argued before him in a conference call. The order requires the school to close while the underlying dispute plays out in court.

Onofry said in his decision he ordered the closure for the "safety and welfare of the children" and because the town planning board hasn't issued the special use permit that the property owner needs to turn the house into a school.

The judge also ordered the town to inspect the house within seven days to see if the previous safety violations have been corrected, as the owner's attorneys have stated in court papers and during oral arguments. The violations included exposed electrical wires and lack of fire alarms and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The Town will not allow the safety of the children in our community to be an afterthought," town Supervisor Tony Cardone said in a statement applauding Onofry's decision.

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Attorneys for owner Ahron Kestenbaum said in court that the school was serving about 120 students and had opened before getting approval early this summer after being forced to leave its previous location. Kestenbaum's application to turn 20 Allison Drive into a school has been pending before the planning board since November, according to town records.

Kestenbaum bought the 27-year-old home and eight-acre property for $415,000 in 2019. The house has 6,300 square feet of space with its finished basement included, and is hidden from view at the end of long driveway on a residential cul de sac.

See more here:

Judge orders closure of Hasidic school that opened in a Monroe house without approval - Times Herald-Record

Category: Hasidic
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