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Photo: John Meore/ Journal News
“Last week brought another FBI raid in town, with another round of accusations that federal monies had been misappropriated by those affiliated with the Orthodox Jewish community. Ongoing tension over zoning regulations, or lack thereof, builds. The distrust continues in the East Ramapo school district, where years of mismanagement by an Orthodox-dominated board have brought efforts to install a state monitor to provide oversight. Tensions have run high in town for a while now, and it’s only getting worse. Some leaders in the Orthodox community cite East Ramapo critics as spewing anti-Semitism; some town residents find instances of probes, like Wednesday’s raids, as proof of rampant corruption among all people of a certain group. Neither passes the smell test.Ultimately, diverse communities must learn to live together, because they have been co-existing for generations now. The Orthodox community must not blame every criticism and concern on anti-Semitism. The general community must not blame all Orthodox for incidents of corruption. But members of the Orthodox community must demonstrate zero tolerance for bad actors. And everyone must figure out how communities with such disparate needs can manage a future in a town with shrinking resources.”
Read the full text of the editorial here.
