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Archives for February 2019

Legislator Aron Wieder, educators speak out against yeshiva oversight

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Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder speaks about issues of public and private school equivalency at Yeshiva Degel Hatorah in Spring Valley Feb. 26, 2019. At left is the school’s principal, Rabbi Moshe Schwab. (Photo: Peter Carr/The Journal News)

“Educators at a boys yeshiva said Tuesday that the state’s guidelines for a substantially equivalent education would be prohibitive to their students’ studies.

“It infringes on our religious rights,” said Rabbi Moshe Schwab, the principal of Yeshiva Degel HaTorah. “We’re begging the commissioner to reconsider because … it’s going to infringe on the good educational system that we have. We know we have to have equivalency and we think we not only have equivalent, we’re superior.”

His pleas were targeted at a previously ignored 70-year-old law stating private school education needs to be “substantially equivalent” to public school, which gained traction a few years ago when state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia updated guidelines to enforce it. [Read more…]

Chestnut Ridge adopts hotly debated zoning law for houses of worship

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Chestnut Ridge Board Photo: Carucha Meuse/The Journal News

“During a contentious and emotional meeting, the Board of Trustees adopted a three-tier zoning law that allows houses of worships in residential neighborhoods.

The law adopted Thursday night before dozens of people will be challenged in court by CUPON-Chestnut Ridge, an attorney for the grassroots group said Friday.

Steve Mogel said the board ignored basic environmental impacts on residents by essentially allowing unlimited houses of worship and crafting the law to cater to the Orthodox Jewish Coalition, which suggested the zone and has since filed a civil rights lawsuit accusing the village of violating religious rights.

“I think the way they crafted the resolution defined their bias,” Mogel said. “What they did … throughout the whole process is they made it clear that they would pick and choose among the statements made to support their pre-conceived determination to pass the resolution regardless of how bad it might be for the overall community.” [Read more…]

CUPON, born amid Ramapo over-development, goes countywide

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Micheal Miller (Photo: Peter Carr/ LoHud

“Micheal Miller faced down snarling dogs and armed police as a teenager during civil rights marches and sit-ins while growing up in North Carolina in the 1960s.

Miller said police arrested him 26 times for his civil disobedience.

So, the founder of Rockland’s grassroots movement against illegal development and over-development is not easily intimidated.

“When you have faced police and dogs and taking on bigots, you become immune to nasty name-calling and the wishes and powers of the establishment,” the 73-year-old civic activist said.

Miller has his sense of right and wrong, and he’s tried instilling those beliefs earned on the civil rights battlefields to members of Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhoods — known as CUPON. [Read more…]

Spring Valley Mayor Alan Simon disbarred for bad behavior as a judge

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“Mayor Alan Simon has been disbarred as an attorney after 50 years for the ranting, threatening behavior that got him stripped of his robes as a judge.

A state Supreme Court Appellate Division released its decision on Wednesday disbarring Simon immediately. Simon had been admitted as an attorney on Dec. 18, 1968, according to the decision.

DECISION: Alan Simon disbarred

The court’s decision stated: “Ordered that the respondent, Alan Michael Simon, is disbarred, effective immediately, and his name is stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law.” [Read more…]