Modern Orthodox developer Shalom Lamm hopes to open a controversial Satmar hasidic girls school in Bloomingburg in time for the fall semester, Lamm’s attorney told the Mamakating Planning Board Tuesday night.
Modern Orthodox Developer Wants To Open Controversial Hasidic School By September
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Modern Orthodox developer Shalom Lamm hopes to open a controversial Satmar hasidic girls school in time for the fall semester, Lamm’s attorney told the Mamakating Planning Board Tuesday night, the Times Herald-Record reported.
The proposed school would be located in the tiny upstate New York Village of Bloomingburg, whose 400-person population fears being overrun by thousands of Satmar hasidim who would live in Lamm’s controversial 396-unit townhouse development there, if it is actually completed.
But the proposed hasidic girls school does not yet have a planning board’s approval.
Bloomingburg planning board voted against the school last year. Lamm sued and said the board’s refuse to green-light the school was "motivated by blatant and ugly religious bigotry."
Lamm, however, and his associates had allegedly repeatedly deceived the village about the nature of the development the school was meant to serve and had taken other steps that angered a large majority of village residents.
Then, earlier this year Lamm and his associates joined with dozens of Satmar hasidim to try to illegally vote in Bloomingburg. They used deceptive tactics to attempt to establish residency. Lamm’s daughter and son-in-law, who live and work in Israel, even came to the tiny village and tried to vote. The Board of Elections tossed out all of their votes.
Also this year, the FBI raided Lamm’s Bloomingburg office and many of his village properties. A criminal investigation is believed to be ongoing.
Bloomingburg is located in the Town of Mamakating. Bloomingburg recently dissolved its planning board, causing approval or rejection of the school had to to fall to the planning board of Mamakating.
A judge had previously given the Bloomingburg board until June 30 to approve or deny the school.
But because the decision had to be turned over to Mamakating’s board, the June 30 deadline will likely not be kept because of the large amount of information that needs to be reviewed.
Lamm’s attorney reportedly did not object when the board stated that Tuesday night. But she did ask that the board make a prompt decision.
Lamm’s attorney pointed out that time was of the essence, in part because Lamm group intends to ask the Pine Bush School District to provide transportation for the hasidic school’s students.
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