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Attorney General James Fights Discrimination Against Hasidic Jews

Attorney General James Fights Discrimination Against Hasidic Jews

Attorney General Letitia James took action to fight discriminatory housing practices that the Town of Chester and Orange County have used to keep back members of the Jewish community from moving to Chester, New York. Attorney General James filed a motion in a lawsuit against the Town of Chester and Orange County alleging that they have been involved in discriminatory acts to prevent Hasidic Jewish families from moving to Chester by blocking the construction of a housing development.

“Blocking the construction of homes to prevent a religious group from living in a community is flat out discriminatory,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This campaign to deny housing to members of the Jewish community is not only a clear violation of our laws but is antithetical to our basic values and blatantly anti-Semitic. New York has a longstanding commitment to ensure equal housing opportunities for all residents – regardless of race, gender, or religious identity – and we will ensure this commitment is upheld.”

The Fair Housing Act says that it is against the law for anyone to refuse to sell or rent a dwelling based on an individuals’ religion, race, sex, national origin, or familial status, among other protected classes. This lawsuit outlines the Town and County’s anti-Semitic campaign to directly target and prevent Hasidic Jewish developers from operating in the Town and Hasidic Jewish families from living in the Town.

In October 2017, The Greens purchased a 117-acre property in the Town of Chester in Orange County, New York, which had been approved for residential development under the previous developer’s ownership. Since The Greens’ purchase in 2017, officials from both the County and the Town have consistently attempted to block the construction of the site and have expressed discriminatory intent to block the development to keep out Hasidic families.

They also imposed costly and unnecessary requirements that the developer had to comply with before construction, including mandating that a new sewer waste line be rerouted, requesting the main road be moved by 10 feet, and even requesting that the Department of Health reconsider an approval for a water supply permit, which the County had previously granted. After the developer complied with each of these unnecessary requests, the Town and County denied all building permit applications, even though the developer clearly satisfied the requirements necessary to be granted the permits.

Attorney General James continued, “As we have seen an alarming rise in the rates of anti-Semitic incidents in New York and across the country, this type of intolerance and discriminatory behavior, especially at the hands of local government, is truly despicable. Intolerance towards others only fosters hate and makes our communities weaker.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in New York State increased by about 90 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year and in New York City, the NYPD has reported that anti-Semitic incidents are up 60 percent compared to this time last year.


Unfurnished Apartment
  • Dec 5 2019
  • |
  • 6:59 AM

Unfurnished Apartment
  • Dec 5 2019
  • |
  • 6:59 AM

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