In his ruling, Shipp noted, “Defendants maintain that the Township Council’s decisions were not motivated by anti-Semitic animus exhibited by others. We are hoping to resolve the litigation regarding community development and growth of Jackson and hope for a good settlement.” “This ruling definitely gave us confidence. “When a judge gives a temporary injunction you have to be very confident of the outcome of the suit to go forward,” Rabbi Schnall told The Jewish Link. AIA New Jersey Executive Director Rabbi Avi Schnall said the court ruling was so unequivocal that although the litigation remains unfinalized, the developer felt emboldened to go ahead with the project. The area is zoned as neighborhood commercial, which allows schools as a permitted use, and meets other municipal zoning regulations that existed before the passage of the controversial ordinances. Shipp issued a preliminary injunction blocking enactment of the ordinances. The action was a direct result of a suit filed by Agudath Israel of America (AIA) five years ago against the township and many of its officials, alleging ”discriminatory and unconstitutional ordinances” were enacted specifically to ban yeshivas and dormitories and disallow eruvim. The Lees Village LLC project was unanimously given preliminary approval on May 16 to construct three yeshivot-an elementary, middle and high school-on 13 acres of vacant land on Leesville Road, near West Veterans Highway. After years of legal challenges to ordinances that the Jewish community and authorities have charged were deliberately enacted to keep Orthodox Jews out of Jackson Township, New Jersey, the planning board has reversed course and approved a cluster of yeshivot.
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