רב_יונה » 21/2/2011 12:02
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תוקן על ידי רב_יונה ב- 21/02/2011 12:40:52
Synagogue showdown
Hutchison’s goyim and Hassidim, and Plateau politicians, argue over Gate David’s expansion plans
by ELISABETH FAURE
February 17, 2011
VOTE GETTER? Gate David of Bobov
Photo by WILL LEW
Oy vey! Expansion plans at a Hassidic Plateau synagogue are driving some locals meshugga.
The saga revolving around Congregation Gate David of Bobov (5363 Hutchison) is a long one. The dilapidated synagogue has been trying to renovate its premises since 2004, but residential opposition and an ongoing legal battle continue to cause delays.
A Jan. 31 borough council meeting saw Plateau councillors (all from Projet Montréal, which controls the borough) approve a proposed 10-foot expansion to the rear of the building. The vote was close—three councillors in favour, three against. Plateau mayor Luc Ferrandez cast the deciding vote. “It’s a balanced decision that I hope will set the stage for more harmonious relations in the community,” says Mile End city councillor Alex Norris, who voted in favour of the project.
Good luck. Hutchison residents opposed to the expansion are planning to force a referendum on the issue, for the second time.
So, how did matters get so heated?
Gate David is one of four synagogues located on a small stretch of Hutchison between Fairmount and St-Viateur. Opponents say the synagogues are violating numerous zoning laws and bring heavy traffic to the street.
Complicating matters is the fact that Hutchison divides the Plateau borough from the city of Outremont. So residents living directly across from Gate David didn’t have the chance to vote in a 2008 referendum on the subject. A Superior Court ruling invalidated those referendum results, leaving the door open for a second one—including both sides of the street.
“There are problems with traffic and doing work without permits, all sorts of stuff,” says Pierre Lacerte, who lives on the Outremont side of Hutchison. He accuses Projet leader Richard Bergeron (who supports the expansion) of pandering to the Hassidic vote.
Lacerte is arguably the most vocal opponent of Gate David. He has taken his rage online, creating a blog primarily devoted to exposing the wrongdoings of local synagogues, with the occasional foray into other matters of reasonable accommodation (he’s no fan of kirpans either).
The website has led to a lawsuit from Hassidic community leader Michael Rosenberg. Rosenberg is suing Lacerte for harassment. “He is stalking us,” Rosenberg argues, citing photos Lacerte has posted on his site.
Lacerte says Rosenberg is unfairly branding him as an anti-Semite. “That’s the easiest thing to say.”
“I don’t know why he (Lacerte) is so against our community,” says Moshe Englander, whose grandfather co-founded Gate David 60-plus years ago. Englander is spearheading the renovation campaign. He argues most locals support the synagogue, and a few random cranks have created media controversy.
Jean-Marc Corbeil, Lacerte’s neighbour, disputes this. “It’s a case of special interest winning over public interest,” he says of the Gate David affair. Corbeil says it and other synagogues cause massive double-parking on Hutchison. “There are private parties taking place,” he says. “They have nothing to do with the Jewish calendar, which I respect.”
Corbeil thinks Plateau and Outremont officials are willfully turning a blind eye. “For them, it’s just a pack of votes,” he says.
Whether Gate David will succeed in their long-hoped-for renovation remains to be seen. “Hopefully people will understand what we are trying to do,” says Englander. “We just want to live in peace with our neighbours.”
Corbeil concurs. “God is a good guy—I’m sure God wants peace in the neighbourhood.” ■
Dozens of people were out protesting in the Plateau district, CJAD reports. They’re protesting the expansion of a Bobov Shul on Hutchison Street. The Plateau borough council recently approved a 400-thousand dollar project to renovate and expand the 60-year-old shul, which belongs to Bobov.Some locals say it will bring more traffic and increase long-standing friction with the chassidishe community; others are carrying signs reading, ‘no to favoritism.’ One member of Bobov was quoted as saying that if he survived the Holocaust, he’ll survive a group of angry Plateau residents.
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Synagogue's expansion plans anger neighbours
RELATED
- A small ultra Orthodox synagogue on Hutchison Street is creating a stir with residents in the area. Plans...
MONTREAL - A small ultra Orthodox synagogue on Hutchison Street is creating a stir with residents in the area.
Plans to expand the Gate David synagogue were approved by the Plateau Mont Royal borough Monday night.
Critics of the plan say the expansion will lower the standard of living in the area.
Some call the synagogues on Hutchison Street noisy and a nuisance, claiming that they attract illegal activity.
But the mayor of the Plateau insists the ultra Orthodox community has not broken any rules.
Other residents in the area say that accepting diversity is part and parcel of living on the street.
Opponents may ask for a referendum on the expansion plans. And so it may be months before the community knows it will receive its building permit or not.
Montreal Bobover Kehillah Faces Legal Battle Over Shul
A Montreal Bobover community will have to jump through more hoops before getting the go-ahead to expand its shul on Hutchinson St. between Fairmount and St. Viateur Aves.
On Tuesday, 199 local residents signed a register - 41 more signatures than required - requesting that Plateau Mont Royal hold a referendum on Congregation Gate David’s plan to expand its 50-year-old shul. The register will be deposited at the next borough council meeting, May 3.
At that point, the borough council has to decide whether to hold a municipal referendum or to cancel the project.
The community has reworked its expansion plans several times over the past five years in order to win community support. The shul is at 5363 Hutchinson St.
{Montreal Gazette/Matzav.com Newscenter}
MONTREAL - A Montreal Hasidic community will have to jump through more hoops before getting the go-ahead to expand its inconspicuous, unmarked synagogue on Hutchinson St. between Fairmount and St. Viateur Aves.
On Tuesday, 199 local residents signed a register — 41 more signatures than required — requesting that Plateau Mont Royal hold a referendum on Congregation Gate David's plan to expand its 50-year-old synagogue. The register will be deposited at the next borough council meeting, May 3.
At that point, the borough council has to decide whether to hold a municipal referendum or to cancel the project.
The Hasidic community has reworked its expansion plans several times over the past five years in order to win community support. The synagogue is at 5363 Hutchinson St.
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| By JANICE ARNOLD, Staff Reporter | |
| Thursday, 12 May 2011 | |
| MONTREAL — A referendum will be held June 19 to finally decide whether an almost 60-year-old chassidic synagogue on Hutchison Street can undertake a minor expansion, a project that is opposed by many area residents. Congregation Gate David, which comprises about 30 families belonging to the Bobover community, has been trying since 2004 to receive municipal approval for an addition and other modifications to its premises at 5363 Hutchison St., between Fairmount and St. Viateur Streets, in the Plateau Mont Royal borough. Last month, 199 residents of both the Plateau and Outremont boroughs signed a register, 41 more than the minimum requirement, requesting that a referendum be held on whether the project goes ahead or is withdrawn. A total of 1,471 people are eligible to vote in the referendum. The results will be binding. The synagogue is located in a residential zone and under provincial law, any derogation of the bylaws involving alterations to a building requires the consultation of those living or having businesses in the immediate neighbourhood. On May 3, the borough council announced the referendum. Its only other choice was to withdraw the project, councillor Alex Norris told The CJN. The plans were approved twice by the borough council – in February and back in 2008 by the previous administration, after numerous modifications were made each time. This was also the second register opened on the issue. Eighty-one people signed the first register in the fall of 2009, well short of the 133 signatures needed to force a referendum. The matter didn’t end there, because some residents of neighbouring Outremont who are against the project objected that they were not included in the consultation. Hutchison is the border between the two boroughs. The Outremont residents went to court and in 2009, a Quebec Superior Court judge upheld their right to sign the register and annulled the 2008 results. Norris believes the project, now that it has been scaled back, should go ahead. Neighbours have expressed fears that the expansion will increase noise, commotion and traffic. Some believe this is only be the first phase of future construction. The most vocal opponent has been Pierre Lacerte who lives across the street and maintains a blog called Accommodements Outremont, in which he documents alleged violations of muncipal regulations by this and other chassidic congregations. Although the Plateau approved the project, the vote was as close as it could be. The six councillors were split, with mayor Luc Ferrandez breaking the tie for a 4-3 decision. The shul is located in a century-old house, one of a row of attached dwellings. From the outside it looks much the same as its neighbours. The major change it wants to make is to extend the premises at the back. The plans have been scaled back to include an addition of 400 square feet at the basement level and the construction of an eight-foot square patio in the rear. The congregation agreed to install air-conditioning so that windows can be kept shut, thereby reducing noise. The seating capacity in the sanctuary will not be increased. The congregation has also agreed to improve the landscaping and demolish a shed. There will be no modification to the façade, except for certain improvements. “The congregation has co-operated fully. They have done everything by the book,” Norris said. “I think the plans as they stand represent an honourable compromise between the needs of the congregation and the concerns of residents. “This congregation has acted in an exemplary manner… It’s not fair that they be scapegoated because of complaints about some other chassidic congregations not respecting bylaws.” He noted that the synagogue was there before the current zoning was in place, and has “acquired rights.” Norris added that the borough has gone to court to obtain an injunction against another synagogue that expanded into a neighbouring building before going through the proper legal channels. Lacerte has charged that municipal officials have been turning a blind eye when Chassidim break the rules. Norris faulted the previous administration led by mayor Helen Fotopolus for not including Outremont residents in the first register. “If she had allowed everyone concerned to be consulted, this contentious issue could have been dealt with years ago.” |
פלאנען יעצט די ראשי הקהילה צי קויפן א נייע לאט ווי צי בויען א נייע גרויסע בית מדרש לשם ולתפארת