The Village of Airmont in Manhattan, New York is being sued by the US Attorney’s Office for unfavorably targeting the Jewish Community with specific Zoning laws.
The lawsuit was filed on Dec. 2 by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and is the third case of its kind in as many decades according to the New York Post.
The complaint alleges that Airmont officials violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by targeting the Orthodox Jewish community. It alleges that specific zoning ordinances restrict the practice of home worship and also home schooling. DOJ officials also state that the zoning rules forbid residents from having home ritual baths which is a direct target of the Jewish community. (RELATED: Rashida Tlaib Retweets, Then Deletes Anti-Semitic Tweet)
In the DOJ report, Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, is quoted as saying “In this country, states, towns, and villages cannot make or enforce any law that abridges the privileges or immunities of American citizens, nor can they deny to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The Justice Department today announced that it filed a lawsuit against the Village of Airmont, New York, alleging that it violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
— via @TheJusticeDepthttps://t.co/NR3TrFibVg— Justia.com (@justiacom) December 3, 2020
The 2 previous lawsuits that tilted in favor of the Orthodox Jewish community for unlawful prejudices were in 1996 and 2011 as reported by Post.