🎧 Listen🎧: Woodbury Police Claim Religious Exemption Exists In Town Code
When calling in with a noise complaint last month, one Woodbury resident received an interesting and inaccurate response from the local police department.
A troubling trend is emerging in how rules and laws are enforced within the Town of Woodbury.
The absence of these issues in the Village of Woodbury should raise significant concerns among residents.
Especially if the two municipalities merge, abolishing the village board, and placing the town board in charge.
A bear that was murdered? No investigation. Wrong (or misleading) information is put in the police blotter. The blotter information is contradicted by statements from the DEC.
Some neighborhoods are getting extra garbage pickups while others are paying for them without equivalent service. The Woodbury Town Board has not investigated or issued a statement, Including at the most recent meeting, where two residents brought up the issue 20 days after the Town Supervisor, Kathryn Luciani, told a resident via email that she would investigate those same issues.
And now, well, you have ears.
You can hear the call above. But in the event you have some hearing loss like I do, here's what was said when one resident called the Woodbury police about some violations of the noise ordinance:
Dispatcher: Woodbury Police
Resident: Hi. How are you? I called about the Vanderbilt in Highland Mills. Did anybody come out here?
Dispatcher: Yep, the officer went over there is, it’s apparently some sort of a religious gathering, and they're actually winding it down within the next like 15 minutes. They just cleared there a couple of minutes ago.
Resident: I thought you're not allowed to make noise after 10 o'clock. What do you mean it’s a religious thing?
Dispatcher: There. There …
Resident: (Interrupting) You’re not allowed to make noise.
Dispatcher: There are exemptions … In the Town Code.
Resident: (interrupting) Exemptions?
Dispatcher: Yes.
Resident: I'm gonna have to, I'll be I'll be there filing a complaint in Town. Okay, thank you.
Dispatcher: Okay, no problem. Have a good night.
Here's a fun fact: The Village of Woodbury code does not allow "religious exemptions" to the noise ordinance.
There are also no religious exemptions to the Town of Woodbury code, as far as I can tell.
So, what gives?
First, we need to talk about Lag BaOmer. This year's holiday began on Saturday, May 25th, 2024, the same day as the above call to Woodbury Police.
(For the record, there are two calls to Woodbury police, but since the first call contains the name and address of the person making the complaint, I did not post it here.)
Lag BaOmer is not celebrated by all members of the Jewish community.
If you're Reform, like I am, you may see Lag BaOmer mentioned on the calendars sent out by the local Chabad, shrug your shoulders, and go about your business.
If you're Israeli, Lag BaOmer has morphed into a holiday that's sort of like Veterans Day or Memorial Day, with a focus on celebrating the IDF (Israel Defense Force.)
Suppose you're Orthodox or Haredi (despite what this lawyer says, they are NOT the same). In that case, you'll have a kick-ass celebration during Lag BaOmer. There's music, weddings, and picnics; some children get their first haircuts during this holiday, and sometimes there's a bonfire. It's a lot of fun.
Assuming, of course, that everyone is being safe and responsible with those bonfires.
But even among the Orthodox and Haredi communities, there's disagreement about how to celebrate the holiday.
This is a long way of saying that there are no uniform rules or regulations within the Jewish community regarding this holiday.
Like many things in Judaism, your mileage may vary depending on who you're asking.
But here's the thing: Southern Orange County has had a sizeable Haredi population since the 1970s.
And our friends in the Haredi community have actively been celebrating Lag BaOmer for nearly fifty years now.
So, if the towns and villages were going to incorporate religious exemptions into the Town Code, they should have done so by now.
They have not.
In addition, Yoel Teitelbaum, for whom Kiryas Joel is named, wrote a letter in 1961 citing the Jewish legal principle known as dina de malkhuta dina, or "the law of the land is the law." Rebbe Teitelbaum said in his letter, "Being faithful to the government of one's country of residence is one of the basic principles of the Jewish religion."
This would include the local noise ordinance.
In fact, many Haredi families in Woodbury followed Yoel Teitelbaum's example and complied with the ordinance on May 25th, 2024.
Except for this one group in Highland Lake Estates.
So the police were called, and instead of doing anything, they claimed there was a "religious exemption" when none actually existed.
(I've contacted the Woodbury Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer, John Hand, Woodbury Police Chief, Chief Kevin Watson, and Town of Woodbury Supervisor, Kathryn Luciani, for comments about this "religious exemption." This story will be updated if I hear back from them.)
Highland Lake Estates, Again?
At this point, you might be wondering what's going on with this place.
Let's recap real quick:
The bear murder and the traps being set around the lake? Happened in Highland Lake Estates. The Woodbury Police did not investigate (at best) and put false information in the police blotter so they wouldn’t have to do so (at worst.)
The extra and free garbage pickups? Happening in Highland Lake Estates, among other locations. The Town Supervisor continues to pretend not to know what’s going on with these.
Former Building Inspector Michael Panella and former Village Planning Board member Richard Cattagio? Covering up stuff in Highland Lake Estates cost them their roles with the Village.
Cattagio is still a member of the HLE Board and is under investigation by the New York State Department of Human Rights. As are other Board members: Shulem Perl, Joel Tirnouer, and Lazar Friedman
Mr. Perl and his wife have gathered signatures for Tyler Etzel Jr. and John Keleman.
This isn't a story about religious exemptions to noise ordinances.
Most of our friends and neighbors in the Haredi community happily comply with the noise ordinances, even during the holidays.
This is a story about not wanting to upset or offend a small group of people—who just so happen to be Satmar—in order to win an election this Fall and take over the Village Board.
Upon taking office, they will likely move to abolish the Village and let the Town Board take over everything.
But suppose this is how the Town Board will conduct their business.
In that case, Woodbury residents will have to ask themselves if Supervisor Luciani, Chief Watson, and company are really the people they want in charge of Woodbury.
Because if they’re going to bend over backward and give preferential treatment to a small group of people — it doesn't matter what their religion may be — that’s how you get situations like South Blooming Grove.
A Village taken over by a wealthy developer (Keen Equities LLC) who wants to build at all costs, regardless of the short-term consequences for current residents and long-term consequences for the new ones.
That’s the future of Woodbury unless this electioneering and preferential treatment stops.
dina de malkhuta dina.