By Andrew Coen
Members of the congregation, which currently comprises 130 families and has been in operation since 1996 at 218 Harborview, have said that the new facility is needed to accommodate the predominately Orthodox population in that area of the village, because other temples are too far away to walk to. Some congregants have also expressed safety concerns, claiming that nearby Rock Hall Road is not safe to walk across to get to another area shul.
"I'm glad to have it approved," said Dr. Joseph Schwartz, a Bais Medrash member, after the hearing.
The favorable ruling for Bais Medrash disappointed some Harborview neighbors who fear that the new shul will be a source of noise and disturb them. "[The decision] is of course respected, and I shall continue to make every effort so that the beautiful little corner of Lawrence maintains its bucolic character," said Ambassador Constantine Moushoutasan, a United Nations representative of the Republic of Cyprus, who lives next to the shul and was one of the staunchest opponents of the expansion plan.
The approval came with the condition that the synagogue conduct services and events only on Fridays nights, Saturdays and major Jewish holidays. The BZA's decision came six weeks after a May 19 BZA hearing at which several questions were raised by the board and neighbors regarding the size of the structure, its proximity to adjacent homes, the number of exits and how often the temple would be used. The shul's attorney, Thomas Pantalis, has said that special events such as bar mitzvahs, weddings and brises would also not be held during the week, and only on the days permitted.
The new shul will have stadium seating for 294 people, with 168 seats on the second level for women and children and 126 on the main level for men. The current temple has seating for 290, but Pantalis said that the synagogue requested the larger space to provide a wider seating layout. During days where there are overflow crowds at the temple, the current facility may still be utilized, according to shul officials.
Some of the modifications made to the plan since the May 19 hearing include a reduction in the structure's height, from 31 feet to 30 feet, to meet village building code, the addition of two more exits, decreased floor coverage, from 4,406 square feet to 4,351, and reduced surface coverage, from 5,740 square feet to 3,970.
"The ceremonies, especially the religious chanting and singing by 300 congregants, will engulf me and my family," said Moushoutasan. "It amounts to forcing ceremonial religion down my throat."
The house at 214 Harborview South, currently owned by Benjamin Goldstein, would be knocked down and rebuilt, according to village officials.
Joseph Schoenfeld, who lives next to the current synagogue, said during the hearing that traffic and noise have never been a disturbance to him. "We hear no noise during services," he said.
"I don't believe the issue is religion," said Lawrence resident Mike Kimmell. "The situation seems to be the selfishness of the 'me' generation." Kimmell's comments drew rumblings from the crowd, some of whom accused him of being anti-Semitic.
Kimmell also pointed out that when the shul first went before the BZA in 1997, there were only 60 members, but it has grown steadily and he is worried that it will continue to.
Moushoutasan claimed, in a lengthy prepared statement to the board, that there was no need for the synagogue in his neighborhood, since there are other Orthodox shuls throughout the village of Lawrence. "The situation is one of convenience to a very small number of congregants, and not a matter of need," he said.
The case for the new shul went before the Lawrence BZA after the Nassau County Planning Commission weighed in on the application, since the proposed site is within 500 feet of Rock Hall Road, which is under county jurisdiction. In its March 18 recommendation to the zoning board, the NCPC said that the application should not be approved, since, in the commission's opinion, a residential area was not the best site for a synagogue because of the lack of parking and the heavy traffic that would result. Because of the NCPC's recommendation, the BZA needed to approve the project in a super majority -- four votes instead of the usual three on the five-member board.
One of the five BZA members, Lloyd Keilson, belongs to Bais Medrash, but did not recuse himself, since an independent law firm determined he did not have a conflict of interest in the case.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
