Settlement reached in Jewish cemetery dispute
US woman who demanded Jewish congregation to remove body of non-Jew from cemetery settles lawsuit
A Connecticut woman has agreed to settle her lawsuit against her Jewish congregation over the burial of a black woman in the synagogue's cemetery.
Maria Balaban's attorney said he and a lawyer for Congregation Ahavath Achim in Colchester have reached a tentative agreement. The terms were not disclosed.
Balaban sued over the burial of Juliet Steer in 2010, saying the synagogue broke its own rules against burial of non-Jews at the cemetery. Others said Steer was buried in a section reserved for non-Jews. Balaban wanted Steer's body exhumed and relocated, but later dropped that request.
A congregation lawyer, who did not immediately return a message for comment Wednesday, had said in court documents that Balaban was only suing because Steer was black. Balaban's lawyer said race was never a factor.
