NJ town accused of targeting Jews settles lawsuit over boundary
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MAHWAH, N.J. -- A New Jersey town accused of discriminating against Orthodox Jews from nearby New York state approved a settlement Tuesday with a group that sued over a religious boundary built with white plastic piping on utility poles.
Mahwah Township's council voted 5-2 Tuesday to settle the suit from the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association after two hours of private legal discussion, the Record reports . The settlement will remain confidential pending approval from the group, says Mahwah Township Attorney Brian Chewcaskie.
The lawsuit was sparked by a now-reversed township ordinance that would have effectively banned the building of an eruv, a religious boundary that some Orthodox Jews rely on to perform tasks on the Sabbath including carrying bags and pushing strollers.
The eruv ban and a separate ordinance that would have restricted parks and playgrounds to local residents were reversed in December after Mahwah was sued by the state attorney general.
The ban was prompted by some town residents' complaints about overcrowding at the parks and their use by Orthodox Jewish families coming from towns across the nearby New York border.
