Shalom Lamm Says ‘Faith in America Is Shaken’ After Bloomingburg Vote Debacle

Image by martyna starosta
Shalom Lamm, the Orthodox developer behind a controversial project in the upstate New York village of Bloomingburg, has denounced a local election after his right to vote in the hamlet was challenged along with more than 100 other voters.
Incumbent Mayor Mark Berentsen, who backs Lamm’s plans for a 396-home development marketed at Hasidic Jews, was badly trailing an opponent after an Election Night tally — but it could be weeks or more before ballots that could shift the outcome are counted.
“Today, my faith in America is shaken,” Lamm read in a statement outside of Village Hall, according to the Times Herald-Record. “I have lived in Bloomingburg for more than two years and yet I was not permitted to vote like every other American. I am sad and disheartened. No matter what the outcome is today, I hope, I pray, and I will work so that we can all come together and heal to make Bloomingburg a better place to live.”
Challenger Frank Gerardi, an opponent of Lamm’s development, currently leads Berentsen by an 81-to-25 margin.
Many of Berentsen’s supporters, which presumably include many Hasidic newcomers, have had their votes challenged by opponents who argue they have not lived in the one stop-light village for the required 30 days.
Supporters of Lamm’s development have also filed their own challenges against dozens of Gerardi’s supporters.
Julia Philips told the local paper that she, a long-time resident, was angry that Lamm’s supporters have challenged her vote. “Come on,” she said.
Thomas Cawley, an Assistant County Attorney to the Board of Elections told the Forward that the involved parties, including Sullivan County Supreme Court Judge Stephan Shick, hope that all disputes will be resolved by April 7, but he said there’s a chance that might not be the case. “The parties will still have a right to seek appeal, there are several actions going on here,” he said. “They have rights beyond the local Supreme Court.”
Cawley added that there were no reported incidents during yesterday’s heated election, though the sheriff was on the scene just in case. Two commissioners from the Board of Elections were also present given the high tensions surrounding the development.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.