Orthodox School That Has No Power Or Water Faces Closure Call
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Josh Nathan-Kazis October 23, 2017
Officials in the New York State county of Rockland want local or state officials to shutter an Orthodox Jewish day school in the village of New Hempstead over its failure to connect its trailer classrooms to water and electric facilities, the Journal News reported.
The school, Ateres Bais Yaakov Academy, had received a temporary certificate of occupancy from a town of Ramapo building inspector. But the County Executive, Ed Day, held a news conference last week demanding the school be closed after a temporary fire hydrant popped out of the ground.
“The electrical hookup with extension cords to the house is shoddy,” Day said. They don’t have independent water. There are reasons for these rules: life and safety. The children and parents are the victims here.”
State representatives have also called for the school to be closed.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
