Westchester suburb reverses decision to ban Tashlich from public park – after allowing Easter ‘egg hunt’
Officials had argued that an ‘egg hunt’ in April was not religious, while Tashlich is
The Chabad of Bedford building. Courtesy of Arik Wolf
By Hannah Feuer September 11, 2025
A Westchester County town has reversed its decision to deny a Jewish organization a permit for Tashlich in a public park. The Mount Kisco Recreation Commission voted Wednesday night to let Chabad of Bedford host the Rosh Hashanah tradition in Leonard Park, defusing a heated dispute over whether the location could be used for religious events.
Earlier this week, the Forward reported that the Commission had denied Chabad’s park permit in June after claiming a clause in the park’s deed bans religious events — even though the same park hosted an Easter egg hunt in April. Tashlich is an atonement ceremony performed during Rosh Hashanah in which participants symbolically cast their sins into a body of water.
“I’m glad that they reconsidered, that they realized that a mistake was made, and they were able to backtrack and do the right thing for the community and for their constituents,” Arik Wolf, the rabbi at Chabad of Bedford, said in an interview.
In an interview with The Examiner News, Mount Kisco Mayor Michael Cindrich said the park has four separate deeds dating back to the 1930s, some with conflicting language about how the park could be used. But after consulting lawyers, he said, “the recommendation was to move ahead with it and deal with other conflicts in the future.”
Lauren Israelovitch, a lawyer with the National Jewish Advocacy Center representing Chabad of Bedford, said while she was grateful to town leadership for reconsidering their decision, the mayor’s comments raised concern about future permit requests.
“While the mayor has described the matter as ‘extremely complicated,’ citing various deeds and conveyances to be reviewed in the coming months so that park rules and restrictions can be clarified, the law is clear: blanket bans on religious activities in a park—without valid time, place, and manner restrictions—are unconstitutional,” Israelovitch wrote in a statement to the Forward.
“We trust the Village will ultimately do the right thing, and we will continue to monitor developments closely,” she continued. “If necessary, we are prepared to go to court, though we sincerely hope it does not come to that.”
At least for this year, Chabad’s Tashlich ceremony is set to go forward at the park.
“I think it certainly will bring more people out this year who feel grateful that we’re able to exercise our rights,” Wolf said.
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