A coalition of New York Jewish summer camps in the Catskills have filed a second lawsuit against the town of Wawarsing over zoning laws they allege are discriminatory and would make it impossible for their camps to operate in the future.
In January, eight Orthodox Jewish summer camps filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Wawarsing for imposing restrictions that the camps alleged place unfair burdens on their ability to operate, the Times Herald-Record reported.
The regulations, mandated in October 2021, would limit new camps to two designated locations and create strict rules about capacity, cabin occupancy and fencing.
The eight Jewish camps and one Jewish school, that are home to around 4,300 children, charged in their lawsuit that the new requirements would make it impossible for them to expand or improve their facilities without facing a series of unworkable hurdles.
The zoning amendment described the “overlay district” for the camps as a regulation to make sure they are "compatible with the surrounding land uses, have adequate access to emergency service providers, can be served adequately by sewer and water systems, and will not have adverse town-wide impacts." The legislation’s stated goal was also to "protect the rural character and open space in the town."
The regulations also banned loudspeakers, limited the occupancy of cabins to a maximum of 10 people, and would force camps to enact a buffer 250 feet from their property lines where structures and activities are prohibited.
But the camps’ legal team alleged that the rule changes were put in place to ensure it was “impossible for Orthodox Jewish camps to expand, repair, and continue to operate in the town, thereby forcing them to relocate to another town.”
According to Yeshiva World News, two other camps subsequently filed a lawsuit in New York state court, arguing that Wawarsing had not properly followed procedures when passing the new law.
The new lawsuit alleges in a court filing that the amended laws are unworkable for the camps, making it extremely difficult for them “to continue to function and expand their facilities to ensure that they can satisfy the religious mission they serve to educate and train the next generation of Jewish leaders.”
The town’s lawyers have not responded to the new lawsuit. In response to the previous federal lawsuit, they argued that the new rules are not discriminatory against Jews because they would apply to all camps in Wawarsing, regardless of religious.