An overflow crowd of more than 400 mostly Orthodox Jewish residents turned out for a rescheduled meeting of the Linden City Council to voice their objection to a change in the zoning ordinance they believe is designed to restrict communal growth.

The unusual meeting, held on Friday, April 18, at noon at Linden High School, was moved from its original regular evening date three days earlier because of the crowd size.

“In recent months, the city has introduced new zoning regulations that many believe are designed to restrict the ability of larger families, particularly in the Orthodox Jewish community to live and grow in Linden,” said Rabbi Yossi Katz of Congregation Anshe Chesed, who reached out to The Jewish Link about the situation.

Katz, who also spoke during the public portion of the meeting, chided Mayor Derek Armstead and the council telling them they were “elected public servants” and regardless of whether the views of the public were popular or not, they had a responsibility not to hide behind the law.

Katz told The Jewish Link via email and in a phone conversation that the proposed changes, which would prohibit the construction of bedrooms and bathrooms in basements, require significantly larger garage and driveway space and count deck areas toward a home’s total square footage, would be detrimental to religious Jews.

The plans included minor changes when the exact ordinance was released on April 21. It already had been passed on first reading before the public had a chance to read or react to the finalized version. It will be up for final passage at the May 20 meeting.

“Collectively, these changes would severely limit the capacity for home expansion and remodeling, especially for growing families,” noted Katz. “Disturbingly, we were informed that the city attorney advised council members not to discuss these proposals with constituents who inquired about them.”

In fact, during the meeting, city attorney Daniel Antonelli said he had advised the mayor and council not to comment on anything said during the public comments because governing officials had received threats in the past over ordinances. “My experience has been that whatever the mayor and council say ends up in a lawsuit, so I’m advising them not to comment,” he said.

A woman, who asked that she only be identified by her first name of Shayna, called the ordinance “veiled antisemitism” and said she was disappointed in what was playing out so publicly. She said she was fully aware of the importance of diversity in Linden and the need for progress, but couldn’t understand why there was such a rush to pass an ordinance that signaled to the religious Jewish community that the city is not a welcoming place for their families. She received a standing ovation.

“Why are you only concerned when our community grows disproportionately?” questioned Sruly Mandelbaum. “The Jewish community is not asking for special treatment.”

Katz said the latest ordinance “fits a pattern” of the governing body changing the zoning ordinance five times in the last five years, seemingly to hamstring the large number of Jewish families moving there from Brooklyn, which began more than seven years ago.

“The troubling pattern of zoning changes in recent years have disproportionately impacted the Jewish community,” he said. “A few years ago, the city amended its zoning code to prohibit the establishment of houses of worship in residential zones. This has effectively blocked new synagogues from being opened, despite growing demand and an increasing population. For a community that depends on walking to shul on Shabbat and holidays, this restriction has had an especially damaging effect.”

Katz pointed to the high-rise buildings erected downtown with city approval in recent years that have changed the small town character of Linden. Therefore, when Armstead and city leaders talked about protecting the character of the community with these ordinances, “it gives the illusion not to what but who is moving in.”

However, he said the Jewish community has been good neighbors, adding, “They are paying taxes, buying houses and opening businesses and to use this thinly veiled antisemitic language is just not America.”

The situation has been further inflamed by targeted enforcement actions. For example, Katz said recently, the city sent notices threatening fines to residents and Anshe Chesed for owning more than two garbage cans, even though those cans were legally purchased. The notice was eventually retracted, but the singling out raised serious concerns. In another case, the city challenged the compliance of the synagogue’s mikvah piping, part of an approved addition that was completed nearly 14 years ago. Now, even though all permits were fully compliant, the city has raised vague objections, but he said the city has refused to provide anything in writing.

A Jewish community member, who did not want to give his name because he feared retaliation from the mayor, told The Jewish Link officials amended the zoning code from a required minimum lot size of 25,000 square feet to build a house of worship to 75,000 and then to 90,000 square feet, making it impossible to build a synagogue since no available lots of that size exist. Another ordinance that banned combining lots ensured there would be no shuls.

Another synagogue that had been previously approved on Orchard Terrace near Anshe Chesed remains unfinished for undisclosed reasons. The rabbi said that has forced the community to meet in members’ houses, which used to result in
violations until he said the city realized it was in likely in violation of the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome discriminatory land use regulations.

The rabbi said the influx of Jews has prompted the city to continually put up roadblocks, making it more difficult for those looking to open a kosher grocery and pizzeria. He said the community is seriously considering reaching out to federal authorities.

Katz said there is concern about rising antisemitism within the community. “Some residents have received vile hate mail declaring ‘Hitler was right,’ and there has been a steady stream of antisemitic content circulating in local Facebook groups,” he said. “Compounding this, the mayor has made remarks — some public, others unrecorded — that many view as insensitive or outright inflammatory.”

Armstead, who did not return the email and phone call made by The Jewish Link asking for comment, was cited in a civil suit last year brought by a former district administrator for allegedly stating he wanted only African Americans and Haitians to be hired by the board of education “to keep our community from being taken over by guys with big hats and curls.” The mayor later apologized for his comments about Jews.

Debra Rubin has had a long career in journalism writing for secular weekly and daily newspapers and Jewish publications. She most recently served as Middlesex/Monmouth bureau chief for the New Jersey Jewish News. She also worked with the media at several nonprofits, including serving as assistant public relations director of HIAS and assistant director of media relations at Yeshiva University.