Mamaroneck, NY - Back in Court for Village Against a Jewish Day School

Mamaroneck, NY - The village will continue its battle against a local Jewish school seeking to expand its campus in the region's highest court.

Village lawyers are appealing a federal judge's ruling that found the village's zoning board restricted the Westchester Day School's free exercise of religion when it denied the school's plans to build a 44,000-square-foot building on Orienta Point.
Lawyers for both sides are expected to face off in Manhattan at the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

The closely watched case tests the constitutionality of a religious land-use law that has gained popularity across the United States in recent years. "Hopefully, this will send a crystal-clear message to the leaders of Mamaroneck and to municipalities across the country that the rights of religious institutions to meet their needs are protected under the constitution," said Stanley Bernstein, the school's executive vice president and one of its lawyers.

The nearly five-year saga began when the Westchester Day School, a yeshiva for about 420 students, sought to build a 44,000-square-foot building on its 26-acre campus in the Orienta section of the village. The building would house classrooms and other small gathering rooms for private instruction and prayer.