A lawsuit has been filed by the state Attorney General’s Office, alleging that the council passed laws that targeted Orthodox Jews in New York State, and took various steps to prevent a feared “Infiltration” into town.
MAHWAH – Staring down a discrimination lawsuit from the state Attorney General’s Office, township officials held steadfast Thursday night in their defense of local laws that the state claims target Orthodox Jews.”So long as I sit in this chair, we will protect this town,” Council President Robert Hermansen said to applause from more than 200 people Thursday night.
Lori Swedelson, of Mahwah, tells the Mahwah Township Council that she is Jewish and has never experienced antisemitism in Mahwah during a meeting on Thursday, October 26, 2017.
Both laws were passed amid tensions between Mahwah residents and communities of ultra-Orthodox Jews in New York State.