JACKSON – Kolel Shas Yiden, an Orthodox Jewish congregation, has been granted approval to construct a synagogue on East Veterans Highway in Jackson.
The house of worship received approval from the Jackson Planning Board on Feb. 5.
Kolel Shas Yiden was represented by attorney Raymond Shea, engineer and planner Ian Borden, traffic engineer John Rea and Sam Heller, a spokesman for the congregation.
A two-story synagogue with a full basement was proposed. An existing home will be demolished to make space for the house of worship, Borden said.
The property is in a Regional Growth Zone 2 and the house of worship meets all the conditional uses, according to the applicant.
Borden said the proposal was not for a private school. He said there will be two religious services each day, seven days a week. Additional services will be held on holidays. The building will include a room for social events.
“That room will not be in use during religious services, normally one attends the services and after the service there is socialization,” Borden said.
There will be two lecture rooms that will not be in use while religious services are taking place.
“Please keep in mind that these uses do not occur simultaneously, that is very important for any house of worship,” Shea said.
The applicant has ruled out holding weddings at the synagogue.
Heller said, “The main sanctuary would practically be used on its own. In addition to that, the women’s mezzanine upstairs would be used simultaneously with the main sanctuary. However, all the other rooms generally will not be used, practically never, at the same time (as when services are being conducted), and that includes the whole downstairs and the other side rooms.”
The board’s chairman, Joseph Riccardi, asked about the applicant’s assertion that in most cases there will not be more than 100 congregants in the building.
Heller said while some holidays may bring more than 100 people to the synagogue, on most days during the week that number (100) will not be exceeded.
Riccardi asked what the contingency plan for parking will be if there are more than 100 people at the synagogue.
The applicant’s representatives said parking that is planned for the site will be able to accommodate all events.
Heller said there are quite a few families who belong to the synagogue who live within walking distance of the East Veterans Highway location.
“Most (families) will be within walking distance, so the cars will be drastically reduced. We will not even be using most of those spaces, especially on the Sabbath (Saturday) when we are not even allowed to drive and those days could be the largest (turnouts),” Heller said.
Heller said the largest attendance at the synagogue will occur on the Sabbath or on holidays, times at which Jews are not permitted to operate a vehicle.
“So (parking) will not be, whatsoever, a problem,” he said.
The board’s vice chairman, Robert Hudak, expressed concern with the prospect of hundreds of people walking along East Veterans Highway at night. He called the highway a “tough road” for even a 10- to 15-minute walk.
During the public hearing, residents raised concerns about vehicles and the possibility of accidents.
Resident Diane Donohue said she had concerns, but not with the proposed use of the property.
“I am not opposed at all to the proposed use of the property … however, I have grave concerns about how this will affect my property, my property values, the potential sale of my property and the quality of life I currently enjoy,” she said.
Donohue also expressed concern about how pedestrian traffic could affect her horses. She said she does not want people to stop and pet her horses because she does not want anyone to get hurt.
Resident John Bryceland said he was concerned about a walking path from the proposed synagogue via nearby Grand Boulevard.
The applicant’s representatives said there will not be a path and said there will be a barrier to keep people from walking through the woods to reach the synagogue.
Bryceland asked about guests of the synagogue parking in the nearby neighborhood. He was told the applicant can only address its property and the board cannot not address off-site issues.
Bryceland expressed concern about morning services at the synagogue adding to traffic and creating issues for school buses.
“This is everybody’s right to build whatever you want, but I have kids I want safe, so I want … to make sure something is done about that, as far the parking, the vehicles, all that stuff,” he said.
After hearing from the residents, Hudak said he felt like “the numbers were just not adding up.”
“This building is going to be built and this congregation is going to have to support the salary of a rabbi, it is going to have a mortgage, utilities, maintenance. We heard testimony there will not be any rentals, there will be no school, yet the congregation is only going to exist (as) 100 families? Do the math, 100 families to support a building like that, I just cannot figure out how they can possibly do that,” Hudak said.
Heller said, “you have heard of donations?”
Hudak said he did not believe 100 families could support the building and suggested that the congregation will have to seek more families.
Shea responded by saying “that is a feeling” Hudak has.
“This is part of the obligation of the (Orthodox Jewish) faith, this is how they build their houses of worship,” the attorney said.
Heller said he understood Hudak’s question, but said the board member’s concern does not necessarily mean the congregation will have to grow in order to fund the building.
“The biggest proof to that (is that) the property we are currently applying for, we paid, I think, $860,000 (and) that property is worth $460,000. The seller did not want to leave, it was a ‘make me move’ price and we needed that to proceed to do everything accordingly and to comply with every single rule and that is why we chose this particular property,” Heller said.
Jackson Township Council President Ken Bressi, who sits on the board, made a motion to approve the application for the synagogue.
Bressi said there was “a little too much questioning” about the religious use of the building, but he said it was educational.
Hudak voted yes on the motion, but said he had some reservations regarding the application, including safety concerns for people who will be walking on East Veterans Highway.
Testimony indicated there is no sidewalk in front of the property where the synagogue will be constructed, but there is a sidewalk on some portions of East Veterans Highway.
According to the testimony, Ocean County will have jurisdiction regarding the issue of extending the sidewalk to the synagogue because East Veterans Highway is a county road.
Joining Bressi, Hudak and Riccardi in voting yes on the motion to approve the application were board members Jeffrey Riker, Michele Campbell, Martin Flemming, Andrew Kern and Leonard Haring Jr.
