Hollywood leans on Jewish group to pay

South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-schabad26jul26.story?coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dbroward
By John Holland
Staff Writer
Posted July 26 2002

HOLLYWOOD · An Orthodox Jewish sect that moved temporarily into Hollywood Hills last year has amassed more than $8,000 in unpaid fines, ignored calls from the city to clean up their property and may be subject to foreclosure, City Commissioner Sal Oliveri said.

The yearlong dispute between Oliveri and leaders of the Chabad Lubavitch escalated this week when Oliveri ordered city administrators to crack down on the temple for dozens of violations, including parking and noise.

He is particularly upset at what he calls preferential treatment given to the Chabad, which in September received a one-year permit to worship in the residential neighborhood of Hollywood Hills.

With the year almost up, Rabbi Joseph Korf also is posturing to improve his chances of staying in two homes the Chabad bought and converted into a temple. Two weeks ago, he and attorney Bernie Friedman began lobbying Mayor Mara Giulianti in hopes of winning an extension, Korf said Thursday.

If the city doesn’t relent, the Chabad will go to court, Korf said.
(…)

For more than a year, the Chabad and Hollywood Hills residents have been fighting over the Orthodox sect’s plan to build a house of worship in the residential neighborhood. They’ve already bought two homes, and Korf said Thursday he plans on buying several more and “substantially” increasing his congregation of 60 members.
(…)

To Oliveri and his supporters, the issue is a question of zoning and protecting “the sanctity of single-family homes.” The Chabad counters that they have a constitutional right to worship as they please, and say veiled racism and old-fashioned politics is behind the opposition.

But the Chabad hasn’t always been up front about their intentions, neighbors said and city records show. After buying the first two homes, Korf told building officials that the homes would be residential when he sought remodeling permits, city officials said.

The Chabad also left the homes in disrepair before moving into them, and have been cited repeatedly since then for parking on the lawn, not cutting their grass and leaving piles of “junk” on the property, according to internal city memos.

The city has filed at least five liens on the property for fines totaling at least $8,100. The most recent lien — $600 for repeatedly parking on the lawn — was filed June 3.

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