Rockland County, NY – At a Tuesday night meeting of the school board in Ramapo, a Spring Valley fire official told a packed audience that dozens of the area’s religious private schools are not in compliance with fire safety code requirements and that the schools are “rife” with unsafe conditions.
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LOHUD.com (http://lohud.us/1PszuJR) reports that Spring Valley fire captain and Tarrytown rabbi Justin Schwartz, who also serves on the Rockland Illegal Housing Task Force, told the audience that the potential for danger due to the lack of compliance increases with each passing day.
“Not only has this board and administration failed in educational opportunities to the nonpublic schools,” Schwartz said, “but it allows outrageous conditions detrimental to the health and safety of the students of these schools.”
Citing an October 6 report from Secretary of State Cesar Perales’ office, Schwartz said about 60 private schools in Rockland County have failed to filed fire safety reports and that in many cases religious students are “commonly crammed” into trailers and single-family homes that have never undergone a single safety inspection.
“Sanitary code violations are rife,” Schwartz told the crowd.
Below list of private schools in Rockland with missing fire safety reports, according to the state education department:
AH Schreiber Hebrew Academy of Rockland at 360 New Hempstead Rd. in New City
Ateres Bias Yaakov Acad of Rockland at 236 Cherry Lane in Monsey
Bais Chinuch L’Bonois at 900 Route 45 in New City
Bais Shifra Miriam at 229 Maple Ave. in Monsey
Bais Trany of Monsey at 185 N. Main St. in Spring Valley
Bais Yaakov Ayeles Hashachnar at 186 Saddle River Rd. in Monsey
Bais Yaakov Chofetz Chaim-Pomona at 44 Camp Hill Rd. in Pomona
Bais Yaakov D’Rav Hirsch at 235 N. Main St. in Spring Valley
Bais Yaakov High School of Spring Valley at 11 Smolley Drive in Monsey
Baie Yaakov of Ramapo at 16 Herschel Terrace in Monsey
Bais Yehuda at 72 Main St. in Monsey
Bnei Yakov Yosef of Monsey at 23 Union Rd. in Spring Valley
Bnos Chayil at 141 Blauvelt Rd. in Monsey
Bnos Esther Pupa at 246 N. Main St. in Spring Valley
Bobover Yeshiva of Monsey at 88 Grove St. in Spring Valley
Cheder Chabad of Monsey at 15 Widman Court in Spring Valley
Community Enrichment Center at 9 Zeissner Lane in Spring Valley
Con Kolel Chasidel Rachminstrivka at 97 Highview Rd. in Suffern
Cong Machzikei Hadas of Belz at 3 N. Cole Ave. in Spring Valley
Cong Yeshiva of Greater Monsey at 133 Route 59 in Monsey
Congre Machon Tiferes Bachurim at 17 Cameo Ridge Road in Monsey
Congregation Bais Chana Maika at 185 N. Main Street in Spring Valley
Congregation Birchos Yosef at 201 Route 306 in Monsey
Congregation Borov lnc. at 246 N. Main St. in Spring Valley
Congregation Koifer Nefesh at 70 Highview Monsey
Congregation Mesilla at 73 Main St. in Monsey
Congregation Noam E. Lisenk at 100 S. Central Ave. in Nanuet
Congregation Ohr Yilzchok at 174 Maple Ave. in Monsey
Congregation Tiferes Yisroel at 240 Old Nyack Turnpike in Spring Valley
Congregation Yeshivas Meon Hatorah at 244 Route 306 in Monsey
Hebrew Academy-Ohr Menachem Chabad at 315 N. Main St. in New City
lmrei Shufer at 186 Saddle River Rd. in Monsey
Mesivta Ahavas Hatorah at 240 Old Nyack Turnpike in Spring Valley
Mesivta Maamar Mordechai at 113 Maple Ave. in Spring Valley
Mesvita of Yeshiva D’Monsey at 14 Roman Boulevard in Monsey
Meisda Ziev Halorah at 50 Carlton Rd. in Monsey
Monsey Beis Chaya Mushka High School at 25-27 South Monsey Rd. in Monsey
Mosdos Sanz Klausenburg of Monsey at 5 Gibbs Court in Monsey
Mosdos Sanz of Monsey at 50 Slinn Avenue in Spring Valley
Pascack Valley Learning Center at 27 Church Road in Airmont
Rockland lnstitute for Special Children at 972 Chestnut Ridge Road in Spring Valley
Rockland Jewish Academy at 450 W. Nyack Road in West Nyack
Shaarei Arazim of Monsey at 52 S. Main Street in Spring Valley
Shaarei Torah of Rockland at 91 W. Carlton Rd. in Suffern
The Skill Building Center at 15 Widman Court in Spring Valley
St. Dominic’s Home at 500 Western Highway in Blauvelt
Talmud Torah Bobov 49 S. Main Street at Spring Valley
Talmud Torah Khal Adas Yereim 33 Union Road in Spring Valley
UTA 89 S. Main St Spring Valley
Yeshiva Avir Yaakov at 766 N. Main St. in Spring Valley
Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch 50 S. Main St. in Spring Valley
Yeshiva Darchei Noam at 257 Grandview Ave. in Suffern
Yeshiva’Darkei Emunah at 49 S. Main St. in Spring Valley
Yeshiva DegelHatorah at 111 Maple Ave. in Spring Valley
Yeshiva Gedolah of South Monsey at 260 Saddle River in Airmont
Yeshiva Hlgh School of Monsey at 91 Gotlege Rd. in Monsey
Yeshiva Ohr Torah at 201 Route 306 in Monsey
Yeshiva Shaar Ephraim at 5 Acer Court in Monsey
Yeshiva T zoin Yosef at 15 Widman Court in Spring Valley
Yeshivas Ohr Reuven at 259 Grandview Ave. in Suffern
I hate to say this, but as much as people in the community label “Rabbi” Justin Schwartz as a self-hating Jew, he is unfortunately right this time. After working in Monsey schools for many years, I can tell you first hand that the attitude of most school administrators is to get things done first and apply for permits second… and it’s very unfortunate that most Monsey parents will scream “anti-Semitism” against this article instead of condemning their children’s school and stand up for the safety of our children.
This cannot be allowed. Lives are at stake.
Hopefully they will be taken care of b4 something happens G…d forbid.
Please …the lives of our children and grandchildren are at stake..please make their safety your priority…If there is money for one thing…their safety trumps that!
Any one familiar with Justin knows what his agenda is, he has been removed from the fire squad, and is assigned as fire police to direct the traffic around the fire scene.
Whenever there is a fire or fire call in a jewish place, his only issue is why hatzoloh is on the scene and yells viciously on everyone. yet does not care if there are victims or anything else.
On the last call I saw him, there was a critical patient stuck high in a tree, Hatzoloh on scene called FD he arrived and yelled at everyone, the police officer on the scene directed him to leave the property or else he will be arrested.
This is the person making these claims against ‘private’ schools.
Apparently every private Jewish school is on the list, Chasidishe as well as MO.
Bs’d. And do you want me to name the many large batei midrashim in Williamsburg that have no exits anywhere near the mizr ch wall?
Shut down all these yeshivos until ALL the fire safety rules are complied with and properly documented. Rav Gavornlik and other chashuveh rabbonim has said repeatedly that saving a single life of a yinglach or kollel yungerleit from a tragic death in a fire is itself reason to STOP all the learning for as long as it takes to make these buildings safe. Pikuach nefesh trumps bitul torah 100 percent of the time. Its not a question you have to consult your local rov or posek…its obvious.
As a Monsey resident, I can tell you that this list is very out-dated. Addresses are given for schools/yeshivos at places where they haven’t been operating in for quite some time. Some schools listed were start-ups that didn’t work out and have closed down. Therefore, since basic information is not up to date, information that is surely registered for things like transportation and book delivery, this list cannot be considered a reliable source.
I agree that fire safety for schools is important, but when the list provided is this old, I wonder whether this “news item” is the result of someone digging around in old files with less than pure intentions…
Bimchilas kevod horabonim in Monsey and surrounding areas, it is indicative of a warped way of thinking with many of the finest and sheinste yiden to have a dismissive attitude with regard to government safety regulations, whether traffic. building or fire. It has got many reasons but it is totally wrong and not al pi halacha. You are not allowed to take safety risks in order to safe money.
In EY we need Rav Chaim Kanievski to tell us that traffic regulations have to be observed ! !
Regrettable it won’t change so quickly and chas vesholom something may happen which could have very well be prevented.
I suggest a counter report.
A chevra organized to check every yeshiva listed while classes are in progress and report back if accurate.
I hope it’s not as bad as it sounds. Hopefully just technicalities.
You people are not reading the article properly, or at all.
It doesn’t say all the listed schools have dangerous conditions, or violations.
I copied and pasted from the article “Below list of private schools in Rockland with missing fire safety reports, according to the state education department:”
These schools are missing a piece of paper.
You can ALL calm down now. Schwartz is obviosly a trouble maker, and in need of attention.
Most of you should be ashamed for being mekabel lashon haram from someone with no proof…rabbi Justin. Very nice.
You can all calm down, the whole story is bogus.
By chance I was in town of Ramapo when the news about the article came in, and I overheard them discussing the issue, every school has a yearly fire inspection, the journal news ( known for its ahavas yisroel and honesty) didn’t even bother to call the town to ask for comment.
Anybody that knows this Mr. Schwartz knows that it’s not out of his good heart and worry for our children that he is doing this, he comes to every public hearing to complain even if he lives 10 miles away, he is just looking to make noise and get attention in any possible way.
Look at the list, many of these buildings are in great condition and we’ll kept but who needs the truth ? Just bash the private schools and automatically everybody asuumes its the truth.
Yes! Some private schools don’t have 10 million dollars to buy 3 acers and put up state of the art buildings, and after paying 15 thousand dollars in school tax not much is left for donations etc.
The guy from Brooklyn with no smoke detectors is going to come up and speak about Emunah. Afterword, his fans will explain that everything is meant to be and comes from Hashem, so we should just ignore safety and laugh at the guy whose parents named him Justin.
Other websites are quoting people from here. Seems like most posters here don’t give two cents about safety for children and following laws. When a kid gets hurt in an illegal yeshiva with only one door, will you weep that you blamed the fire inspector and laughed at his name? Are there no educated posters here?