Toms River, NJ – Three homeowners have sued their New Jersey condominium association, which restricts coed swimming because most of the residents are Orthodox Jews.
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Residents Steve and Diana Lusardi and Marie Curto, who are non-Orthodox Jews, sued A Country Place in Lakewood seeking to quash the policy and $50 fines levied against them for breaking the rules, The Asbury Park Press reports (http://on.app.com/2dgoQbn ).
Their lawsuit says the policy violates anti-discrimination provisions of the federal Fair Housing Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
The condominium association’s attorney declined comment.
The condominium complex serve people 55 or older. Swimming is restricted by gender at certain times in observance of Jewish law that prohibits men and women from bathing together. Otherwise, coed swimming is allowed from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday through Friday and there is open swimming on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Steve Lusardi was fined after he remained in the pool beyond the designated hours; Curto was fined on a different day when she refused to leave the pool area during men-only swim time, the newspaper reported.
The association’s board of directors said in a letter to Lusardi that the community is a private association and the board is within its rights to serve the majority.
“You are inconsiderate of the majority and wish for minority rule,” the letter said.
The board sent a similar letter to Curto.
A hearing was set for Nov. 4 in Toms River.
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Information from: Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, http://www.app.com
We live in an American society and not in an Orthodox theocracy. We can’t deny others the right to to as they please (as long as it’s legal) just because our culture or religious believes prohibit it.
I really think the only way to stop them from stopping segerated swimming is to make sure all chasidim should start coming in their mixed hours and behave like real chasidim then they will BEG for seperate swimming
This is just pure hatred. People should learn to accommodate “everyone” and not be so selfish about their own wants because it certainly is not a “need”. The association made mixed swimming hours as well as separate swimming hours. They also have the entire Shabbos/Saturday to swim mixed. This is pure nastiness.
If this was a community where there were Muslims asking for separate hours, this would be an entirely different story. It would be considered discrimination against the Muslims and their culture, etc., etc., etc. blah, blah, blah.
We can all get along with a little bit of consideration. People who choose to swim in mixed company can also go swimming with their friends in a separate swimming situation and then go mixed swimming during those hours. So its not as if they can’t go swimming at all if they follow these rules. No one is blocking them from the pool during separate hours.
If the majority of the owners voted for it, that’s tough luck on this couple. That’s the way democracy works!
As an American and as a Jew, I would not have to compromise my needs to accommodate Sharia Law. I therefore do not expect a secular person to have to accommodate themselves to a Hareidi law.
In West Palm Beach Florida they do not have to sue anyone because In West Palm Beach orthodox women go swimming with men.
#8 , you are on to something. It is well documented that Rabonim in Europe enjoyed spending time at resorts with mixed swimming. Our current generation adopts some of what was done in Europe and ignores the rest even while engaging in idol worship toward these Gedolim of yesterday.
since it’s equally applied to both genders there is no discrimination.
also, it being related to religious custom does not make it an inherently religious imposition.
it is their (joint) housing, and they have a system for how they regulate.
just because some users want something different doesn’t make it a case of prejudice against them. They are not a protected class.