Fort Lauderdale, FL – A federal judge ruled today that an Orthodox synagogue forced out in 2006 must be allowed to operate in Cooper City shopping areas.
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Chabad of Nova, an outreach center now operating in Davie, filed the federal suit last year, saying the city's zoning laws were a form of religious discrimination. But the city has said it has worked hard to accommodate the chabad, including a 2006 change in its zoning laws to allow houses of worship in parks and office parks and give the chabad more relocation options.
Today, U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga ruled the zoning rules violate federal law and said the outreach center must be allowed to return to Cooper City storefronts.
''This is a huge victory for this chabad because it means they are allowed to return to the business district from which they were illegally thrown out,'' said Franklin Zemel, the attorney for the chabad.
Chabad of Nova opened at 8608 Griffin Rd. in 2005, but Rabbi Shmuel Posner had to leave a year later when Cooper City told him city zoning laws did not permit houses of worship on commercially zoned land.
The court still needs to determine any financial penalty. Zemel said he didn't know when Chabad of Nova would return to Cooper City or if it would return to the same location. [miamiherald]