Merion, PA – A contingent of Merion-area residents opposed to a plan by St. Joseph’s University to turn the grounds of a former private school into collegiate-level athletic fields is worried that the changes could disrupt the Shabbat experience for Orthodox families in the area.
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The protracted zoning battle over the project shows no signs of being over any time soon.
St. Joe’s plans include adding, to the already existing fields, bleacher seats, press boxes and a public-address system for collegiate men’s baseball, as well as women’s softball and field-hockey games, on the former home of the co-ed Episcopal Academy.
Some residents expressed concern that this will increase traffic considerably, making it more difficult to walk to shul on Saturdays. They also said that the loudspeakers would raise the noise level on Shabbat.
These are the Jewish issues at hand. Other residents have stated that property values could be affected by the expected bump in weekend activity.
The property in question sits on Latches Lane in Merion Station, next to the Barnes Foundation Museum. The fields extend south several blocks to City Avenue. The university first received township approval to buy the site in 2006, though the deal wasn’t finalized until two years later.
The site sits a few blocks from Lower Merion Synagogue, the area’s largest Orthodox shul, and also within walking distance of Young Israel of the Main Line and Aish Philadelphia.
Saturday use of the field “will really lessen the Shabbat experience for many in the immediate area,” said Rabbi Howard Alpert, executive director of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia and a member of Lower Merion synagogue who testified at a December zoning-board hearing on the issue.
It’s not our country. Shut up.
this is free country its not mea sharim or israel here….its reteric like your which causes anti semitism…..
Why can’t we realize we are in America. We don’t own the country. Kvetching and kvetching all day. Here the libraries are not open Sundays to our convenience, here the football fields should not be allowed to operate. Maybe we control ourselves a bit. Maybe we dont have to scream anti semitism at every occasion at every turn of the corner. When nispaleh hasuh, the cup runneth over there is a backlash.
We can’t accomplish in Eretz Yisroel most of the things we want to accomplish in America.They are mechalel shabbos and deny calm and rest on the shabbos in most neighborhods in Israel. But no, we need to accomplish everything to mamish the best of satisfaction in America. Our secular leaders are beginning to act like Al Sharpton
You’re reading an article from the Jewish Exponent which is anti religious and has had many anti religious articles. The shabbos problem of Saint Joseph building a stadium on this problem is actually the least of the problems. The biggest problem which the community is fighting, which includes many non jews, is that the stadium would have speakers which will be heard everywhere within a two mile radius which will make this very suburban neighborhood worse than a big city. This is a very quiet neighborhood and this would make constant noise over everywhere. Besides the fact that St Joseph promised not to build a stadium when they bought the property. You all have to be careful with your comments when you don’t know the whole story. You sound more anti religious than the newspaper.
I seem to recall, a year or two ago on VIN, that there was an issue with an Orthodox camp in a rural area, lights, and loudspeakers.
There were a lot of people claiming anti-semitism when neighbors wanted the lights and the late night loudspeakers to go. Hopefully, none of those people are opposing the ballfields.
Personally, it sounds like both the camp and the ballfields are bad neighbors.
I live in this area, let me shed some light on this.
Lower Merion has VERY strict zoning standards. Our neighbors were not even allowed to add on to their living room. We have a hard time even trying to cut down a tree without the township giving us a hard time. St. Joe’s flashes some cash and now the township gave them a green light to build that monstrosity in our neighborhood. We are already getting plenty of trash left on our streets, parking spaces taken up, and so forth. St. Joe’s is also part of Philadelphia, and we are Montgomery County.
2 separate counties, 2 separate tax bases. Once this field is built, it means nothing but headaches for us. And our property values will plummet, our crime will rise, and have never ending noise. We had a problem with crime around here several years ago. Armed hold-ups. The crooks were never caught and all we got was how it is so hard to patrol every place. Now this thing will be built and are we going to get more police presence? I doubt it.
we feel like idiots throught the whole thing. We pay taxes, obey laws, attend meetings and are treated like dirt. The strangers from across the street, flash cash, and take over!
is this in the yeshiva area… some 3 or 4 blocks away, if that?
Why didn’t the Yidden raise money to buy the property when it was available? Hire a zoning attorney and request an understanding and a formal agreement for the change in use. That’s life my friends. Politics trumps all. Happened in my neighborhood when Costco wanted to build accross from a neighborhood and needed zoning variances. The frei yid on the county board said yes because he got cash for his reelection from all the attorneys representing Costco. It happens all the time.
“Saturday use of the field “will really lessen the Shabbat experience for many in the immediate area,”
I don’t think we make land use decisions based on what will or will not enhance the “shabbos experience”…if you want that real heimeshe shabbos experience move to KJ BP or WB or if you are a really ehrleche yid searching for the ultimate shabbos mood, buy one of the new luxury condos in meah shearim. Otherwise, the university needs to expand and that takes priority over your desire to maintain your shabosidke ambience.
At the top you wrote:
“We don’t own the country.”
Wrong. So long as we are here, and are US citizens, we have an absolute right to robustly participate in the public process, and attempt to make things move in the direction we think is best – FOR OURSELVES. Stop being such a ninny. Let others know we care deeply about Shabbat.
The tables are turned, and now you cry. Residents are worried about traffic and noise? It was at one point an up and running school…. so there are lots, property, etc. This is like when YOU want to make a neighborhood with all houses into a SCHOOL, and then cry anti-semitism when the neighbors complain! This is the same thing but WORSE, becuase this was already a zoned property, when you cry for it in a home!
The JE wants to make this a frum thing.
This is a very suburban area that cannot afford to look like the new Wynnefield
They want to make it as if there is a black hat backlash like in BP or Bnei Brak
The charedish oilam in Merion is only about forty families KEH
The rest are not very conspicuous.
This is not a Shabbos isuue only a quality of life issue
Let’s hope the folks in Merion don’t start kvetching that the stadium’s hot dogs aren’t glatt!