Did I read it correctly? Hear correctly? If ever there were a misnomer, well, here it 'tis indeed. Justification? How, why, and where is there any justification for destroying the lives of thousands. All the 'because' being that someone stated he "had a dream", invoking the name of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Justification indeed. No way!
Yesterday's Zoom meeting veered off track almost immediately, a swift demonstration of tactics used by this group in attaining their goals, in running ramshod over all opposition. Upon being granted the opening statement, the spokesman began to run down the clock. Replete with lies of commission and omission, with sheer nonsense, and dangerous arrogance.
So, let's tackle yesterday.
- 2018 as the beginning of this plan, not really. Check the dates and actions prior to 2018.
- He had a dream? Well, so did I. So did everybody living in this Village of ours. How does his dream have immediacy and precedence, the right to destroy others in the name of fulfillment of his?
- The Medical building is in the heart of the Village, at a major crossroads, a hub of life within the Village.
- Changing its usage and configuration, will of necessity, increase traffic patterns and numbers of vehicles.
- Parking places are to be cut, increasing the search for one as patrons go to the remaining commercial ventures.
The overflow will go across the street using a turn unregulated by lights, turning into oncoming traffic and blocking traffic in both ways. Impatience will lead to injuries, accidents and worse.
-The surrounding associations and the Clubhouse will also fall prey to overcrowding as cars flow into their areas seeking parking.
- There will be no parking available Saturday, despite their stating there will be. Nope, truth is that all the spots will be taken up by the cars of worshippers, parked there overnite. Uh huh.
Exiting that same parking lot at the very same time as Villagers drive to the Clubhouse for shows will exponentially raise the danger and the probability of accidents, pileups and worse. As for the statement that most do not even drive - shame shame, are your pants afire yet? Men drive. Women no.
- The number mentioned in their statement was 3600 sq. ft for the synagogue not the '3,000' they were touting.
-No more than 150 men to use the synagogue!! Uh, we were not all born yesterday. Already way over that amount, and I refer you to the parking lot by Aitz Chaim and in the areas around the 'satellite' synagogues, those planned for, schemed for, units used as houses of worship despite all danger in occupancy and overcrowding. All over the Village.
These satellites will not vanish, even as the man speaks of "recreational' usage remaining. Say what? What recreational usage? Can we get real here?
Sunny Florida. Where it is hot most of the year. No surprise there. Yet this man speaks of the burden of walking to synagogue in the heat. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. But please do not act surprised at the heat. If you cannot stand it -well, get out of the kitchen of south Florida. Try Saskatchewan or Bismarck or the upper reaches of Maine. Not hot there.
- The dangerous Haverhill crossing? Yes, there is danger crossing a street, especially a busy one. However, one can get struck by a car crossing small streets or even standing on the side. Even here in the Village.
- The timing? Already long since taken care of by my husband who worked his usual gentle ways with others, getting revised and extended timing to cross. The person in charge even emails him to ask about timing of additional always changing days of worship so as to accommodate synagogue goers crossing Haverhill.
- Again, if one knew there were no synagogues within the Village and determined that was inimical to this 'dream' then why buy here?
- Ditto for the pools. If one knew there were no separate swimming pools, nor hours, and none to become available, then why buy here only to cause aggravation and anti-Semitism within the Village?
- Uh,70 pools in the Village? Uh, where are they? I truly would like to know.
No using of the pools as mikvehs? There it is, deep in the recesses of time, yup, becoming ever clearer, ever more distinct, the actual pictures of men using OUR pools as mikvehs, climbing naked into them. Yuck! Some dream they have; some dream we had.
By the by, the rule is upon the men to avoid swimming with women, not women with men. Oops!
The 'library', or as is known truly - a bet midrash - will raise the vehicular traffic ALL day long, will result in 'visitors' from outside being invited in and there is no stopping that, and the rise in dangerous amounts of people living within apartments, even the growth of illegal ongoing rental of apartments as hotel rooms.
- Oh, they are consulting experts in all areas and will abide by the rules? Since when? Since there was an attempt to build and hide a mikveh in a unit? Since apartments were renovated without benefit of proper contractors and County approval? Or by their track record of disobeying rules and regulations as they steamrolled their way through, over, under, all?
- The reference to worldwide network of buildings, exactly what worries us.
Oh, not to forget the demanding immediacy of having, wait for it, the ultimate in dream fulfillment, the one we are awaiting with bated breath - a podiatrist in the building so we will all be able to get our toenails trimmed. Whew! I was concerned about the absence of that possibility. Well, hate to burst the bubble, but there are already myriad numbers of nearby podiatrists, good ones, to trim the toenails of Villagers! Puh-lease!!!
The physical presence of the lot, well, a two-story addition -beside or atop - not clear - but certainly a change in the skyline of the Village and inviting more traffic to use that additional space.
Behind the building? There is no behind any building, invisible, within the village. The open sweeps of it, its layout, has every side of every building in sightlines. There will be a massive change here, and not a pretty one. Certainly, ugly tall fences where there were none before is not a dream factor, but rather one of nightmarish quality.
Pools near the shoreline? Asking for trouble, particularly when overseen by overseers more honored in the breach, in the absence, than in the presence, abiding by the rules. Sorry, but the track record is there. Here in the Village an in other well-known areas of the country.
- The threat this unprecedented building of a huge synagogue within the heart of the Village presents is huge. Why not a church for every sect of Christianity. Not to forget Hindu, Buddhism, Bahai, Shia, Sunni, Humanists, atheists, freethinkers, every sect of Judaism, and of course Wicca. Each one restricting attendance or rights of usage and pathways - only for them and not for others. Such a great Village that would be!!
Seriously, how dumb are we supposed to be.
My dream. A dream of living in a heterogeneous development where I am able to meet people of different walks of life, form friendships, learn different things, develop new interests, walk freely throughout the village without being overwhelmed by the dream of others.
Like it or not, the building of this synagogue will mean a cataclysmic change for the Village. It will draw huge numbers of new Chassidic purchasers, investment purchasers, will overwhelm and outbid all, and like it or not, realize it or not, the Village will change. There will be an uneasiness when one wishes to walk clad in 'immodest' clothing. There will be an intimidation, already is by cavalcades of tricycles endangering pedestrians as rules of safety are ignored. No beep beep. No toot toot. No horn. No whistle. No warning voice.
Not my dream. I refuse to allow my dream to fall prey to the dreams of others. That is not the right way for dreams to be fulfilled.
Most certainly not. And think of the additional side effects.
Shows will certainly be decreasing, attendance not enough to carry the cost. How about new shows- lectures by Chassidic rabbinical figures or separate seating concerts by Chassidic performers? Or, how about if this group buys the Clubhouse, buys all WPRF facilities? Part and parcel of very real probabilities within the near future. Your dream? Forget it. Dead on the wayside. If we do not have a clear presentation, a convincing presence, before the Zoning Commission, we are doomed. This group seeking to destroy our dream must not prevail.
Hoping. Praying. Worried. Very much so. And why the hell do we need a restricted facility on our grounds, in the heart of the Village. I do not care who owns the physical site. The whole thing is wrong. So conducive to nasty things. It must be defeated.
A postscript. This has nothing to do with anti semitism in opposing this proposal, at least not in the beginning. I am an Orthodox Jewish woman and along with many Orthodox people, want no part of this at all in my dream, in my Village. There are other areas in nearby south Florida that allow for the fulfillment of their dream without destroying mine. However, if this persists, the ugly, destructive and poisonous head and fangs of anti Semitism will grow apace.
This must be avoided. It must.
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