אלטימאטים פאר קומענדען זוטאג מעכטיגע מארש פראטעסט צו אהרן חרינע'ס הויז

KIRYAS JOEL — The planned Sunday afternoon protest didn't happen. Instead, the latest stage of the battle over utility connections between the village's main congregation and a dissident synagogue looks like it will occur in a more familiar place: a courtroom.

The two sides have warred over this issue for nearly a month, ever since the main congregation shut off utility services to the dissident synagogue, located in an apartment attached to the rear of main congregation's synagogue on Garfield Road. The breakaway shul responded by restoring service using portable septic tanks and running electrical cords from a neighboring property.

The main congregation tried to remove the septic tanks two weeks ago but were stopped by state police.

Dissident leader Joseph Waldman said the group applied last Monday to protest in front of the house of Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the leader of the main congregation. They were told to fill out a permit. Last Thursday, the village's attorney informed the congregation that their permit application was incomplete.

Waldman said that the group will try to arrange a protest for next Sunday. If the application is turned down again, he said it will take the main congregation to federal court.

Meanwhile, Waldman says his congregation has already filed papers in state Supreme Court, asking a judge to order the restoration of utilities to the dissident shul. If that happens before next Sunday, Waldman said, a protest would be moot.

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