In emotive emails seen by the JC, members for and against the Belz deal have accused each other of “distortion”, “inflammatory language” and “bullying”.
One supporter of the board’s plan wrote: “We have regular minyans now that we didn’t have before thanks to the Chasidim. We have another kosher shop at the top of Hamlet Court Road selling a huge array of food and goods. Who could complain about having greater choice in the area? Do people fear the unknown?
“Should it make any difference that just as men and women sit apart in our services, so outside the shul and out of respect between sexes Chasidim prefer to sit apart when in a social context outside their homes. It’s different. But a difference that shakes our community to its roots? Of course not.”
A respondent argued that “a lease on the TT [Talmud Torah], depending on the length of it, could tie the hands of a future [board] in the event a decision was made to try and relocate the shul and its facilities”.
Mr Silverstone said the petition was effectively “asking the trustees to work counter to the rules of the congregation — and it’s illegal to do that. I told them their proposal was contrary to the rules and that rather than wait for them to go through the whole process of an EGM, I would be happy to go and explain exactly what we were doing.”
