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Southampton Council members have been blasted for “caving to the threats and blackmail” of the East End Eruv Assn. and doing it in a secretive, underhanded way
Jewish People for the Betterment of Westhampton Beach, a group of more than 400 residents, said in a letter published in the Southampton Press today that its “friends, supporters and neighbors are shocked and disappointed in the hasty and secretive actions of Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst and the Town Council during the final minutes of their meeting last week.
“Without warning and without inclusion on the agenda, Ms. Throne-Holst and Council members announced they would not continue to fight the erection of an eruv in the Town of Southampton.”
Arnold Sheiffer, chair of JPBHB, said SH officials have “caved to the threats and blackmail of the EEEA. These officials have ceased to fight for the First Amendment rights of their citizens. They will be supporting the erection of religious symbols on public property.”
 Arnold Sheiffer, chairman of Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB, addresses trustees Rob Rubio and Charles Palmer and Mayor Marie Moore of the Westhampton Beach Board Aug. 6.Photo: Debora Giammarco |
“No public property is meant to host symbols proclaiming any religion or religious community,” he further wrote.
Eruvim, he noted, are publicly displayed on websites of Synagogues and are “emblazoned in the minds and hearts of any viewer.” The SH Press and numerous court decisions have claimed that eruv markers put on utility poles are “invisible” or “nearly invisible” and that casual passers-by do not know what they mean even if they could see them.
A June 30 court Suffolk Court decision said drivers and passengers in cars had little chance of seeing markers on utility poles.
Comment Sought from SH Officials
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Comment is being sought from SH officials including Throne-Holst and Frank Zappone, deputy supervisor. Council person Stan Glinka, chair of the Foundation of the Rogers Memorial Library, is also being sought for comment.
Sheiffer ended his letter with the statement: “Let us not forget this injustice that has been put upon us by our elected officials. FOR SHAME!”
Throne-Holst is running for the House of Representatives in the 2016 election, hoping to unseat Rep. Lee Zeldin, the only Jewish Republican in the House, who won election in 2014.
Zeldin has criticized the proposed U.S. pact with Iran that would limit its power to create atomic weapons. He called the pact “a bad deal” in a July 14 press release.
Zappone, a member of the Southampton Town Democratic Committee and a resident of Southampton more than 50 years, is a retired school administrator. He did undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate work at Manhattan College, Iona College and Fordham University, respectively.
He has also been a consultant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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