Deminski on Jews’ gender-segregated pool: They deserve to get sued

Marie Curto and Steve Lusardi live at A Country Place, a condo complex in Lakewood. They pay more $200 per month in maintenance fees, part of which is for the swimming pool.

Earlier this summer the condo association fined them $50 for a violation. What did they do wrong? They swam together in the pool at the same time. A man and a woman. In a pool.

You see the majority of the residents at A Country Place is now Orthodox Jewish. So they decided to cater to their religious beliefs that men and women should never be in a pool together. And they insisted that even the non-Orthodox Jews living their abide by their beliefs.

The association made a rule that instituted single-sex swimming. Women-only certain hours, men-only other hours. The only time men and women could be in the pool together, the pool that they pay for mind you, is two hours a day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Friday. They'll allow open swimming all day Saturday only because Orthodox Jews aren't allowed to swim on Saturday anyway. So if you want to be a sinner and have a man and a woman swim together that day, then so be it I suppose.

Now there is a lawsuit over this, the Asbury Park Press reports — as well there should be. A lawyer for the non-Orthodox Jewish couple says the pool policy is "the institution of religious law by a secular governing body of a secular entity in a secular community." I hope they win their case.

If you think the couple is being unreasonable, consider other scenarios where you've lived somewhere for a long time and a majority religion moves in. Should a woman be fined for wearing a regular bikini at the pool when a majority of Muslims moved in and demanded only burkinis be allowed in the pool? You are telling people who have paid for a pool to be adherent to your religious beliefs, not their own. It's absurd.

— Jeff Deminski

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