Jackson Board rejects plan to build Jewish high school

Jackson Township's zoning board has voted unanimously to reject a plan to build a 400-student all-girls orthodox Jewish high school as neigbors cheered the decision.

Artists rendition of Oros Bais Yaakov, the proposed all-girls Jewish high school in Jackson (TheLakewoodScoop.com)

The board on Wednesday night questioned the size of the land, the impact on traffic and the adequacy of the septic system for the school that would have been built on Cross Street according to the Asbury Park Press.

"This is a monstrosity of a building that would be placed in their backyards. It does not belong there," said board member Carl Book Jr according to the newspaper.

The school would not be connected to the township water supply which was a big concern of neighbors. "I'm very, very happy," Barbara Orsini, of Jackson told News 12 New Jersey "The zoning board saw the law and they gave their decision based strictly on zoning laws."

Rabbi Ephraim Birnbaum needed a variance to build the Oros Bais Yaakov school in a residential neighborhood on a 7.5 acre lot after it had outgrown its rented space in Lakewood.

Birnbaum's lawyer, Raymond Shea, was upset at the vote and called the neighborhood residents who testified against the school anti-Semetic. Shea contends that any school, public or private, is always a good use of land. He also said the denial of a permit violates the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act,

Shea has not decided whether to appeal.