Yet, he did not fear isolation from the amenities of Jewish life, as his daughter’s home, on a block with many other Orthodox families, complete with a regular minyan, was located just a few moments away, on the other side of a gate in back of Rabbi Lefkowitz’s house. His purchase made Rabbi Lefkowitz the community’s first and - to this day - only Orthodox homeowner. He found a house for sale in the Westlake Golf and Country Club, a gated community for people 55 and over. “It’s all caught up with the anti-Orthodox tensions here the bottom line is that they don’t want Jews moving and they think this is a way to accomplish that.”Īfter leaving a 30-year career in the rabbinate, Rabbi Lefkowitz sought out a location near his daughter and her family, who had bought a house in Jackson Township, near the border with neighboring Lakewood. “I tried over and over again, but they were absolutely not willing to accommodate me in any way,” he told Hamodia. A retired pulpit rabbi who uses a wheelchair is suing the senior community in Jackson in which he lives, saying that its failure to accommodate his handicap has prevented him from accessing a Shabbos minyan and from building a sukkah that meets his needs.Īfter two years of failed attempts at dialogue and compromise, Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz said that he was left with no choice but to pursue legal action.

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