The long-awaited trial of Congregation Shaarey Tefiloh of Perth Amboy will be taking place tomorrow morning, at the Middlesex County Court. The saga of Sharei Tefilah, the Perth Amboy shul in the dwindling Orthodox community, has been a long and bumpy one from the start, and the case – which involves Board members who have forsaken the mandates of Halacha and wish to convert it into a non-Jewish institution – will finally be brought to trial.

According to attorney Larry Loigman, who is working this case pro-bono, any outcome in the trial could potentially put the Shul in a better position.

Loigman had fild a motion asking the judge to reverse his ruling on three major points. One was the judge’s decision to discharge the notice of Lis Pendens that had been filed. This basically secures a plaintiff’s claim on the property so that the sale, mortgage, or encumbrance of the property will not diminish plaintiff’s rights to the property, should the plaintiff prevail in its case. The judge had also removed a document stating the decision of Bais Din, which forbid selling the property to this purchaser, from the public record. Loigman asked that for that letter to be returned for consideration. He also made a motion to allow the defendants to file a counter claim.
 
At this point however, Loigman admits there is really nothing that legally stops the board members who want to sell, from doing so.

“My concern” he explains, “is that if they wanted to, they could sell the property, so I want to have  a trial and hopefully come out with a favorable decision.” If not, Loigman says they are prepared to appeal. Appealing could actually have safer conditions for the Shul, Loigman explains.

Askonim from Lakewood involved in the case say that attending the trial will be a tremendous Chizuk not only to the Shul’s supporters but for the legal team as well. 

The court is located at 56 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903. The trial will begin at 9AM. Lakewood Shopper/TLS