The Village of Saddle Rock approved a special use permit for the Saddle Rock Minyan to operate a synagogue at 115 Greenleaf Hill during its Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Plans to rebuild the Saddle Rock Minyan, which burned down in a fire on the night of Yom Kippur in 2024, have drawn strong pushback from a section of the community.
The synagogue still needs building permits to construct a new building, but approval of a special use permit marks a win for the congregation.
“I was happy that the village approved our special use permit,” said Saddle Rock Minyan Rabbi Ben Kaniel. “And at the same time, I’m still hopeful that members of the group that oppose it will hopefully change their mind about it.”
Efforts to reach Village of Saddle Rock officials, including Mayor Dan Levy, were unavailing.
Saddle Rock is a residential village, but its code allows buildings to be used as religious sites with a special use permit.
The congregation had been operating a synagogue out of the home since 2018 but had never applied for a special use permit.
“They never got the permits,” said Steven Schlesinger, an attorney representing Saddle Rock Minyan. “But the village always knew it was there and chose not to make them go through the mechanism of getting the actual permit.”
“It was obvious it was there,” he said. “Everyone knew it was there.”
“We weren’t aware of the need for [a permit],” said Kaniel. “We approached the village about what needs to happen in order for it to work out, and we were given certain guidelines, and that’s it.”
“At the same time, there’s a reason why it was approved—because it’s legal,” Kaniel said.
Saddle Rock resident Ronen Ben-Josef and others sued Saddle Rock Minyan to prevent the rebuilding, and Schlesinger said this “loud minority trying to stop it” resulted in 16 months of delays for the project.
The synagogue then sent a letter “stating that these delays constitute violations of the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and the federal and New York State constitutions.”
Saddle Rock Minyan was also represented, on a pro bono basis, by Adeel A. Mangi, Muhammad U. Faridi, Aviva Kushner, Peter Vogel, Matthew Cofer, and Alex Prior of Linklaters LLP.
“This approval is a turning point for the Saddle Rock community,” said Saddle Rock Minyan member Joseph Yaakovzadeh.
“For more than a year after the fire, congregants—including many elderly and disabled members—have been forced to pray in private basements and improvised spaces, or to forego attending Sabbath and holiday services altogether. We look forward to rebuilding a safe and dignified house of worship.”
