Sherman Oaks Neighbors Say Expansion Of Synagogue Is Too Big
SHERMAN OAKS (CBS) — Neighbors say the expansion of a synagogue in the well-heeled Chandler Estates community of Sherman Oaks is too big, but the officials of Chabad of North Hollywood say their protests are just anti-Semitism.
A lawsuit has halted the expansion of Chabad of North Hollywood, which is expanding its house of worship by squeezing a 12,000-square-foot structure onto a 9,568-square-foot parcel zoned for residential, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The synagogue, which has been operating in the location since 1981, is half constructed, leaving two-story-high walls to mar neighbors' views as litigation continues.
An appellate court last year agreed with opponents of the synagogue's expansion, ruling that the Los Angeles City Council "abused its discretion" when it approved the structure.
The project will be considered by a land-use subcommittee before returning to the full council for approval later this month, the Times reported.
Rabbi Chaim Rubin, the leader of another synagogue that also went through a legal battle with neighbors to expand in the Hancock Park area, told the Times he believes anti-Semitism is behind the complaints.
But neighbors in the Chandler neighborhood say the size of the proposed structure is too big, and that's the only reason for their protests.
