Rabbi sues to force Ramapo to remove Israeli flag from Town Hall

RAMAPO − A Hasidic rabbi is suing Ramapo and its supervisor over the continued display of the Israeli flag over Town Hall.

Leibish Iliovitz, described in court papers as an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Satmar rabbi, contends a foreign flag's appearance on a government building violates the state's constitution and his First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Earlier: Israeli flag again stolen from outside Ramapo Town Hall

He also says the flag's presence endangers Jews, feeding antisemitism and intra-community strife in a county and town with a large and diverse Jewish population.

Certain Hasidic Jews, while they may be small in number, are anti-Zionist, finding the existence of a Jewish state in its modern form in conflict with Jewish law. They have opposed the formation of the state of Israel and the use of the Star of David on the flag. Iliovitz, who is part of the Satmar Hasidic community, is anti-Zionist.

A summons was filed in state Supreme Court in Rockland on March 18. It names Supervisor Michael Specht and the town of Ramapo. Iliovitz is seeking an injunction against flying the flag, reimbursement of court costs and other unspecified relief.

Specht on Tuesday said he was aware of the lawsuit and town attorneys were reviewing it. He said he had no further comment.

Chabad of Suffern Rabbi Shmuel Gancz said he did not see wide support in town for the lawsuit's position.

"The Town of Ramapo has been so supportive to the Jewish community, they’ve shown moral clarity and their support for Israel during this difficult time," he said. "The majority of the town's constituents are appreciative of the town's support."

Stanley Cohen of Sullivan County, who represents Iliovitz, along with Jonathan Wallace, a Long Island lawyer, said the town's actions overstepped.

"The town is taking sides in a very explosive issue and that's not what the purpose of government is," Cohen said. "That's not the purpose of the social compact, that's not the purpose of the town of Ramapo."

Citing state, U.S. constitutions

On Feb. 15 and Feb. 26, formal requests were sent to the town requesting the flag be removed, the lawsuit states.

The flag remained this week on the flagpole outside Town Hall on Route 59.

The flag's presence, the summons contends, violates the New York Constitution, including Public Buildings law, which states a flag or emblem of a foreign country can only be flown on a municipal building to honor a foreign "public guest" and only after a proclamation.

Ramapo officials prominently displayed the blue-and-white flag with a Star of David on Oct. 12, 2023, to show solidarity with Israel following the terrorist group Hamas's Oct. 7 invasion and killing of Israelis. Protests and political tension continue to swirl worldwide and in the Hudson Valley as the Palestinian death toll climbs and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues amid Israel's military action and Hamas' continued imprisonment of Israeli hostages.

Cohen said Ramapo's proclamation to fly the Israeli flag in honor of local citizens of Israel came months after the flag appeared at Town Hall.

The lawsuit also contends the flying of the Israeli flag violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

"You are cherrypicking who you are going to support and why," Cohen said during an interview Tuesday with lohud.com. "The purpose of the government is not to take sides when there are disputes within the community, whether that other side is Hasidic, evangelical. Government is not to tout one position at the expense of the other."

Other towns in the region, including Clarkstown, Lewisboro and New Castle, had flown the Israeli flag after the Oct. 7 attack.

New Castle Town Supervisor Victoria Tipp said that the board would remove the Israeli flag at the 180-day mark after the Oct. 7 attacks. She acknowledged in a community newsletter that there had been complaints and that the Israeli flag-raising was done "without due deliberation and vote of the Town Board."

"It is important to maintain our focus on supporting those affected by the atrocities while avoiding the polarization of our community," Tipp said. "It is equally important to support those affected by the loss of innocent Palestinian lives resulting from the ensuing war. There are many ways in which to support members of our community other than flag-raising."

Zionism and antisemitism

Rockland County is home to a large and diverse mix of Orthodox, Hasidic, Conservative, and reform Jews. Many Haredi, or observant, Jews live in Ramapo, which includes the Hasidic villages of Kaser and New Square and the largely Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish hamlet of Monsey.

As has occurred worldwide, Ramapo and Rockland have hosted myriad events demanding a release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and marches and demonstrations demanding a cease-fire amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The war has fueled an increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia worldwide. That includes New York and Rockland County. In Rockland and beyond, visible Jews have been stigmatized and targeted, the lawsuit states.

Intra-tension among the wider Jewish community already exists in Rockland, according to Iliovitz' suit, citing community tension among Haredi and non-Orthodox Jews over issues from land use to school funding in the East Ramapo district.

The flying of the Israel flag on town property, which has been stolen at least twice, exacerbates a tense situation, the lawsuit states.

Iliovitz and his community are further stigmatized among Haredi Jews who may support a Jewish state, the lawsuit contends.

"This opposition is particularly painful now because of Israel’s current war and the tactics used by it in Gaza and upon its millions of Palestinians," the summons states. The suit states that certain Hasidic Jews either will not enter the building because of the flag, or do so only with "great trepidation."

Cohen said the legal team and the plaintiff aren't concerned with monetary awards if they prevail.

"It's a very narrow request," Cohen said. "Take the flag down."

Staff writer Asher Stockler contributed to this report.

Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her at @nancyrockland on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Threads.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ramapo NY sued by rabbi over Israeli flag displayed at Town Hall