Brooklyn rabbi sentenced to nine years in prison for sexual abuse

Brooklyn rabbi Gershon Kranczer of Midwood was sentenced on Monday to nine years in prison for sexually abusing young relatives for decades, the New York Daily News reported. “For years, I was drowned in your darkness, robbed of my voice and violated in unimaginable ways,” one of his victims said in court. “You became the architect of my nightmares.”

Village of Airmont changes zoning code to allow more space in home-based shuls

The U.S. Attorney’s Office reached a settlement with the Village of Airmont to end a federal lawsuit that alleged discrimination against Orthodox Jews, Lohud reported. The allegations claimed that the village’s zoning codes, which limited how much space was allowed for worship inside homes, among other regulations, were intended to make it difficult for Orthodox Jews to form prayer groups within the village.

Lawsuit challenging new Vizhnitz village alleges unqualified voters and forged signatures

A lawsuit filed in Sullivan County earlier this month is challenging plans for incorporating a Vizhnitz Hasidic village in the area, the Times Herald-Record reported. Two homeowners, both of whom live within the boundaries of the proposed village, argued that the petition submitted by Vizhnitz leaders in June included numerous unqualified signatures.

New book says Donald Trump encouraged Borough Park protests in 2020

A new book by a former secretary to former New York governor Andrew Cuomo alleges that former president Donald Trump stirred unrest in Borough Park in 2020, when members of the Orthodox community there protested against government-imposed pandemic restrictions, the Forward reported. “It was a nakedly political and cynical ploy by the Trump campaign to further damage the governor,” Cuomo’s former secretary, Melissa DeRosa, writes.

Judge Ruchie Freier and daughter launch campaign to support Israeli women

Judge Ruchie Freier, who is Hasidic, was on vacation in Israel when Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, CBS News reported. Now back in New York, she and her daughter, Leah Freier Levine, have launched a letter-writing campaign to support wives of Israeli soldiers. Freier is the first Hasidic Jewish woman to be nominated to the New York State Supreme Court.

Councilmember Kagan supports abortion ban

New York City Councilmember Ari Kagan, who represents some Haredi communities in Brooklyn and is up for reelection this year, supports an abortion ban, the New York Daily News reported. “Abortions should be rare, only in cases of rape, incest or danger for the mother’s life and health,” Kagan wrote in the latest NYC Votes questionaire. Last year, before he switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, Kagan supported legislation requiring the city to provide free medical abortion pills to anyone who requests them.