Chabad won a lawsuit against the richest village in New York state, which banned the construction of a synagogue

Old Westbury, located on Long Island, 40 minutes from Manhattan, is one of the most affluent communities in the United States.

Among the inhabitants of the village are the Vanderbilt, Du Pont and Whitney families, the family of former US Presidents Bush, Victoria Gotti, daughter of the head of the mafia clan John Gotti, Howard Stern, writers Nicole Krauss and Jonathan Safran Foer, Stephen Schonfeld, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. The village’s estates served as the backdrop for Hitchcock’s “Conspiracy”, “Cruel Intentions”, and “The Great Gatsby”.

In 1999, a new synagogue was to open on the site owned by Chabad rabbi Aharon Konikov. However, a week before the opening, the local council intervened and declared religious activities at the site a violation of municipal regulations. In 2001, the council adopted a law on houses of worship, the conditions of which make construction unrealistic.

One of the key requirements of the law required the construction of a synagogue on a site of at least 5 hectares, predominantly “in a natural, undeveloped state” and required a 60-meter setback from the street. At the same time, the council repeatedly rejected construction applications, citing problems with traffic, parking, noise and building density.

In December 2008, Rabbi Konikov and the Jewish community filed a lawsuit in federal court. In October 2025, federal Judge Gary Brown ruled that the 2001 rule unconstitutionally discriminated against religious freedom. The judge pointed out that the village’s zoning codes were much more lenient on horse stables and golf courses than on religious sites. The judge rejected the council’s arguments about traffic and noise as “out of touch with reality” and called for a settlement between the parties.