Howell Council Approves $8.1M Bond For Anti-Semitism Settlement

HOWELL, NJ — The Howel Township council approved an $8,100,000 bond ordinance this week to buy land on Ford Road as part of a settlement with Congregation Kollel.

The land is owned by the Jewish group, which filed an anti-semitism lawsuit against the township.

Five years ago, Howell blocked the project for a new school on that property, prompting accusations of antisemitism on social media and eventually leading to the lawsuit.

The settlement also includes an additional payment of $675,000 for fees and costs. According to the township attorney Joseph Clark, Howell will fund $125,000, with insurance paying the remainder.

All five council members voted to pass the ordinance.

Councilwoman Pamela Richmond said that although she was voting "yes," the acquisition represented a "black mark" on the township.

"While it is good news that we are preserving land under this proposed ordinance how we got here (...) and the extra cost we are incurring were avoidable," she said. "As far back as 2015, various groups strongly opposed a potential development on this plan. For select groups, their protests and opposition took a reckless ugly and irresponsible turn when they began to make veiled indirect and at times very direct antisemitic comments."

Richmond said called their behavior "wrong" and "very disturbing."

"I'm all for free speech. However, there's a huge difference between free speech and hate speech," she said. "Stirring the pot, inflaming religious tensions and pitting people against one another is dangerous and absolutely uncalled for."

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