ARIEL Center Holds First Community Event at New Synagogue

0
Over 250 community members attended the ARIEL Center’s Lag B’Omer BBQ. (Courtesy of the ARIEL Center)

It’s been nine years since the ARIEL Jewish Center first submitted an application to Baltimore County to get permission to build a new synagogue in the Stevenson Road neighborhood in Pikesville. The Chabad synagogue and community center, which primarily serves the Russian-speaking community, faced challenges from neighbors over the synagogue’s construction. In 2017, the ARIEL Center filed a lawsuit under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, also known as RLUIPA. The lawsuit was settled last year, allowing plans for the synagogue to move forward.

On May 9, the ARIEL Center held its first-ever public event at its new location — a Lag B’Omer party and BBQ. There, the community showed their support for ARIEL Center and celebrated the victory they had achieved. It was an event attended by congregants and non-congregants alike, with over 250 people present.

Attendees enjoyed a variety of activities, including face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, live music and a bonfire celebration, which is a Lag B’Omer tradition.

The positive reception was very rewarding to Rabbi Velvel Belinsky, ARIEL Center’s rabbi. He fought for the center’s right to build a synagogue every step of the way. The facility has not opened yet, but will also serve as a family home for Belinsky, his wife and their children.

“It was the first event we did in this community, and the support we received was overwhelming,” Belinsky said of the Lag B’Omer BBQ. “As we know from our history, we have some neighbors who did not want us here and said some unpleasant things about us. But as we saw from this event, they are a very small minority. The majority of the community came out and had a great time.”

There was a great deal of pushback from the Stevenson Road neighborhood when the synagogue’s construction was first announced. Neighbors printed lawn signs, made T-shirts printed with “Friends of Stevenson Road, Protecting Our Neighborhood,” and recruited politicians to oppose the ARIEL Center.

Despite the backlash, Belinsky said ARIEL Center also received considerable support during their lawsuit from both the Jewish and non-Jewish community. County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. helped settle the suit, and Belinsky credits him for his involvement in the case, as well as the many Pikesville citizens who rallied around the Chabad synagogue.

“While the loud voices were screaming about how they didn’t want us, we had many, many people quietly reaching out to us and showing their support,” Belinsky said.

Belinsky recalled one moment during the proceedings that was especially poignant for him.

“I remember that right after the first hearing, I received a check from someone I didn’t know and had never met,” Belinsky said. “It was a donation from a person who said they were sorry about everything that was happening and wanted to support our cause.”

In January 2017, the Baltimore County Board of Appeals denied the ARIEL Center’s application, citing a lack of compliance with zoning regulations. In April of that year, an attorney for the synagogue filed a lawsuit against Baltimore County and the Baltimore County Board of Appeals charging that the county and appeals board violated ARIEL’s civil rights through “burdensome, discriminatory and unreasonable land use regulations and intentional conduct that have prohibited and continue to prohibit the Plaintiffs from using” the property. The RLUIPA lawsuit was finally settled in June 2022, with ARIEL Center being compensated for their time and losses.

The Lag B’Omer BBQ, as its first public event on the new campus, was a victory lap of sorts, a celebration of the challenges ARIEL Center has overcome and what awaits it in the future.

“We’re welcoming everyone living in this area,” Belinsky said. “We are happy to see everyone regardless of their affiliation or prior Jewish involvement. We are a Chabad house, and Chabad houses are known for welcoming everybody. I’m sure we’re going to be making many new friends.”

Never miss a story.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Email Address

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here