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On Monday, Werzberger said he sees no other option.

“Whenever they start oppressing the Jews, they go after the synagogues,” he said. He fears that if the prohibition of synagogues is not overturned, “they will be emboldened” and pursue other measures aimed at driving out Hasidim.

Grey said municipalities are allowed to use zoning to dictate where places of worship can be located. But they must provide religious groups with “reasonable alternatives.” So far, the only site Outremont has offered is against railway tracks in the borough’s northeast corner.

“The location chosen would be difficult to access and would require a 20- to 30-minute walk for the majority of the faithful,” Grey wrote to Cinq-Mars last December. “As you are aware, observant Jews cannot use their cars on Saturday.”

The history of tension between Outremont’s Jewish and non-Jewish communities dates back more than 20 years; and several disputes have ended up in court.

In 2001, the Hasidim won a court case against Outremont, which had banned them from erecting an eruv, a symbolic string boundary that allows orthodox Jews to perform tasks that would otherwise be off limits on the Sabbath. In 2013, a court ruled for a synagogue that Outremont was trying to shut down over a zoning violation. Hasidim have also invoked constitutional arguments to contest tickets handed out to mini-buses used to transport children on the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Mindy Pollak, an Outremont councillor who is also Hassidic, expressed her disappointment on Facebook that “Outremont is now the only place in Canada where places of worship are banned.” The bylaw infringes religious freedoms and will end up costing taxpayers in court, she predicted.

Grey said he has encountered similar opposition from municipalities trying to prevent mosques from opening.

“There is a tension with new religions and Quebec,” he said.

“I certainly don’t accuse people of generalized discrimination. But I do say the atmosphere with regard to Hassidim in Outremont has not been good for a good 20 years … I think people should get together and get to know their neighbours on both sides. There should be a rapprochement.”

• Email: ghamilton@nationalpost.com | Twitter: grayhamilton