MAHWAH — The Township Council voted unanimously Thursday night to hire two law firms to defend against litigation from a New York Jewish group that built a controversial religious boundary in town.

The firms will fight a federal lawsuit filed by the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association after the township threatened to issue court summonses if the religious boundary, known as an eruv. was not removed. The suit called the summonses, which have not been issued, an anti-Semitic violation of constitutional and civil rights.

Local officials, however, say the eruv — designated by white PVC pipes along local utility poles — was built without the council’s consent and are in violation of local zoning law that prohibits signs on such poles.

The township is prepared to defend that position in court, council President Robert Hermansen said in an interview before the meeting.

“This shows that Mahwah is taking this lawsuit very seriously,” Hermansen said of the council’s vote.

Holwell, Shuster and Goldberg, based in Manhattan, will serve as the lead litigator, with assistance from Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri and Jacobs of Oakland, said Councilman Jonathan Wong.

The firms were hired to “efficiently and zealously” represent the township, Wong said, to applause from about 200 residents Thursday night.

The township will pay each firm up to $50,000 for legal services under the agreements approved Thursday. The long-term legal costs, however, could reach $250,000 if the case is litigated fully, Township Attorney Brian Chewcaskie said.

Both firms suggested the township withhold issuing court summonses in light of the litigation, Chewcaskie said.

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RABBI: No summonses received in eruv dispute

The contested eruv, made up of some 120 pipes, or “lechis,” in Mahwah, allows Orthodox Jews to push and carry objects outside their homes on the Sabbath and Yom Kippur.

The New York Orthodox Jewish group in June extended a 26-mile eruv into Bergen County — through Mahwah and Upper Saddle River — to accommodate families who live in New York near the New Jersey state line.

Hundreds of residents in both communities have demanded the eruv’s removal, with some voicing concern that New York State’s large Orthodox Jewish population would potentially move across the New York border into Bergen County.

No-knock registry, parks ban

The council also tabled two ordinances Thursday night related to this feared Orthodox move into northwest Bergen County.

One would create a "no-knock" registry meant toprevent people from making unsolicited offers to buy homes, which has been rumored but not substantiated in Mahwah. The other ordinance would aim to address the number of out-of-town residents who use local parks.

Residents of late have complained of overcrowding at local parks by out-of-state residents,particularly Orthodox Jews.

An incident arose earlier this week in which an Orthodox Jewish resident from New York used a picnic table at Winter's Park to barbecue, causing fire damage, local officials confirmed.

Residents directed their frustrations at the council Thursday night, shouting for those responsible for the damage to be held accountable.

Kate Nunez, a volunteer with the Mahwah Parks Committee, spoke in support of the proposed ordinances, saying they would not discriminate by race, religion or gender.

“We are asking that all people who frequent the parks in Mahwah Township, including Mahwah residents, uphold any ordinance that would be put in place for the safety and well-being of all park attendees,” Nunez said Thursday night.

The township passed an ordinance in late June that banned non-state residents from township parks. Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal, however, ordered the Mahwah Police Department not to enforce the ordinance, calling the regulation a possible violation of constitutional rights.

Hermansen said the township is still coordinating with local police to iron out “a few minor kinks” in the ordinance language. Both should be ready for introduction on Sept. 14, he said.

Hermansen said the revised ordinance will be modeled after those used by surrounding towns. Upper Saddle River, for example, allows parking at its local parks by permit only.

Email: nobile@northjersey.com