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The chief executive of an Orthodox Jewish housing association has said she "never gave a moment's thought" to the possibility of losing a discrimation case launched against it.

Agudas Israel Housing Association, who are based in Stamford Hill, were accused of breaking equality laws after listing a property which was specifically for members of their religious community.

A family who wanted to bid on new flats, which were purpose-built for the Orthodox population, were told they were unable to because consideration was only given to Orthodox Jews.

They took the housing association to court on the grounds that housing should be provided on the basis of need, not religion. The family's lawyer said they plan to appeal the decision.

They argued that it was "direct discrimination of a very scarce resource, public housing" and that the case "concerned the question of whether or not it is lawful for housing to be allocated on the basis of religion, not need."

The Orthodox community has a particular need for larger properties, as they have more children than average, and need to live close to Kosher shops, synagogues and Jewish school.

Chief executive of the housing association, Ita Symons, said she “never gave a moment’s thought” to the idea of the organisation losing their battle.

Mrs Symons, who founded the charity in 1986, said: “Our lawyers said we had a clear case, because of two things – we are a charity, and the community has such particular needs that it is proportionate that we use the development for our needs.

“Luckily we were successful, because it means that we can continue our work and continue to fulfil our mission statement.

“I never gave a moment’s thought to the idea of us losing, because that would have been awful, it would have been unbearable.

“I don’t understand why they would want to live in this project – there are Hasidic men, with their sidelocks and beards, speaking in a language which they wouldn’t understand. Why would you want to enter such a different culture?

“Nothing like this has happened before, and I’ve been doing this for over 30 years.”

Mrs Symons said the charity has a waiting list of over 1,000 families, and the London housing crisis has made it “far more difficult to find suitable homes."

The charity is now relocating families to Canvey Island, where an Orthodox community was established in 2017, and Manchester.

Ms Tamur, 31, is on AIHA’s waiting list. She currently lives in a small flat with her seven children, aged between seven weeks and 12-years-old.

Their home has two bedrooms, but one of those used to be a large room which has been split in half to create three bedrooms.

She said: “I’ve been on the AIHA waiting list for about 14 months, but have lived in this place for six or seven years. We don’t have enough space, it is very difficult.

“My room is very small and has no storage space at all, we only have one toilet and bathroom between all of us and the kitchen is very small.

“I’m hoping we will find something soon – I’m entitled to a five bedroom property but would take four. I don’t know how long we’ll have to wait.

“I’ve lived in Stamford Hill my whole life, and I did think about moving away, but my kids are so young and they are settled at school here.”

Elliot Lister, solicitor at Asserson who acted for Agudas Israel Housing Association, said: “This is a landmark case in many respects, but for the Orthodox Jewish Community and AIHA in particular, it is profoundly important.

“The court found that what AIHA does and how it allocates properties is a proper response to the needs of the Orthodox Jewish Community.

“This is not about self-ghettoisation and AIHA does not look to exclude others. That suggestion is frankly offensive.

“The court recognised that AIHA was set up for a purpose and accepted that that purpose was to alleviate the special housing needs of the Orthodox Jewish Community which are compounded by overt and increasing anti-Semitism.”

Solicitor Rebekah Carrier, from Hopkin Murray Beskine, represented the family who launched the challenge in court.

She said: “This case arose when we saw advertisements for a newly built block of flats on the website Hackney Council use to decide who gets social housing which said: ‘consideration to the Orthodox Jewish Community only.’

“This was very shocking because it meant that my clients, whose need for safe and appropriate housing was so overwhelming that Hackney Council had given them the highest possible priority for a new home, would be overlooked for this property and others like them in favour of Orthodox Jewish applicants.

“This is direct discrimination in the allocation of a very scarce resource, public housing. There can be no doubt at all that there are high levels of poverty, overcrowding and housing need in the Orthodox Jewish community, in the same way that other communities across Hackney are desperately in need of affordable safe housing.

“The law requires Hackney to have a set of rules which decide who gets social housing. Hackney has carefully crafted scheme for deciding who gets housing, and it is based on an assessment of need.

"This case concerned the question of whether or not it is lawful for housing to be allocated on the basis of religion, not need."

“The Claimants are very disappointed by the judgment, and we think the Court made a number of errors in the way it approached the case. We intend to appeal against this judgment.

“At the heart of my client’s case is the belief that housing should be allocated to those who need it most, and not on the basis of religion or race.”