New York Attorney General Letitia James is backing federal intervention in a case she says exposes “profoundly disturbing” discrimination against Orthodox Jews in the Town of Forestburgh, NY — a small Hudson Valley municipality now at the center of an explosive civil rights battle.

In a letter sent Monday to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Attorney General James threw her support behind federal involvement in Lost Lake Holdings, LLC v. Town of Forestburgh, a lawsuit alleging that town officials deliberately weaponized zoning laws and administrative red tape to block a major housing development intended for Chasidic Jewish families.

“The assertion that the Town of Forestburgh denied land use applications based on the religious identity of the developers and the potential use of the property by Orthodox Jewish residents is profoundly disturbing,” James wrote, urging prosecutors to enforce the Fair Housing Act and other federal anti-discrimination statutes.

The letter follows a March filing by the U.S. Department of Justice, which issued a scathing Statement of Interest in support of the developers, arguing that the town’s actions amount to systemic religious discrimination. DOJ attorneys allege that Forestburgh officials—motivated by anti-Semitic bias—reopened a 14-year-old environmental review, imposed inflated tax assessments, and repeatedly denied building permits in a coordinated effort to sabotage a 2,627-home project by Lost Lake Holdings.

Internal emails cited by the DOJ reveal the chilling extent of the town’s animus. In one, a planning board chair urged colleagues, “Don’t be scared about the Hasidic threat—we’re energized and have the cash to fight and make their lives miserable.” Another widely circulated email called Orthodox Jews a “sect notorious for misogyny and child abuse,” warning of their community’s alleged “destruction” of Forestburgh.

Attorney General James has previously demanded that Forestburgh revise Local Law 3, which imposes what her office described as discriminatory zoning restrictions specifically targeting houses of worship and Orthodox Jewish residents.

Agudath Israel of America has also been active in challenging the town’s conduct. Representatives including Rabbis Avi Schnall, Yeruchim Silber, and Shragi Greenbaum, along with klal askan Chaskel Bennett and the Sullivan County JCC, have all spoken out before the town board — only to be ignored.

The lawsuit alleges millions in lost revenue and reputational damage for Lost Lake Holdings, while raising urgent concerns about the weaponization of local government against minority faith groups.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)