The Orlando Torah Center (OTC), an Orthodox shul in Orlando’s Sand Lake Hills neighborhood, has filed a federal lawsuit against Orange County and its Board of County Commissioners after they unfairly denied the shul’s application to expand.
OTC seeks to expand its facility to accommodate increased attendance, children’s programs, and enhanced safety measures—especially important given the rise in antisemitic attacks targeting Jewish institutions across the country. According to the lawsuit, OTC members face severe hardship due to lack of space, including families having to participate in religious activities outdoors in the Florida heat, children being unable to attend Yom Tov programs, and mispalelim being exposed to safety risks due to the inability to secure the building.
The Orlando Torah Center’s lawsuit seeks to defend its rights under the First Amendment, the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), and Florida’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
“Religious freedom is not optional; it is a constitutional guarantee,” said counsel Roman Storzer of Storzer and Associates, a leader in First Amendment and RLUIPA law. “OTC has every legal and moral right to exist, expand, and serve its community without undue burden or discrimination.”
The Orlando Torah Center, located along South Apopka Vineland Road in an area locally known as ‘Church Row’ for its concentration of more than a dozen churches, has served a walkable congregation since 2015. While numerous churches, a public school, and a daycare center have all received similar zoning approvals in similar zoning districts, OTC’s request to expand for its religious use faced intense public opposition, including antisemitic remarks during public hearings, and was ultimately denied by the Board of County Commissioners on July 1.
“Individuals of all faiths have a right to worship without outside interference,” said Mr. Storzer. “OTC members have been part of their neighborhood for more than a decade. They have operated peacefully and built lasting relationships with families of all faiths. Disappointedly, they were denied the same rights routinely granted to others.”
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Case No. 6:25-cv-014.
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One can think, chassidim, huge sukkas, dbl parking etc…if only we would be more sensitive to our non jewish or non frum neighbors…than they would work with us
And than u see this story time and again..where the yidden bend over backwards not to do this and that ….it doesn’t help…again we are am hanivchar and still need to b mentchlich..but the 2nd point is they will fight us no matter what