A dispute over the conversion of a single-family home in Springfield Yeshiva to a dormitorie is on its way to court. With the case now before Superior Court Judge John Malone in Elizabeth, attorneys for the township and Yeshiva Tiferes Boruch are scheduled meet early next month in an attempt to resolve the ongoing dispute.

The Bais Medrash, which attracts Bochrim from across the country, was looking to open a Mesivta and the South Springfield Avenue house was seen as a perfect way to provide for the younger Bochrim now attending.

Last November, local fire officials charged the yeshiva was violating local fire codes and sought to reduce the number of teens living there.

“We asked Judge Malone to issue an order that they had to reduce the number of occupants on an emergent basis,” said township attorney Bruce Bergen.

While the town was seeking to force the yeshiva to immediately reduce the number of students to five, Malone rejected the request. However, the school did agree to install a hardwired smoke alarm system that would automatically transmit an alarm to the fire department.

Yeshiva attorney Bruce Pitman said the school is also concerned with the students’ safety and applied for a permit to install a sprinkler system. However, the township has declined to issue the permit, he said.

“Whatever fire improvements they wanted, we would do, including a sprinkler system. But the town would not issue a permit so my clients were caught in a Catch 22 situation,” Pitman said.

In addition to fire code issues, the court is being asked to review whether the yeshiva is a permitted use of the home, which is across the street from a gas station, professional office building and an apartment complex.

Pitman maintains that under New Jersey law, the students and the rabbis function as a family and must be seen that way, he said, noting that state laws were struck down years ago that required co-inhabitants to be related.

(Source: Star Ledger)