Purported Synagogue Sues Over Zoning Exemption For Hostels

The Forward this week reported on attempts by New York City's Department of Buildings to close down a network of hostels that offer low-priced rooms along with a "tolerance program" for guests. The hostels claim to be operated by the MacDougal Street Synagogue, and therefore to be exempt from various zoning laws under a provision in the New York City administrative code permitting charitable and religious institutions to convert homes into rooming houses "for working girls or women, or for working boys or men, or… for students attending a school or college." The city says that claim is a sham. It argues that the MacDougal Street Synagogue does not appear to exist at any location, and that the hostel rooms are being rented to tourists through the Internet.  The synagogue has filed a lawsuit challenging citations by city inspectors who closed down the hostels that they say are illegal transient hotels.  Inspectors found overcrowding and fire safety violations.