Bnei Akiva Buys Foreclosed ‘Running Springs’
After sitting dormant for nearly three years following a foreclosure and a lengthy lawsuit between Chabad of California—the previous owner—and Pacific Mercantile Bank, a 78-acre campground and resort center in Running Springs named ‘Kiryas Schneerson’ was sold Friday for $7.1 million to a different Orthodox Jewish group, Bnei Akiva of Los Angeles.
An international Modern Orthodox youth organization, Bnei Akiva is raising another $2.9 million to refurbish it so that it can be used as a summer camp and a year-round resort for the local Jewish community. Running Springs is in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 90 miles outside Los Angeles.
Beginning in November 2011, when Pacific foreclosed on the property due to Chabad’s defaulting on a $8.25 million loan (the campground was collateral), the two parties have been engaged in 33 months of legal proceedings in San Bernardino and a victory in a state appeals court by Chabad in July 2013 that set back Pacific’s attempts to sell the property. Chabad purchased the property for $4.3 million in 2005 and used it for summer camp and year-round events.
Whether Chabad of California will challenge the sale is unclear—the appeals court established that Pacific improperly foreclosed on the property, even though Chabad’s default is not in question.
One issue that Chabad’s attorney, Michael Simkin, has raised is that the group has a large amount of personal property still at the site—including bunk beds and expensive, kosher kitchen equipment—likely worth as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I hope
I hope Chabad and B’nei Akiva can recognize that they are both wonderful Jewish organizations and work this out pleasantly.
Milhouse
The simplest solution would be for Bnai to buy the equipment in place from Chabad, so both sides can save the expense of moving the existing equipment out and buying new.
its the same
BH that a jewish non profit owns this property and that is going to continue to be a jewish camp!
one non profit ,another non profit, its the same and the same use for the kids
cunin
He was once a great shliach who invested in a real estate bubble and it all came rumbling dowb
Camp equipment
The equipment to should be donated to Gan Yisroel West Overnight Camp in North Fork California.
Sruly Clapman.
My parents were there as faculty for all the years it existed. I’m so happy that at least it’s staying in Jewish hands. Baruch HaShem.
LBJ
“I hope” –you haven’t a clue. Cunin is fishing for a payday. His lawyer invents fantastic fiction.
“Milhouse” — you assume Chabad still owns the furnishings. The court ruled against them. Personal property was included in the sale
“Camp Equipment “– see above. Why should it be donated when it was purchased by Bnai Akiva for local use?
Anybody holding Rabbi Cunin in high esteem is foolish or ignorant. He squandered Jewish money that was used to buy this camp and other properties. His tactic now verges on blackmail. I’m disgusted by his actions.
Don't bash lawyers, let Shakespere do that!
The lawyer won in the Court of Appeal, and won in the underlying court, the case was dismissed. So it was not fiction, it was real. And the bank caused real harm to thousands of people by its actions.