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Legal Battle Brews Over Chabad House

NBC San Diego

Carmel Valley, CA — A legal dispute is brewing between a religious center, a community planning board, and the city attorney’s office.
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Chabad Jewish Center Del Mar has been meeting in an old farmhouse in Carmel Valley for three years, and now it wants permission to expand, NBC 7/39 reported.

The city attorney’s office has ordered them to stop holding services there until the proper permits have been granted.

According to the city attorney, there are numerous code violations, including failure to obtain a coastal permit to change from a single-family dwelling to a church, and failure to obtain electrical permits and plumbing permits.

The group uses the farmhouse to hold Sabbath services, Hebrew school and religious celebrations.

Christian Clews is a member of the Carmel Valley community planning board and owns property around the farmhouse. He told NBC 7/39 the center’s activities create noise and parking problems and generate trash. He said he feels the group is disregarding the community’s values and rules.

Chabad’s attorney Marco Gonzalez disagrees with Clews, saying the community is isolated in its location. He said Clews’ claims are “disingenuous.”

Gonzalez told NBC 7/39 the building code violations have largely been rectified and he’s working on getting the proper use permit.
Clews said he is merely trying to maintain a good relationship with the center and is keeping his position as a board member and as a property owner separate.

The city attorney said for the time being, members of Chabad cannot gather at the location.

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6 Comments

  • Cee

    This is horrible, do we live in Russia???? What is with these peolpe still telling people where they can pray and where they can’t. Too many laws made in this country that infringe on people right to freedom of religion.

    …. and a lot of times the boards are made up of anti semites worse (like in Florida many times) self hating jews.

    It’s very disheartening to see Chabad shluchim still have to deal with these dumb zoing issues.

    LET THEM PRAY this isn’t Russia!!

  • mendy D

    i know mr clews, and i would like to say, he is a anti-semite, and a big lier. i have dealt with him, and know him personaly.

    also, there is no one living within about a squere mile of the chabad house, only rabbits and deer can hear the noise at chabad del mar…and they havent complained, yet.
    there is a large bin for the garbage, and the only one who has real garbage around is mr. clews, who has put junk in front of the chabad property, like when cratzmach came around, he put a little yoshke display right in the chazans line of sight. thats in the middle of a massive piece of property (a few hundred acres), he couldnt find a better place to put it(like on top of the hills where the reporter is talking from).

  • impartial observer

    Well, it’s not so simple. The Chabad have been harassing Clews with legal tactics and maneuvers trying to force him to sell them parts of his land. Their dealings with this house have been underhanded from the beginning. In fact, it is they who are the disingenuous ones.

    I also know him and his family personally, and I would say he is NOT an anti-semite.

  • mendy D

    impartiel observer, dont come around with a comment, that has no backing, u dont place any sort of name that can back that up, nothing! all u r is some dude who comes along and lays a claim to the fact that u know him and the situation…thank u