Decision Put Off on Whether W Boynton is Being Improperly Used as Synagogue

West Palm Beach, FL — Neighbors will have to wait until July before a special master determines if a West Boynton home allegedly being used as a synagogue and attracting dozens of worshipers will be forced to shut down.

After more than three hours of debate Wednesday, special master Earl Mallory said he will wait until July 3 to decide.

“I’ve got mixed feelings,” said Mallory, who battled with balancing the freedom of assembly and religious expression and a violation of the building code.

Neighbors have complained since September that the home in the 6200 block of Madras Circle in the Indian Wells subdivision, near the Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Boynton synagogue, draws visitors for daily religious services.

Christa Harding, who lives across the street, said visitors have come to her home looking for the place of worship.

Homeowner Marvin Parsoff, who did not attend the hearing, was issued a notice of violation in late March for a change in the home’s permitted use.

Terry Verner, director of Palm Beach County’s Code Enforcement Division, said the home’s occupancy changed from residential to a place of assembly once people began congregating on a regular basis. Without a certificate of occupancy from the building department, a gathering can’t take place in a residence, he said.

This is the first case in which the county issued a violation to a property owner for turning a residence into a place of assembly, Verner said.

On Nov. 10, a series of 13 inspections began — all on Fridays or Saturdays when Jews typically conduct services. Code Enforcement Officer Elpidio Garcia said he did not believe Parsoff lived at the home and he saw up to 52 people visiting during one of the inspections.

Attorney Rick Nelson, who represented Parsoff, said his client is a seasonal resident. He said Parsoff did not want to comment.

Nelson said his client is being singled out. But the county did not provide enough evidence that religious services take place inside the home. People could be playing “horseshoes, studying the Torah, the Quran. I don’t know what they’re doing,” Mallory said.

If Mallory rules in the county’s favor, Parsoff would have to comply within seven days or face a $250 daily fine.