Woman loses court battle with housing association that prioritises Orthodox Jews
Case brought by unnamed mother-of-four claimed that Agudas Israel and Hackney Council unlawfully discriminated against her
A charity providing accommodation exclusively for Charedi Jews has won a legal battle against a non-Jewish family in Stamford Hill who claimed its ‘Jews only’ criteria was discriminatory.
Lawyers acting for Hackney Council and Agudas Israel Housing Association (AIHA), which owns the newly-completed Aviv development, defeated an application for a judicial review brought by a mother and her young son in need of housing.
The ruling comes after a Divisional Court hearing in October, with Lord Justice Lindblom and Sir Kenneth Parker determining that AIHA’s arrangements were “justified as proportionate”.
They said: “The disadvantages and needs of the Orthodox Jewish community are many and compelling. They are also in many instances very closely related to the matter of housing accommodation.
“We recognise the needs of other applicants for social housing, but in the particular market conditions… AIHA’s arrangements are proportionate in addressing the needs and disadvantages of the Orthodox Jewish community.”
AIHA was set up by Ita Cymerman-Symons in 1981 and last year she slammed the legal action as a “political stunt,” asking: “Why would any non-Jewish person want to live in Aviv, which is full of Chassidim?”
The housing association has said there are more than 1,000 Orthodox families on the Aviv waiting list, and this week Cymerman-Symons said the ruling “helps address the imbalance, disadvantages and prejudices faced by Orthodox Jewish families when trying to find suitable accommodation”.
Lawyers said the judges recognised both the specific housing needs of the Orthodox community and also the threat of antisemitism it faced, with Elliot Lister, a partner at law firm Asserson, saying the legal action had alleged discrimination in housing when in fact the AIHA was itself set up as a result of discrimination in housing.
“The Orthodox Jewish community’s members’ way of life requires them to live close by each other as a community, to the extent that many prefer to stay in unsuitable properties than to move away from their community,” he said.
Lister said that it was “important the court confirmed that the disadvantages can be legitimately addressed by a charity founded for that purpose, without fear of censure for discrimination,” adding: “For an organisation that was established to counter discrimination and has that as its mission, this is a particularly important judgement.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
