In Linden, N.J., a 40-minute train ride from Midtown Manhattan, the growing Chassidic community finds itself at odds with the city government.
Zoning rules made it harder to build synagogues for worship or construct homes that can house larger families. A permit for a kosher pizza place was revoked. School buses have been ticketed.
“What we’re seeing is a clear targeting of the Orthodox community within Linden by the city,” Shlomo Schorr, director of legislative affairs for Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, told JNS.
These incidents were recounted by Schorr and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), as the congressman asked U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and New Jersey state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport to investigate what’s going on.
“Any attempt to exclude or harass the population, especially by public officials, is unacceptable and will be met by aggressive action,” Gottheimer told JNS.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead told JNS that he could not comment specifically on Gottheimer’s request.
“While we do not comment on specific ongoing legal matters or formal regulatory inquiries, the city remains committed to upholding all applicable local, state and federal laws and ensuring fair treatment and equal protection for all residents and community members,” Armstead said.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general, Tara Oliver, told JNS that “while we are limited in what we can say in response to inquiries, we take all allegations of discrimination extremely seriously.”
Gottheimer said such actions by city officials have been going on for years as the Chassidic population has grown.
“For more than seven years, the Jewish community in Linden has faced a pattern of discrimination,” Gottheimer said. “There were no significant changes in the city’s zoning for 35 years. The city in the last seven years has had the four major zoning changes that directly impact the community’s religious life and family needs.”
The Chassidim moving into Linden are easy to spot by dress alone, and some of their needs are different. With larger families, they need more bedrooms in their homes and more garbage cans to handle the waste. Before Passover, as they give their homes a good cleaning, they weren’t allowed to bring in dumpsters.
And on Oct. 7, 2025, which fell during the Sukkot holiday as well as the second anniversary of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel, city officials issued more than 34 violations, reportedly getting the addresses from a Yiddish community circular.
“I think they’re more—much more susceptible to being targeted if a public official wants to target them, if a community wants to target them,” Gottheimer told JNS.
He said that Linden officials “appear to be targeting the Jewish community and strongly discouraging them from being welcomed in the community, and it appears discriminatory, based on the face of it.”
