It was, quite simply, the worst of Westhampton Beach on display during a two-plus hour monthly Village Board meeting, and the "hot topic" was not the $25 million dollar Federal Civil Rights lawsuit by the Muchnicks, but the Hamptons Synagogue's proposed eruv.
Anyone there who might have felt they had taken a wrong turn in a time machine and wound up in a Southern town in 1912, can be excused. The amount of irrationale fear and ill-concealed bigotry was alarming in the utmost.
Early during the regular business portion of the meeting, the Board voted, 5-0, to schedule a Public Hearing on the eruv for May 28th, the sole time the subject arose until Mayor Conrad Teller open the floor to public comment.
The overflow audience, a large number of which were from the Pond Point district and were apparently mobilized by some of the erroneous E-mails being circulated this week, was clearly exercised over the notion that the Village was entertaining the Synagogue's request for municipal permission to establish an eruv chatzerot within the Village.
One attendee noted: "Well, that's what happens when a bunch of Irish Catholics get lathered up with bad information. It's a good thing that Father (Joseph) Mirro was there and spoke as he did, otherwise it would have gotten uglier."
The attorney representing the Synagogue in this matter, Richard Haefeli, did indeed have the priest from Immaculate Conception with him, and the man twice spoke briefly. His assertion that he personally had no reservations about the eruv, appeared to have a calming and reassuring effect on many.
Not all, however.
Dune Road's Jacqueline Sprotte, who had at the April Work Session urged the Board to delay making their decision 'til more seasonal residents had arrived, again spoke in favor of holding off on the vote.
Husband Robert then exposed the ugliest aspect of the evening, and while I'm reasonably confident that Mr. Sprotte would reject as offensive the notion that any of the Jewish faith in Westhampton Beach have their homes marked with a Star of David, or be obliged to wear a yellow strip of cloth sewn on the front of their garment as they walk through the Village, that seemed to be the subtext of his message.
Quiogue's Irene Barrett was back, and blithering insistently that the Synagogue's Executive Director Sam Nussbaum had twice stated something which, upon personal observation, he never uttered. Even when Mr. Haefeli arose to remind her that it was he, and not Mr. Nussbaum, to whom the statements were attributable, she stuck to her guns, and even made a point to approach me after the meeting to hiss "He did say that, twice!"
Even had I wanted to, I was unable to respond to the vexed woman, being otherwise engaged trying to avoid an even angrier Robert Flanagan who was busy jabbing his finger into my sternum. Both remind me of the type of people who routinely have losing battles with inanimate objects after six o'clock in the evening.
Mr. Nussbaum may, inadvertantly, have given the Pond Point delegation gist for their rumor mill when he related anecdotally that he had left an upstate community "because it was too Jewish for me." One can almost hear the wagging tongues! "See, he's Jewish and look how he feels! Don't blame us for having the same concerns!"
The Big Finish
In response to an earlier question, Mayor Teller acknowledged that the Police Officer who had polled the Main Street business owners as to whether any had ever been approached by Synagogue representitives suggesting that they close on Saturdays, had been dispatched at his direction. As the meeting wound down, the idea that protracting the eruv discussion was not such a good idea finally occurred to the Mayor, and he astonished everyone by calling for an immediate vote.
Well, perhaps everyone but Trustee Jim Kametler, who instantly seconded the motion. Now either this had been worked out between the two officials previously, or the Deputy Mayor is so under his old boss' thumb, that he's in auto-lockstep with anything the Mayor proposes.
What's really odd about their current relationship is that when the two men served together on the Village Police Department, they were on the "Do Not Invite to the Same Party" list.
And just as quickly as the Deputy Mayor had moved the Mayor's motion, Trustees Joan Levan and Toni-Jo Birk shot back with terse "No!" votes, leaving it to the newest Trustee, Hank Tucker, to pause and ask for clarification as to what was being voted on.
After brief colloquy with the Mayor, Mr Tucker cast the decisive motion-defeating vote, and clearly articulated his thinking on the matter.
Memo to Conrad: Good idea, but two weeks too late, and given that earlier scheduling of the Special Hearing, you've opened yourself to charges of breaking faith with the fearful and the intolerant. But I'm sure you can live with that.
Not a bright moment for the Village of Westhampton Beach; actually, an embarrassing one for many of us who make this our home.