The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-29
CHURCH ON Stills.
Trustees Of Hoboken Syna-
gogue Appeal to Chancery
for Relief
RAISED THE BUILDING THIRTY FEET
Trouble Originated With Sale
Of Lot to the Congrega-
ton by Kerrigan
Estate.
lAISED THE BUILDING THIRTY FEET

The curious sight of a Jewish synagogue
thirty feet in the air greets the eyes of a
person passing through Grand street. near
Newark street, Hoboken. Tt is a small
building, which has for years been the
home Of the Moses Montidore congrega-
ton of orthodox Hebrews. This evening
when the faithful go to perform their de-
votions they will be forced to climb a
| steep ladder in order to get to the syna-
| gogue. Timid women and aged men will
have to mount rung upon rung the thirty
feet between the ground and the build
ing. The was not built that
way, nor was it the desire of the eongre-
| CATION that it should be elevated to such
an exalted position.
In fact. the trustees of the congregation
are exceedingly wroth over the matter,
and nave begun suit to compel the man
who raised the to bring it to
| earth again. They are tired of worship
ping in a building ON stills, and have re-
tained Lawyer Isaac Goldenhorn TO pro-
cure relief for them.
Lawyer G~oldenhorn has begun suit be-
fore Chancellor McGill in Jersey City to
have a deed for the lot above which the
synagogue is standing. and the lot and a
half next adjoining it, which was con-
veyed to David Engler by Special Master
in Chancery Washington B Williams, act
| ing for the infant heirs to the estate of
Peter Kerrigan, set aside on the ground
that it was obtained through fraud.
David Engler is not an orthodox He
brew, and therein hes the secret of the
raised and the suit. The trus-
| tees of the Moses Montifiore congregation
| In whose name Lawyer Goldennorn is SUI
ing are:-Michael Aronsberg, Abraham
Hoffman, Mendel BlooHkey, Jacob Joseph
and Adolph Horowitz.
For years the congregation had wor-
shipped in a little building built for the
purpose by the late Peter Kerrigan. or
Grand steet, near Newark street. When
the estate was put in the hands of the
| Chancellor, the lot on which the syna-
| gogue stood. and the lot and a half adj
| Joining, which were vacant, were offered
for sale. the price being $1,000. David
Engler a property adjoining the vacant
| lot. He wanted the Kerrigan property
and dickered for it but would not a
| the price asked. The Moses Montifiore
Congregation has man wealthy mem
| bers. When they heard that the property
was for sale they decided to buy it and
| erect a new ~ago which would be
| a credit to them and better suited to their
needs han the little building in which
they were worshipping. Early in June
they closed the bargain for the two and
one-half lots, by depositing $500 with
Joseph Anderson, Attorney for the Peter
Kerrigan estate, on account of the 5000.
After the contract had been made with
the congregation David Engler expressed
| regret that he had not purchased the
property. He learned that the congrega-
ton was only going to use one lot and
a half for the new synagogue On June
| 26 he attended a meeting OF the members
of the congregation held at No. a Grand
street, Hoboken, and told them that II
| they would give him the property he
would give them back a deed for a lot
and a half and keep the lot adjoining his
property. for which he would pay them
81. 100. His proposition seemed so favora-
BILE to the congregation that 1t was ac-
| cepted. When the bargain had been con-
| cluded Engler proposed that he pay the
estate of Kerrigan the 81, 500 due on the
| property, give the congregation credit for
5000 and give them a deed for a lot and
a half, letting them pay him instead OF
the Kerrigan estate for the property.
The proposition seemed fair to the trus-
tees of the congregation and they accept
ed it. Engler got the deed for the prop
erty on July I. He then. 1t is alleged,
old the trustees of the Moses Montiiore
congregation that he would neither give
them the 500 bonus or the deed for the
lot and a half, and that If they wanted
the $500 they had paid IN deposit they
could get it at the office of Lawyer JOS
Anderson. Not only that. but ne began
to raise the to build a store
beneath 1t. The protests OF the congre-
CATION were in vain. Inch by inch the
synagogue was raised, until it was thirty
feet In the air and could only be reached
1 by means of ladders.
Lawyer Goldenhorn will not only try
TO have the deed conveying the property
to Engler set aside but he will apply to
| Chancellor McGill for an injunction to re-
strain Engler from building the store or
any other building. pending the settle
ment of the suit.