Kiryas Joel - Jury Acquits 2 In Kiryas Joel Trespass Case

Kiryas Joel, NY - Two men were acquitted of trespassing charges stemming from a 2010 clash between rival Satmar groups in Kiryas Joel, according to attorneys and court records.

Joel Waldman and Avraham Berger were accused of trespassing on land owned by Congregation Yetev Lev in June of 2010, when they tried to interfere with the demolition of a disputed synagogue.

A dispute between Congregation Yetev Lev and a group that calls itself the Dissidents has been ongoing for years.

On the day Waldman and Berger were arrested, Congregation Yetev had hired excavators and bulldozers, which were dismantling utility lines, fencing and a walkway in front of a synagogue that both factions claim.

The acquittal is vindication for Waldman and Berger as well as a third man, Mendel Tyneaurer, attorney Michael Sussman said.

Sussman argued Waldman and Berger were not trespassing because they were on their own property.

Source:  Newsday