Trendy Restaurants and Hassidic Jewish Group

ritual bath: But the application filed by a Hassidic Jewish group for a permit to install a ritual bath, or mikvah, right across from several trendy restaurants and a well-attended concert hall and theatre set off alarm bells, according to Toronto Star. Nine months later, it has resulted in a series of proposed neighbourhood zoning changes that some say threaten the already tense coexistence between ultra-orthodox Jews, who account for a quarter of Outremont total population, and residents in an area that is home to many of Montreal francophone elite. Here, like everywhere, businesses thrive or they fail. Emotions peaked last week when several members of the Jewish community stormed out of a public meeting that had been called to discuss the regulation changes. Article Continued Below On Monday, the Outremont neighbourhood council will decide whether or not to proceed with the changes, well aware that doing so could spark a divisive community referendum that is unlikely either to resolve the matter and will probably only add to the social friction. The proposal would ban places of worship from opening on stretches of Bernard St. and Laurier Ave., two of Outremont most important commercial arteries. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.