Historic Tree Will Be Saved Attorney Says

The large oak tree on the Union for Traditional Judaism's property will be saved after the land was sold to Netivot Shalom at a bankruptcy auction, attorneys for both sides said Monday.

Netivot Shalom, a Jewish congregation that occupied the UTJ's property and was involved in a dispute with the UTJ, purchased the property for $1.24 million, said Janice Grubin, an attorney representing UTJ of New York-based law firm Todtman, Nachamie, Spizz & Johns.  The congregation has said it will keep the tree, however, there is no legal conditions of the sale requiring them to do so. 

"The plan is to preserve the tree," said Jordan Kaye, an attorney with New York-based Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel representing Netivot Shalom.

Pamela Scheininger, Netivot Shalom's president, did not immediately return a call for comment Monday afternoon.

The tree has been at the center of a controversy after UTJ, citing safety concerns, tried to cut down the massive oak in July. A group of residents opposed removing the tree and the UTJ agreed to hold off until a sale of the property was finalized.

Last month, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) issued a statement saying she would work to save the historic tree at Cedar Lane and Palisades Avenue.

"The idea of taking this tree down is not going to go on without a fight from me," she said in the statement.