Although we were first told that the Great Neck School District had requested that the fire marshal inspect an orthodox Jewish temple that was offering religious instruction to students from Great Neck North High School during their lunch hour, we have learned that the request actually came from Great Neck Alert Fire Company Chief Raymond Plakstis.
Plakstis told our reporter that he too had received the letter sent out by North High School principal Bernard Kaplan to all school parents warning about the controversial program.
“I felt that [there should be an inspection] because there were a number of children involved, and the words ‘going through the side door’ bothered me,” he said. “I requested the fire marshal’s office do an inspection to ensure everything was safe.”
We don’t know why using a “side door” should have alarmed a fire chief. It seems clear that in reality he acted in response to a letter that should have never been sent.
Chief Fire Marshal Thomas Tilley said his inspectors found no code violations. The young men and women can continue to take part in the program run by the orthodox Congregation Torah Ohr.
The fire marshals were accompanied by an inspector from the Village of Great Neck building department who was more familiar with the site. None of them found anything that warranted a sanction.
“The bottom line was, when we did the inspection, the complaint was basically unfounded,” Tilley said. “There were no violations issued, there was no paper work issued.”
Our concern remains that this inspection happened not because of any real belief that there was a fire hazard but because people in high places didn’t like what they thought was being taught there.
That should happen in a society that prides itself on free speech and freedom of religion.
