a
Ponn, who maintains an office in
the sanctuary where he counsels and
Oe aches Hebrew and Jewish history to
inmates, said he and a few Jewish
inmates have contacted attorneys in
case they decide to fight the closure.
"There's no doubt we would
[mount a legal challenge] unless we
a got some kind of guarantee that
something constructed or the equiva-
lent is available to us and the reli-
gious situation will remain the same
or get better. We're worried they
; might reduce or take away the
uniqueness .of What we've had," he
said.
But, Ponivonceded, a group of
Jewish inmates in Pennsylvania
fought and lost a battle to save their
sanctuary, which was closed because
of fire and other safety hazards. Now
the Pennsylvania inmates share a
.4nultidenominational center that has
a "rotating" altar. Ponn fears Jewish
inmates at Jackson will face the same
fate.
Detroit attorney Michael Barnhart,
who argued for the plaintiff in the
1989 Whitney case and was also
involved in the 1985 case that led to
an order that Jackson be broken up
into smaller units, is poised for a
Might, but he's not certain which tack
he might pursue.
He may see if the chapel can be
fenced off during construction so
that prisoners can continue to wor-
ship there. But he may use the ruling
in Whitney v. Brown to argue that if
all Jewish inmates cannot use a
reconfigured chapel because it's in a
maximum security area, they won't
.,
have a minyan to worship at all and,
hence, would not have the freedom
to practice -their religion.
"The question really comes down
to [whether] it takes two years to
complete the renovation. What are
they going to do in the meantime?
The issue I'm raising is, given that
there's a right to religious services,
and even though the Central
Complex will be closed, it's also used
by people over in Trusty, and I
assume at Egeler, to make a minyan.
So what are they supposed to do?"
Barnhart said.
Trusty and Egeler are two of the
complexes within Jackson Prison.
The state's Jewish prison popula-
•
tion is estimated at about 60 of
0 approximately 40,000 prisoners.
Light, of the MDOC, said she
doesn't know where inmates will wor-
ship during renovations, which are
set to begin in December. ❑
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