Clergyman angered by what he calls ‘brutal’ treatment by authorities

Stacy J. Willis

Wednesday, June 21, 2000 | 11:24 a.m.

Rabbi Moshe Omer called it "horrifying."

On Saturday morning -- the Jewish holy Sabbath day -- a city zoning enforcement officer interrupted a prayer group in his home and cited him on two counts: creating a public nuisance and holding religious services in a residential dwelling.

Omer was asked to sign the citation to acknowledge that he would appear in court. He declined to sign, because his religious beliefs forbid him from writing on the Sabbath day. The code enforcement officer called for a Metro Police officer, who handcuffed Omer and drove him in a police car to the Clark County Detention Center over his protests that riding in a car on the holy day also violated his religious beliefs. The congregation -- some 12 to 15 people that day, according to Omer -- watched as he was taken away, yarmulke on his head and arms pulled behind his back.

The rabbi was detained for several hours and released after a judge allowed his verbal promise to serve in lieu of a written signature on the citation.

"It was horrifying. I had in my mind the pictures of the Nazis and the Holocaust," Omer said. "It was very brutal. They made me violate my religion by riding in a car. And I told them I would sign it on Monday if they would come back."

The incident has drawn attention to the odd intersection of religious freedom and residential zoning -- as Omer's neighbor had been upset for months about the increased traffic flow in his once quiet cul-de-sac.

And it has put the city in the position of explaining why it was necessary to handcuff and detain a rabbi on the Sabbath.

Omer planned to hold a news conference today to detail what he calls the city's "brutal behavior."

City spokesman Eric Pappa would not address the case's specifics Tuesday, saying, "I understand the city attorney's office will be reviewing the facts of the case, mindful of the right of people to freely practice their religion and of the right of people to live peaceably in their neighborhood."

However, other city sources said the code enforcement officers have been trying for months to get Omer to appear in court so that a judge may rule on his zoning violations.

Omer, leader of the Kabbalah Centre, would like an apology from Mayor Oscar Goodman and said he may file a lawsuit against the city for violating his civil rights.

Kabbalah is the study of Jewish mystical tradition, which has in recent years taken on a New Age flavor in some study groups.

Prominent Las Vegas developer Irwin Molasky is a student of the Kabbalah Centre, although he generally has private study sessions.

Molasky said that Goodman and Sheriff Jerry Keller both called Molasky after hearing of the incident "and were very apologetic."

Neither Pappa nor Metro spokesman Steve Meriwether would confirm those apologies.

"This is a First Amendment issue," Paul Larsen, Omer's attorney, said. "It was a simple zoning issue that the city has turned into a serious civil rights issue."

But Omer's only neighbor, Anthony Bock, sees it differently. In fact, what Bock sees most of the time are a lot of parked cars outside his front door. Only two houses are built on the cul-de-sac that includes four lots.

"The Kabbalah Centre moved in here a year ago and started to run services, and I started to get 15 to 20 cars parked in front of my house, in front of my driveway, and on my property several nights a week," Bock said.

The Kabbalah Centre is located in a four-bedroom home near The Lakes community and is zoned for residential use. It is owned by a 33-center international organization by the same name based in Los Angeles.

"Kabbalah is spiritual wisdom," Omer, an Israeli whose English name is Thomas Essence, said. "It is how to be in balance with everything, how to avoid chaos inside."

Historically, Kabbalah could only be explored by married men over the age of 40 who were well versed in the laws of Judaism.

In recent years it has emerged in more accessible forms and become more widely studied by both Jews and non-Jews -- including celebrities such as Madonna and Roseanne. However, it has drawn criticism from mainstream Jews for its New Age leanings and from some cult-watch groups for the intensity with which some followers devote themselves.

Inside the Kabbalah Centre house at 2161 S. Lisa Lane, a small gift shop is set up in the dining room -- one can purchase Kabbalah baseball caps and CDs, as well as Kabbalah bottled water and spiritual course books.

Two long tables and a dozen folding chairs sit in the living room under several Hebrew posters and a zodiac symbol.

Omer said he has about 40 congregants who come to study at various times during the week. After fielding complaints from his neighbor and the city, Omer said he asked his congregants to park at a nearby elementary school instead of on the street.

However, he said the city's code enforcement office has "unnecessarily" focused on him in recent months.

"Their whole attitude is very strange. They have come here several times, pushing their way inside, even videotaping my house. I have asked for a search warrant, which they did not have," Omer said.

"They have abused their badges."

But Bock said the city was forced into its actions, because Omer "repeatedly ignored the zoning codes."

"He has been cited at least three times for zoning violations -- both religious worship services and business licensing. He does not have a special use permit. And he avoids the city code enforcement officer every time they come, whether it's Sabbath or Tuesday or Wednesday," Bock said.

Kabbalists have been trying to establish a permanent center in Las Vegas for more than three years. Two months ago Omer appeared before the Las Vegas Planning and Zoning Commission to request a zoning change, but was denied after Bock showed the commission photos of cars parked around his house.

Bock said he wanted to move, and tried to sell his property to the Kabbalah Centre, but they did not buy it.

"This has made my life miserable," Bock said.

Now Omer's group is trying to sell its property, has stopped selling merchandise and is holding services in other places -- such as a Starbucks coffee house.

"I expect the city to help us find another place," Omer said.