Worship buffer ordinance

The Beth Israel rabbi supported the ordinance but suggested the 50-foot buffer may be too small for Ann Arbor's layout and asked whether sign quantity could count as intimidation.

A longtime Beth Israel member described two decades of intimidation at services and asked for some kind of buffer.

The Jewish Federation president called the ordinance 'a tool' that still requires police and security cooperation, and thanked Mayor Taylor.

Opposed the ordinance as a First Amendment suspension around Beth Israel and said the issue is the messaging, not the presence.

The Beth Israel executive director said nobody questions the protesters' First Amendment rights — they just want members and guests to enter without fear of harassment.

Said there's a world of difference between protest and harassment, noting a protester once carried a swastika sign.

Called the ordinance 'a perfectly reasonable time, place, and manner restriction' and said harassing worship week after week for decades goes beyond protest.