An assisted-living home in Reston that called police to complain about Jewish residents celebrating Rosh Hashanah is now fielding angry letters from a state senator and a U.S. congressman and facing threats of a lawsuit from its residents. Officials from Hunters Woods Fellowship House tried to send a letter of apology to the residents – a group of Russian Jews that includes decorated World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors — only to have it rejected as inadequate. And they have so far failed to respond to letters from State Sen. Janet Howell and Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., demanding an explanation.
“I think they’re stonewalling,” said Howell, D-Reston, adding that she was “appalled” to hear of the incident, reported last month by The Washington Examiner. “We will write another letter. I’m not used to having groups not respond to an official letter.”
The home’s residents have joined with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and are considering legal action against Fellowship House, the company that owns Hunters Woods.
Attendees of the Sept. 30 Rosh Hashanah celebration said Hunters Woods barred them from using its common room for their celebration then called the police when residents took a few chairs outside so they could celebrate there. Police responded to the home’s complaint, but didn’t file any charges – or even an incident report.
An attorney from Fellowship House presented party attendee Helen Getter, a volunteer with the Northern Virginia Jewish Community Center, with a letter of apology and asked her to translate it into Russian because the residents of Hunters Woods do not speak English.
“Please accept our apology for our lack of cooperation,” the letter read, according to Getter. “This episode has become a teachable moment for us. We have reflected upon and recognized our contribution to this controversy beginning with a policy that sets the stage for our misunderstanding and our insensitivity in dealing with you.”
The letter offered help scheduling next year’s Rosh Hashanah celebration and said the company would change its policy on gatherings in the common room. It said the company would participate in a sensitivity program to “heighten our awareness.”
But Getter, who doesn’t live at Hunters Woods and who was only visiting the celebration, refused to translate the letter, saying the apology was too little, too late.
Officials from Hunters Woods did not respond to a call for comment.
