As Passover approached, the furious blaze brought area firefighters to the shul-residence. Crowds impeded their progress and the firefighters discovered what seemed to be an illegal dormitory in a building around back. Meanwhile, Monsey Rabbi Dovid Weiss screamed arson as investigators had yet to begin their probe.

Over in Spring Valley, a rabbi ordered to stop baking matzo in a converted school bus-oven contraption apparently fired up the ovens again.

In Ramapo a slow burn continues over development, fire safety issues and the perceived threat from the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act that some fear will usurp any local land-use control.

Last month, the Moleston Fire District used some brinksmanship to snap the county and town to attention over its frustrations with slow progress in fixing rampant fire violations in New Square. In both the general and religious community, extreme misbehavior has started to wear on those who were more moderate in tone. Bad behavior is still just a minority on both sides, but as the tension grows, it gets less so.

Neturei Karta's local leader, Weiss, blamed pro-Israel Zionists for setting a fire that has yet to be ruled arson. The sheriff and Ramapo police are investigating.

To call Neturei Karta a fringe group among the Hasidim is a little too gentle. Neturei Karta is generally despised among Jewish groups.

Sunday night, the crowds stood, divided by their support or contempt for Neturei Karta. There were scuffles and jeers and the building burned and the firefighters navigated fallen wires and crowds to do their work. Among the discoveries at the fire scene was what appeared to be a 29-bed dormitory behind the synagogue-home.