Neighbours allege ‘threats’ from Kornhauser family
- Date: January 12, 2014
Nicole and Eliezer Kornhauser (left) at home and (right) the Springfield Avenue building at the heart of the conflict. Photo: Ken Irwin
A property dispute in a sleepy corner of St Kilda East has spilled from the courts into the streets following allegations that members of one of the nation’s wealthiest families threatened their neighbours.
Police have received complaints about a death threat and abusive behaviour involving Nicole and Eliezer (Eric) Kornhauser, a scion of the Kornhauser business and property empire worth an estimated $430 million.
The couple have been locked in a protracted battle against more than a dozen neighbours and Glen Eira City Council over the future of the Orthodox Jewish school that operates out of a specially designed building attached to their mansion in Springfield Avenue.
Council and court records show complaints about noise, parking and traffic problems in the residential area associated with the ”education centre”, which provides gender-segregated religious instruction to more than 30 boys and young women.
The Kornhausers’ bid to receive retroactive planning permission for the growing ”home school” facility was denied by the council and rejected on appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last year.
But the stoush has now come to police attention amid claims of intimidation and threats of violence in the lead-up to a Supreme Court challenge to the VCAT ruling.
Springfield Avenue resident Jannine Gross has filed a complaint with police following an alleged confrontation with Ms Kornhauser after trying to visit a common neighbour.
”As we were walking through Max’s front gate, I noticed out of the corner of my eye one of Nicole’s young children who is five or six years old walking towards us. He saw us and turned around and ran back towards his house,” the statement said.
”All of a sudden Nicole [Kornhauser] rushed in the gate before we had even left. She put her face about one millimetre away from mine and was screaming into my face, ‘If you touch my children, I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you.”’
The complaint also described an incident a month earlier when Mr Kornhauser allegedly pushed Ms Gross’ husband and threatened to ”destroy him”.
Police have declined to comment because of the Supreme Court civil proceeding. But Fairfax Media understands no charges have been laid relating to the complaint.
A spokeswoman for the Kornhausers said: ”The Kornhausers continue to be committed to do what they can to bring about peaceful relations with their neighbours – an outcome recently encouraged among all the neighbours in that area by their ward councillors, at the conclusion of a planning matter involving the parties.”
But some residents are gearing up for a new fight after the council recently withdrew from the Supreme Court case and reversed its opposition to the school.
The council has now voted unanimously in favour of the project after the Kornhausers agreed to cap the number of students at 25, reduce its operating hours and incorporate a neighbouring property they own to provide off-street parking.
”We felt the second application was far better – especially relating to the car parking – and it allayed the concerns we had around the original proposal,” Glen Eira mayor Neil Pilling said.
Fairfax Media understands the council’s new decision will be contested by Springfield Avenue residents in VCAT.
■ cvedelago@theage.com.au
Twitter: @chrisvedelago
Glen Eira Debates 
January 12, 2014 at 4:06 PM
off the topic but in case anyone was wondering was what Caulfield Village might look like. Here is a video http://tract.com.au/media/caulfield-village/
I was a bit worried that all these people would not have recreation facilities in Caulfield Racecourse to use but not to worry they can all gamble and make more money for the MRC!
January 12, 2014 at 10:57 PM
Pilling, Lipshutz, Esakoff and Hyams will forever be known as the Approvers of the Caulfield Slums. You have to admire how Moonee Valley Council support the Community unlike Glen Eira. The Jewish vote has a lot to answer for.
January 13, 2014 at 2:29 PM
Spin, science fiction aided and abetted by expensive art work. Enough to fool our dumb lot.
January 13, 2014 at 4:46 PM
Note the centre of the racecourse – pretty clear the “might” of the MRC intend to do nothing other than park cars in it
January 12, 2014 at 11:43 PM
Maybe I’m behind the times. But having a school attached to a private dwelling doesn’t seem right to me. Even if it is supposed to be for 25 children.
Go for it neighbours. Hope right defeats might at VCAT.
January 13, 2014 at 6:45 PM
It wouldn’t seem right to most people but then again it is a Jewish school so I think different rules apply. If ever the saying a picture tells 1000 words was relevent this would be one of them, one look at the picture and I had the story ending already.
January 13, 2014 at 9:43 AM
It’s a sad state of affairs when neighbours allegedly come to blows and court cases ensue. It’s an even sadder affair when councils do not do their jobs to protect local amenity and thereby avoiding the consequences. Had council closed down the illegal school from the start then none of this would have happened. Had council prosecuted the applicant for running a boarding or shared accommodation I dare say most of this could have been nipped in the bud and had council not wimped it and stood up to defend its position in the supreme court instead of making some kind of deal, then perhaps things would not have got out of hand as they seem to have done.
There’s an arrogance here that if you have enough money you can do what you want and ignore the law. Council has turned a blind eye and accepted this.
January 14, 2014 at 8:36 AM
From the Leader –
Merkos school debate heats up in St Kilda East
Nicole Precel
January 14, 2014 12:00AM
NEIGHBOURS of a controversial St Kilda East religious education centre have until January 21 to appeal a planning permit.
Tensions have reached boiling point between the owners of the Merkos Women’s Centre and their Springfield Ave neighbours.
Neighbour Lenny Gross, said the centre, running since 2012 across two large properties at numbers 10-12, had turned their quiet St Kilda East street into a thoroughfare, and infuriated neighbours.
Glen Eira Council approved the proposal, despite concerns about increased noise and traffic.
“What the street is not happy about is the traffic; the night-time classes, weekend classes, sing-a-long noise,” Mr Gross said.
He said the recent introduction of boys to the school had increased noise in the backyard and nearby park.
The school is owned by Nicole and Eliezer Kornhauser, of the multi-million dollar Kornhauser business and property empire.
Mr Gross said he wasn’t against the school, which provides sex-segregated Jewish religious education, but just wanted a quiet street.
“Jews do not report on other Jews. (But) in this situation, a lot of the people in the street did that; and it has caused an absolute uproar,” he said.
Mr Gross, who is Jewish, said his wife’s family had been living in the street for nearly 40 years.
“It’s (changed) from a typical dead-end street with a park at the end; the only traffic we’ve ever had was Masada (hospital) people which we were all right with,” he said.
“It’s totally changed the street. Four house(holds) have moved because of it.”
Glen Eira Council granted a retrospective planning permit on December 31, despite 12 objectors.
The council’s acting chief executive Peter Swabey said residents wanting to lodge appeals to the decision had until January 21.
Mr Swabey said there had been complaints about the school, but also 173 letters of support.
He said the council permit allowed for 15 males and 10 females to be enrolled at or attend the centre.
The council refused the centre’s first application on 8 January 2013, which was for a larger program with four staff, 30 students and no car parks provided.
Merkos Learning Centre’s owners appealed this refusal to VCAT in July last year. VCAT also refused a permit, and the owners launched a Supreme Court challenge. A directions hearing is still scheduled, for February 28.
The Merkos Learning Centre did not return Leader’s calls.
January 14, 2014 at 10:42 AM
Looks like the discourse is heating up – articles in Herald Sun, Age and Leader.
What surprises me about this whole issue are Council actions.
First off they reject the application (even though the school has been running illegally for several years), they support rejection of the application at VCAT (which VCAT rejects) then the applicant lodges a Supreme Court Action. Council makes a deal with the applicant, ie. Council will not contest in the Supreme Court if the applicant promises not to seek damages/costs against Council if the applicant wins. What the heck is going on – what happened to enforcing the rules or representing the residents
Second, while still pending in the Supreme Court, the applicant agrees to decrease the student numbers and hours and provide minimal on site (off street) parking so Council approves a retrospective permit. Retrospective my ass – why retrospective? It’s been operating without a permit (ie. illegally) for several years and despite the rules being clearly breached, a promise is all it takes for Council to wipe the slate clean.
Wish Council would show the same “consideration” to all residents.
January 14, 2014 at 10:44 PM
Frank Penhuilarak should start a boarding house there too.
January 14, 2014 at 11:19 PM
readers may care to see and read how Elieser’s poor old Dad Eddie K, said to be a penniless Polish migrant “decorted” the Gold coast so as the Springhurst relo’s could fund their beautiful ethnic school in the peaceful dead end street!
January 16, 2014 at 9:10 PM
Hyams rant in the Herald Sun this week against Muslims and Christians was also offensive to moderate Jews. He needs to stop the Zionist crusade and start representing his ward.