The Mineola Village Board reserved decision at last Wednesday night’s board meeting on a special-use application for an international spiritual movement that has purchased property in the village.
Avtar Matharoo, who identified himself as a guru of the Mahraz Darshan Das movement, made a presentation to board members of his group’s plans to use a building at 115 Jericho Turnpike as an ashram for religious education, community outreach and his group’s spiritual practices.
Matharoo said local members of the Mahraz Darshan movement purchased the two-story property in April and immediately began conducting its services there. The two-story property was formerly the headquarters of the defunct Mineola Italian American Civic Society.
“We found this property,” Matharoo said, “and we started preaching spirituality here.”
He said the late Mahraz Darshan, for whom the UK-based Mahraz Darshan Das Charitable Trust is named, started the international spiritual movement in India in 1974. He said the primary practice of the Mahraz Darshan followers is meditation and said he had been dispatched from the group’s Stockton, Calif. headquarters in the U.S. to be the group’s guru.
“We’ll be practicing spirituality, not religion,” Matharoo said.
Religious education for children of the group’s adherents, he said, are conducted in the ashram on Friday nights at 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The group’s spiritual meetings, which include Matharoo preaching in Punjabi or Hindi, are held in the ashram on Saturday and Sunday nights. He said the group has 65 to 70 members, but said 35 to 40 members typically attend the evening spiritual sessions.
He said the group is also involved in community outreach, including blood drives, and donating food and blankets for people in need.
Matharoo said most of the group’s members are Sikkh or Hindu. Village of Mineola Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira asked whether members of other religious groups, such as Christians, could participate in the services, Matharoo said they were welcome.
“Anyone can come. All can come,” he said.
The first floor of the building is used for the group’s spiritual meetings and religious education, Matharoo said. He said he lives on the second floor of the building with his wife and two daughters.
Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss asked Matharoo asked if the group had made any plans to provide parking for its congregants, Matharoo said it had not done so. Strauss cautioned him about using parking space in a strip mall next door to the property.
“We’ve never had any complaints from neighbors,” Matharoo said.
But several residents expressed concerns about the ashram’s impact on available parking in the area.
“Not that we own the area, but we do have a right to it,” said village resident Jamie Silva. “I don’t know where you’re intending to put these cars.”
She said she was concerned that tenants in her house would have trouble finding space to park. She also expressed concern about cooking in the building.
Matharoo said the group would only be heating lentils and heating tortillas in the basement of the building for meals following its spiritual meetings.
Amit Kumar, a New Hyde Park resident who identified him as a Mahraz Darshan follower, said the group usually car pools when attending services.
In response to a question from village Trustee Dennis Walsh about the group’s tax status, Matharoo said the group is in the process of applying for tax-exempt status for the Mineola property. He said the group had paid current village and school taxes.
Village resident Bill Urianek said he objected to the property being removed from the tax rolls.
“I don’t want to subsidize someone else,” Urianek said.
Pereira and Walsh both asked Matharoo about the group’s plans to draw new adherents to its practice. He said the group grows through attraction, with practicing members bringing in new members.
“We are not here to sell something,” Matharoo said.
The board reserved decision on the application pending a review by the Nassau County Planning Commission. The board similarly reserved decision on an application by another religious group at the Wednesday meeting.
Bonnie Parente made a presentation for a Christian group seeking to establish a house of worship on the second floor of 500 Jericho Turnpike, formerly the site of a Blockbuster Video store.
“They are intending to lease a small part of the second floor of this property. They will not be taking over the whole building as some residents have mentioned to me.” said Parente, a lawyer who is also deputy mayor of East Williston.
She said the group plans to hold religious services on Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with Bible studies planned for 6:30 p.m. She said the group’s plans to take a 10-year lease for the space depends on obtaining the special-use permit from the village board.
“They simply want to exercise their religion, which is minister-led prayer,” Parente said.
Parente said the group includes 60 members, with nine or 10 members typically attending the services.
Anna Abreu, who identified herself as one of two ministers of the group along with her husband, Luiz Abreu, said the group was originally part of the Assembly of God, but broke off from that group.
She said the group conducts prayer meetings on Mondays, singing and Bible reading on Wednesday and has 30 or 40 children for Bible study on Saturday, when services are simultaneously conducted.
