White Woman Sues Church for Allowing Black Woman to be Buried in Cemetery

Jan 09, 2012 12 Comments by Rippa

Look, when it comes to racism, nothing really shocks me anymore. However, the following story took the wind out of my sails. Apparently racism is very real – at least I think it is. And, apparently, racism doesn’t end when one dies. Yeah, so much for the idea that racism itself will die some day, right? But seriously, I’ve heard of many instances of racial discrimination, and I’ve featured many such instances on this website for the past four years. But this one’s a first; this one is about a Black woman who happens to be dead right now. Even in death, she’s unable to receive any peace.

Juliet Steer was dying of cancer when she chose her final resting place in the woods of southeastern Connecticut. She picked the plot in an interfaith section of a Jewish cemetery in Colchester because it was peaceful, her brother said, and she died at age 47 in 2010.

But that peace has been broken by a lawsuit seeking to have her remains exhumed and moved because Steer was not Jewish. The dispute over Steer, who was black, escalated recently with allegations of racism against the plaintiff and of retaliation against her by fellow congregation members.

Maria Balaban, a 72-year-old white member of the Congregation Ahavath Achim, sued in state court in New London nearly a year ago, alleging the congregation broke its own rule against burials of non-Jews at its three cemetery properties when it allowed the burial of the Jamaican-born Steer, who lived in the neighboring town of East Hampton. The synagogue says its rules allow for burial of non-Jews.

Balaban, who is also a member of the conservative congregation’s board of directors, has reserved plots at the same cemetery for herself and her husband, and they have relatives buried there. She didn’t return several messages seeking comment, but her lawyer denies the accusations and says her background, which includes employment as a social worker, demonstrates she is not racist.

According to the congregation board’s meeting minutes, Balaban was present when the board in 2009 unanimously approved setting aside a section of the Colchester Jewish Aid Congregation Cemetery for interfaith couples, their non-Jewish children and other non-Jews.

Steer is the only person buried there. Four white people have reserved plots in the interfaith section, but Balaban isn’t challenging their purchase or usage of the plots, according to lawyers for both the plaintiff and defendant. The four people include an interfaith couple who are married and another couple who are not.

The congregation’s lawyer, George Purtill, filed a court document last month alleging that Balaban is suing only because Steer was black. He said Balaban approved of the interfaith cemetery allowing non-Jews, contested it only after Steer was buried there and has made derogatory comments about Steer’s race — among them that Steer should have been buried in the back of the cemetery, away from the Balaban family plots. (source)

Mow of course according to the attorney for Ms. Baklahan claims there’s no way she is or can be racist. According to him, by virtue of her career as a social worker in New York City, there’s no way she;s racist because she has helped many African Americans. Well, this may be true; however, the fact that she doesn’t have a problem with 4 white non-Jews being buried there as oppossed to the only Black person currently burried there, tells me she’s racist, or kinda sorta almost racist. I guess this answers the life long question of whether there’s racism in heaven. My guess is, yes.

No related content found.

Race Matters

Rippa

About the author

RiPPa is the creator, publisher, and editor-in-chief of The Intersection of Madness & Reality. As a writer, he uses his sense of humor, sarcasm, and sardonic negro wit to convey his opinion. Being the habitual line-stepper and fire-breathing liberal-progressive, whether others agree with him, isn’t his concern. He loves fried chicken, watermelon, and President Barack Obama. Yes, he's Black; yes, he's proud; and yes, he says it loud. As such, he's often misunderstood.

Anonymous

I just knew she was going to have issue for the fact that she wasn’t Jewish and let it be just that. But by it saying that she DOESNT have an issue with the other people being buried there tells the whole story. Eh. smh.

http://rippdemup.com/ RiPPa

Yeah, I was about to give her a pass until I read that part as well. LOL

http://mybrowneyedview.com msladydeborah

According to him, by virtue of her career as a social worker in New York City, there’s no way she;s racist because she has helped many African Americans.
This statement bothers me a whole lot because it is questionable. We have no true evidence that this woman is not a racist because of her professional identity. There is no proof one way or the other to support this claim. Is this the response that her clients would share with the public? This is second tier racism in my opinion. She could a racist and still perform her job. It happens all the time in this nation because the color of money is a strong lure to override one’s personal bigotry.
Panskeptic

This woman is truly disgusting and speaks only for herself. The Jews I know repudiate this kind of senile idiocy.
Krownbb

more ignorance, more ignorance, more ignorance
neverhome

Well, if she’s OK with the other non-Jews being there, that pretty much narrows it down to racism. Or, maybe she’d be OK with Hispanics or Asians being buried there, in which case it’d be anti-Blackism, or something equally weird.

And as long as hate and ignorance persist, there will be racism. I’m beginning to think it’s human nature. Sad, that.
Anonymous

“I’m not a racist, I’m a social worker” = “I’m not a racist, I have black friends.”

Smh at dis mess.
Latinaforeva

Thank you for believing only the facts presented by the press, and not allowing for the benefit of doubt – or truth. Balaban objected to the burial BEFORE it even happened, without knowing the identity of the deceased. It is not a “non-denominational” cemetery. A non-Catholic cannot be buried in a Catholic cemetery, nor can a non- Native American be buried in sacred Native American burial grounds. The other “white” people that have plots there are “Interfaith” couples that have some ties to the Jewish faith, whereas Ms. Steer had absolutely NO relationship to Judaism. In FACT, there was a CHRISTIAN memorial service held one month after her burial….IN A CHURCH. This is clearly NOT a race issue, but a cheap defense where the losing team pulled the race card for a distraction from the real crime which was breach of contract. It is too bad that press sells sensationalism and not truth. Additionally, if you read correctly, you would have noticed Dave Collins’ faux pax: Balaban is a native of CUBA, thereby she is not white but Hispanic. Shame on you for making judgements based on ignorance.
Latinaforeva

Thank you for believing only the facts presented by the press, and not allowing for the benefit of doubt – or truth. Balaban objected to the burial BEFORE it even happened, without knowing the identity of the deceased. It is not a “non-denominational” cemetery. A non-Catholic cannot be buried in a Catholic cemetery, nor can a non- Native American be buried in sacred Native American burial grounds. The other “white” people that have plots there are “Interfaith” couples that have some ties to the Jewish faith, whereas Ms. Steer had absolutely NO relationship to Judaism. In FACT, there was a CHRISTIAN memorial service held one month after her burial….IN A CHURCH. This is clearly NOT a race issue, but a cheap defense where the losing team pulled the race card for a distraction from the real crime which was breach of contract. It is too bad that press sells sensationalism and not truth. Additionally, if you read correctly, you would have noticed Dave Collins’ faux pax: Balaban is a native of CUBA, thereby she is not white but Hispanic. Shame on you for making judgements based on ignorance.
Latinaforeva

Thank you for believing only the facts presented by the press, and not allowing for the benefit of doubt – or truth. Balaban objected to the burial BEFORE it even happened, without knowing the identity of the deceased. It is not a “non-denominational” cemetery. A non-Catholic cannot be buried in a Catholic cemetery, nor can a non- Native American be buried in sacred Native American burial grounds. The other “white” people that have plots there are “Interfaith” couples that have some ties to the Jewish faith, whereas Ms. Steer had absolutely NO relationship to Judaism. In FACT, there was a CHRISTIAN memorial service held one month after her burial….IN A CHURCH. This is clearly NOT a race issue, but a cheap defense where the losing team pulled the race card for a distraction from the real crime which was breach of contract. It is too bad that press sells sensationalism and not truth. Additionally, if you read correctly, you would have noticed Dave Collins’ faux pax: Balaban is a native of CUBA, thereby she is not white but Hispanic. Shame on you for making judgements based on ignorance.
Latinaforeva

Thank you for believing only the facts presented by the press, and not allowing for the benefit of doubt – or truth. Balaban objected to the burial BEFORE it even happened, without knowing the identity of the deceased. It is not a “non-denominational” cemetery. A non-Catholic cannot be buried in a Catholic cemetery, nor can a non- Native American be buried in sacred Native American burial grounds. The other “white” people that have plots there are “Interfaith” couples that have some ties to the Jewish faith, whereas Ms. Steer had absolutely NO relationship to Judaism. In FACT, there was a CHRISTIAN memorial service held one month after her burial….IN A CHURCH. This is clearly NOT a race issue, but a cheap defense where the losing team pulled the race card for a distraction from the real crime which was breach of contract. It is too bad that press sells sensationalism and not truth. Additionally, if you read correctly, you would have noticed Dave Collins’ faux pax: Balaban is a native of CUBA, thereby she is not white but Hispanic. Shame on you for making judgements based on ignorance.

SpeaktheTruth

Don’t be fooled:
Latinaforeva is a sockpuppet of Maria Balaban herself, a username widely used in response to this article. She herself copies and pastes the exact wording as in the post above all over the place, and her lawsuit uses many of the same artuments and wording, right down to the random CAPSLOCK.