Neighbors Want Peace From Temple : West Covina: A brawl at a wedding reception was the last straw for nearby residents who don’t want the congregation to rent its facilities to non-members.

An early-morning brawl at a wedding reception held at a local synagogue has strained relations between the temple and its neighbors, who this week asked the city to prohibit the synagogue from renting its facilities to non-members.

The City Council on Monday accepted a petition signed by 10 residents of Van Horn Avenue, north of Temple Shalom.

The temple, in the 1900 block of Merced Avenue, was the site of a July 8 brouhaha involving between 50 and 60 people, including suspected gang members, authorities said. Police Sgt. Rick Nelson said two men were arrested and released and two suffered cuts and bruises.

“It was not gang-related, although gang members were there,” Police Chief Ronald Holmes said. “The fight started with two girls arguing over a boy, and some guys tried to break up the fight.”

The reception was held by a group that is not affiliated with the temple.

Bob and Connie Warden, whose home faces the synagogue, said they started their petition drive the day after they witnessed the fight. They said they were fed up with noise, trash, traffic congestion and damage to their property from wedding receptions and parties sponsored by outside groups.

Leaders of the 32-year-old synagogue, which temple officials believe has the second-largest Jewish congregation in the San Gabriel Valley, said they deplored the brawl and have agreed to work with residents to solve the problem.

“It was a shocking thing to have the fight there, and have bloodshed,” Rabbi Elisha Nattiv said.

Jane Fisher, administrator of the temple, said the temple will begin employing off-duty police officers as security for events involving non-members.

However, she said the synagogue will continue to rent to well-behaved non-members who have used the facility frequently in the past.

But Nattiv said the temple may stop renting the building altogether if the process becomes too burdensome.

He also said he is disappointed that the residents complained to the council because temple officials had already talked to them about taking care of the problems.

But the Wardens, who moved into the area 13 years ago, said they and other neighbors have been complaining to the temple for years. For instance, the Wardens claim that their mailbox was destroyed twice by intoxicated guests attending special events at the temple.

The Wardens said the brawl was the last straw.

They also have complaints about temple landscaping and two dilapidated buildings on synagogue property--a decrepit two-story house and a weather-worn sheet-metal building.

“The buildings should have come down long ago,” Bob Warden said.

The rabbi agreed the buildings are an eyesore, but said demolition was delayed because of lack of funds and because classes were being held in one of the buildings.

On Thursday, Fisher displayed plans for demolishing the structures and building a multipurpose building to replace them.

Jerry Kaplan, of JL Kaplan Construction Co., said that the buildings will be demolished by the end of August and that the new building is expected to be completed by next spring.

The residents have asked the council to force the temple to:

* Stop renting its facilities to non-members after Jan. 1, 1991.

* Hire West Covina police officers for security purposes for events scheduled for the remainder of the year.

* Demolish the two dilapidated buildings.

* Build and landscape a brick wall on the north side of the property.

* Consult with residents before construction begins on the new building.

* Designate a contact person to work with residents when a problem occurs.

Police officials said the city cannot prohibit the temple from renting its facilities to non-members but could suggest stop the practice. The City Council is expected to respond to the residents’ requests at its Aug. 27 meeting.

In a related matter, city Building and Safety officials Monday gave the temple seven days in which to correct maintenance and electrical problems in the two buildings.