Last month, the Jewish Light shared reporting from our national partners at The Forward that detailed the rise of a whites-only enclave in northeast Arkansas. That story, titled “No Jews allowed—just 222 miles from St. Louis, white supremacists build a ‘Christian nationalist’ town,” examined the efforts of a group called Return to the Land, which is establishing an off-grid community that, according to its own website and internal documents, bans Jews and non-white individuals.
Now, new reports suggest the group is setting its sights on Missouri—specifically, the Springfield area.
Whites-only enclave plans emerge in Springfield
The first public indication of Return to the Land’s plans came on July 22, when KOLR 10’s OzarksFirst.com reported that the group may be targeting the Springfield area for its next development. In that report, co-founder Eric Orwoll confirmed to the station that Missouri is under consideration. While the group hasn’t announced specific land purchases, it has described the move as being in the “initial planning process.”
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Orwoll defended the group’s model in a written statement, saying, “Americans have the right to freely associate and form intentional communities on whatever basis they choose.” On its website, Return to the Land describes itself as a private membership association open only to people with “traditional values and European ancestry.”
The following day, the ADL Heartland, based in St. Louis, issued a statement on social media, voicing concern over the reports and confirming that it is monitoring the situation alongside the organization’s Center on Extremism and local partners.
“Whatever trend we’re seeing of people from out of town thinking that they can come into Springfield and this kind of nonsense would be welcome—they clearly don’t know Springfield the way that we do,” said Jordan Kadosh, the ADL’s regional director, in an interview with the Springfield News-Leader.
Springfield’s elected leaders responded with a united front. On July 29, the city council and City Manager David Cameron released a joint statement declaring that “there is no place in Springfield, or anywhere, for such a divisive and discriminatory vision.” The statement noted that no city officials had been contacted by the group but emphasized that “silence is not an option.”
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Missouri lawmakers across the aisle have also denounced the group. State Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Springfield Democrat, told the Missouri Independent, “There’s no place in Springfield, no place in Missouri, no place in this country for a group who is intentionally leaving behind people who have a different skin color or intentionally leaving behind people of the Jewish faith.”
In released statement, House Majority Leader Alex Riley, a Springfield Republican, added, “Racism in any form is evil and reprehensible. Groups engaging in racist conduct are not welcome in Springfield.”
Group behind whites-only enclave defends legal model
In response to the mounting criticism, Return to the Land co-founder Eric Orwoll defended his group’s ideology in a July 31 post on X. “We have the God-given right to form communities according to whatever values we hold dear,” he wrote. “And the government does not have the right to tell free American citizens what values they have to live according to in their own private lives.”
The group claims its legal structure allows it to operate within the bounds of anti-discrimination laws. Members do not purchase property in the traditional sense; instead, they buy into an LLC that owns the land. On its website and Substack posts, Return to the Land insists it does not engage in the sale or rental of real estate, arguing that it qualifies as a private club exempt from the Civil Rights Act.
But legal experts have pushed back on that claim. Tulane University law professor Stacy Seicshnaydre told The Forward in an Aug. 1 report, that the group’s structure closely resembles a housing co-op and that civil rights protections still apply. “Imagine a co-op in New York City, in Manhattan, saying ‘no Jews,’ and it says, ‘Oh, but we’re a private association,’” she said. “The purpose of the co-op is to run a housing business.”
In the same piece, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin stated that Return to the Land does not appear to violate state or federal law. “From a legal perspective, we have not seen anything that would indicate any state or federal laws have been broken,” Griffin said.
But legal experts have challenged that claim. In The Forward’s Aug. 1 report, Tulane University law professor Stacy Seicshnaydre argued that the group’s legal structure closely resembles a housing co-op and remains subject to civil rights protections. “Imagine a co-op in New York City, in Manhattan, saying ‘no Jews,’ and it says, ‘Oh, but we’re a private association,’” she said. “The purpose of the co-op is to run a housing business.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, however, took a different view. In the same report, he stated that Return to the Land does not appear to violate state or federal law. “From a legal perspective, we have not seen anything that would indicate any state or federal laws have been broken,” Griffin said.
Legal interpretations diverge across state lines
Back in Missouri, Attorney General Andrew Bailey offered a sharply different view from Griffin’s. In a statement to the media, Bailey said: “The Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer, which originated in St. Louis, made clear that government cannot enforce racially discriminatory housing practices and Missouri will not tolerate efforts to revive them.”
According to Bailey, his office has also launched an investigation into Return to the Land to determine whether the group’s actions violate state or federal law.
We will continue to keep an eye on this story as it develops.
