The fascinating town of Kiryas Joel, a rapidly-growing community of Satmar Hasidic Jews in upstate New York, has been getting a lot of media coverage lately. The town is technically the poorest in the nation, but the residents thrive through a combination of collectivism, a largely cash-based economy, the tax-exempt status of their religious and non-profit institutions, and their ability to secure a disproportionate share of state and federal funds by voting and fundraising in a bloc. Rob Boston has been tracking the coverage:
[V]isitors to Kiryas Joel might be forgiven for believing they have stepped into a mini-theocracy.
A sign at the village entrance admonishes visitors to dress modestly. Cleavage-revealing tops for women are verboten, and both sexes are told to cover arms and legs. Couples are advised to “maintain gender separation in public places.” The sign was erected by the town’s largest synagogue. Its wording is tough, but in fact the village can’t legally enforce rules like this. Still, women who dare to visit the community while wearing skimpy summer outfits have reported scowls and glares. (Imagine the reaction from the Religious Right if this were a town of fundamentalist Muslims and they erected a sign reading, “Women are welcome to visit if accompanied by a male relative. Please respect our values by wearing a burqa.”)
Boston also points to a more substantive story: dissident Jews in Kiryas Joel have filed a federal lawsuit attempting the dissolve the town because its leadership "violates the First Amendment's prohibition against the government respecting an establishment of religion":
The case alleges discrimination against dissidents — estimated in court papers to comprise 40 percent of the village's roughly 20,000 residents — in various facets of public life, from tax exemptions for synagogues to election improprieties to selective enforcement of village noise ordinances. Among the most serious allegations is that Kiryas Joel's Public Safety Department, a quasi-police agency, has acted as enforcers for the main congregation and tolerated acts of violence and intimidation against dissidents by unruly crowds of young supporters of Satmar Grand Rebbe Aron Teitelbaum, the leader of Kiryas Joel's majority faction.
In one incident in August 2010, a mob of screaming boys — angry about a marriage held in a dissident wedding hall — allegedly hounded relatives of one of the newlyweds as they walked home from a synagogue after midnight. The complaint says the boys punched, kicked and threw bottles and eggs at the family, which included a pregnant woman. The suit alleges that public safety officers passed by during the harassment and did nothing.
There is divided opinion as to whether the lawsuit has legs.
The Dish 