Kiryas Joel, New York: Difference between revisions
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==Inspired by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum== |
==Inspired by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum== |
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[[Image:Bde1.jpg|thumb|250px|The main [[synagogue]] in Kiryas Joel]] |
[[Image:Bde1.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The main [[synagogue]] in Kiryas Joel]] |
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It is named for and by [[Rabbi]] [[Joel Teitelbaum]], the [[rebbe]] of Satmar, who encouraged the project and helped choose its location a number of years prior to his death in [[1979]]. Rabbi Teitelbaum was the first and founding rebbe of the Satmar Hasidic dynasty, originally from [[Hungary]]. |
It is named for and by [[Rabbi]] [[Joel Teitelbaum]], the [[rebbe]] of Satmar, who encouraged the project and helped choose its location a number of years prior to his death in [[1979]]. Rabbi Teitelbaum was the first and founding rebbe of the Satmar Hasidic dynasty, originally from [[Hungary]]. |
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Not long after the founding of Kiryas Joel, in 1979, Rabbi Teitelbaum became the first person buried in the town's cemetery. His funeral reportedly brought over 100,000 mourners to Kiryas Joel at that time. |
Not long after the founding of Kiryas Joel, in 1979, Rabbi Teitelbaum became the first person buried in the town's cemetery. His funeral reportedly brought over 100,000 mourners to Kiryas Joel at that time. |
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| ⚫ | As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 2,229 households, and 2,137 families residing in the village. The [[population density]] was 4,611.5/km² (11,962.2/mi²). There were 2,233 housing units at an average density of 783.8/km² (2,033.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.02% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.21% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.02% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.12% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.63% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.93% of the population. |
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| ⚫ | There were 2,229 households out of which 79.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 93.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 1.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% were non-families. 2.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.74 and the average family size was 5.84. |
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| ⚫ | In the village the population was spread out with 57.5% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 7.2% from 45 to 64, and 1.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 15 years. For every 100 females there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.0 males. |
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| ⚫ | The median income for a household in the village was $15,138, and the median income for a family was $15,372. Males had a median income of $25,043 versus $16,364 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $4,355. About 61.7% of families and 62.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 63.9% of those under age 18 and 50.5% of those age 65 or over. |
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==Friction with surrounding jurisdictions== |
==Friction with surrounding jurisdictions== |
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In 1994, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruled that the Kiryas Joel school district, which covered only the village, was designed in violation of the [[Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|1st Amendment]], because the design accommodated one group on the basis of religious affiliation. 512 U.S. 687 (1994). Subsequently, the New York State Legislature established a similar school district in the town that has passed legal muster. |
In 1994, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruled that the Kiryas Joel school district, which covered only the village, was designed in violation of the [[Establishment Clause]] of the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|1st Amendment]], because the design accommodated one group on the basis of religious affiliation. 512 U.S. 687 (1994). Subsequently, the New York State Legislature established a similar school district in the town that has passed legal muster. |
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| ⚫ | As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 2,229 households, and 2,137 families residing in the village. The [[population density]] was 4,611.5/km² (11,962.2/mi²). There were 2,233 housing units at an average density of 783.8/km² (2,033.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.02% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.21% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.02% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.12% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.63% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.93% of the population. |
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| ⚫ | There were 2,229 households out of which 79.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 93.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 1.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% were non-families. 2.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.74 and the average family size was 5.84. |
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| ⚫ | In the village the population was spread out with 57.5% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 7.2% from 45 to 64, and 1.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 15 years. For every 100 females there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.0 males. |
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| ⚫ | The median income for a household in the village was $15,138, and the median income for a family was $15,372. Males had a median income of $25,043 versus $16,364 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $4,355. About 61.7% of families and 62.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 63.9% of those under age 18 and 50.5% of those age 65 or over. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 16:32, 26 October 2006
Village of Kiryas Joel | |
|---|---|
 Kiryas Joel's rapid and ongoing growth has been one of several sore points between it and surrounding communities | |
 Location of Kiryas Joel within New York | |
| Government | |
| • Administrator | Gedalye Szegedin |
| Elevation | 257 m (842 ft) |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 13,138 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (US EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern Daylight Time) |
Kiryas Joel (or Kiryas Yo'el or Kiryat Joel or KJ) (קרית יואל, Hebrew: "Town of Joel") is a village within the Town of Monroe in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,138 at the 2000 census. The great majority of its residents are Hasidic Jews belonging to the Satmar Hasidic dynasty, making it a significant Satmar enclave.
The village has the youngest median age (15.0) of any population center of over 5,000 residents in the United States. [1]
Inspired by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum
It is named for and by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the rebbe of Satmar, who encouraged the project and helped choose its location a number of years prior to his death in 1979. Rabbi Teitelbaum was the first and founding rebbe of the Satmar Hasidic dynasty, originally from Hungary.
Encouraged and impressed by the success of the Skver Hasidim in establishing New Square, New York, and when the confines of his newly re-established and growing community grew too small in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he had settled after the Holocaust following the end of World War II, he encouraged his disciples to search for a location that would not be too far from the commercial center of New York City, but that would also allow his followers to raise their large families in relative seclusion away from what he and his followers deemed to be the negative immoral influences of the outside world.
Eventually the location near Monroe was chosen and found acceptance with many of the Satmar Hasidim. However, the Satmar Rebbe did not want the village to be exclusively used by Satmar Hasidim, and he encouraged other Hasidic groups and non-Hasidic ones, that agreed with his political views, to open synagogues in the village, and today there are over 40 synagogues in the village of Kiryas Joel; however, the vast majority of the residents are Satmar Hasidim.
Not long after the founding of Kiryas Joel, in 1979, Rabbi Teitelbaum became the first person buried in the town's cemetery. His funeral reportedly brought over 100,000 mourners to Kiryas Joel at that time.
Friction with surrounding jurisdictions
The village has become a contentious issue in Orange County for several reasons, mainly related to its rapid growth.[2] Unlike most other small towns, it lacks a real downtown and much of it is given over to residential property, which has mostly taken the form of contemporary townhouse-style condominium complexes similar to those found in ski resort communities in western states. New construction is going on everywhere.
Local impact of growth
Monroe also contains two other villages, Monroe and Harriman. Kiryas Joel's boundaries also come close to the neighboring towns of Blooming Grove and Woodbury.
Residents of these communities and local and Orange County politicians view the village as encroaching on them.[3] Due to the rapid population growth occurring in Kiryas Joel, resulting almost entirely from the high birth rates of its Hasidic population, the village government has undertaken various annexation efforts to expand its acreage, to the dismay of the majority of the residents of the surrounding communities. Many of these area residents see the expansion of the high-density residential and commercial village as a threat to the quality of life in the surrounding suburban communities. They view it as a prime source of suburban sprawl (most land surrounding it is largely undeveloped). Other concerns of the surrounding communities are the impact this unchecked growth will have on the local aquifers and the projected increased volume of sewage reaching the county’s sewerage treatment plants (which are near capacity, as of 2005).
On August 11, 2006, residents of Woodbury vote by a 3-to-1 margin to incorporate much of the town as a village to constrain further annexation. Kiryas Joel has vigorously opposed such moves in court, and even some Woodbury residents are concerned about adding another layer of taxation without any improved defense against annexations.
Local politics
Further frustrating village critics is its impact on local politics. Villagers are perceived as voting in a solid bloc. While this is not always the case, the highly concentrated population often does skew strongly toward one candidate or the other in local elections, making Kiryas Joel a heavily-courted swing vote for whichever politician offers Kiryas Joel the most favorable environment for continued growth.
Sometimes this perception is borne out. In the town's 2005 municipal election, a slate of anti-growth Democratic candidates for the Town Board ran against pro-growth Republicans. The Democrats carried almost every precinct in town but lost the election because the Kiryas Joel vote went strongly for the Republicans.
Alleged vote fraud and intimidation
Adding to this are persistent allegations of electoral fraud related to the village. An investigation by the local newspaper, the Middletown Times Herald Record, found that some residents apparently voted regularly in local elections despite living full-time in places as far away as Antwerp (New York's Elections Law bars residents who live overseas from voting in county or local elections).A Subsequent investigation by the District Attorney failed to substantiate this claim[citation needed].
Village leaders strongly denied this and insisted the newspaper was either badly mistaken or negligent in its coverage or trying to whip up hysteria against it.
It is widely believed that no candidates run for either the village's board or the school board unless first approved by the grand rebbe.
In 2001, Kiryas Joel held a truly competitive election [4], in which all candidates supported by the grand rabbi were re-elected by a 60-40% margin.
Litigation over the School District
In 1994, the Supreme Court ruled that the Kiryas Joel school district, which covered only the village, was designed in violation of the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment, because the design accommodated one group on the basis of religious affiliation. 512 U.S. 687 (1994). Subsequently, the New York State Legislature established a similar school district in the town that has passed legal muster.
Geography
Kiryas Joel is located at 41°20′24″N 74°10′2″W / 41.34000°N 74.16722°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.340020, -74.167229)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²). 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and only a very small portion of the area (a small duck pond in center of the village) is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 2,229 households, and 2,137 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,611.5/km² (11,962.2/mi²). There were 2,233 housing units at an average density of 783.8/km² (2,033.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.02% White, 0.21% African American, 0.02% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
The 2000 census also reports that only 6.16% of the village speaks English at home, with Hebrew at 2.3%, and over 88% of the population of Kiryas Joel speaking Yiddish at home.[5]
There were 2,229 households out of which 79.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 93.2% were married couples living together, 1.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% were non-families. 2.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.74 and the average family size was 5.84.
In the village the population was spread out with 57.5% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 7.2% from 45 to 64, and 1.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 15 years. For every 100 females there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $15,138, and the median income for a family was $15,372. Males had a median income of $25,043 versus $16,364 for females. The per capita income for the village was $4,355. About 61.7% of families and 62.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 63.9% of those under age 18 and 50.5% of those age 65 or over.
References
- "Reverberations of a Baby Boom" by Fernanda Santos, The New York Times, August 27, 2006, retrieved August 27, 2006
See also
- New Square, New York
- Monroe (village), New York
- Monroe (town), New York
- Satmar
- Hasidism
- Shtetl
- Mea Shearim
- Bnei Brak
In the local media
Often, the local media gives the "clashes" between Kiryas Joel and its neighbors front-page status:
- Move could double KJ's size (March 12, 2004)
- Satmar group files to make land tax exempt (April 6, 2004)
- Myriad of deals done to carve out new village (July 12, 2004)
- Editorial: When dreams collide (August 15, 2004)
- Bohan, KJ and the NYC Aqueduct (June 30, 2004)