Warwick historian Dr. Richard Hull presents lecture on Hasidic community Kiryas Joel

NYU professor says the community 'is like a visit to another world’ Warwick — On Tuesday, September 13, the parking lot was full and there was standing-room-only as almost 170 people crowded Warwick Town Hall to attend a lecture by Town of Warwick historian, Dr. Richard Hull. The lecture that evening, “A Village Apart in Orange County: History of the Hasidic People of Kiryas Joel,” was the first in a series on the history of enclave religious communities in Orange County. The series will examine specific communities that have consciously chosen to live apart and segregate themselves from their neighbors in order to preserve the integrity of their religious, cultural and social institutions. “My next community,” Hull said, “will be the Bruderhof (Bellvale Community) of Sugar Loaf followed by the Chardavoyne, then the Watch Tower in Sterling Forest.” 'Recognize it’s existence’ Hull explained that because some of these communities live in comparative isolation and limit their contact and communication with the world surrounding them they tend to be little understood and viewed with varying degrees of suspicion, curiosity, fear and hostility. “I have chosen to open this series with an examination of Kiryas Joel, or KJ,” said Hull, “because it is a vibrant and increasingly important part of our county and its explosive growth and widening political influence and prominence have begun to impact not only our county and its municipalities but the state as well. KJ’s problems have become our problems and their solutions have tested many long-established legal frameworks.” Kiryas Joel, a village within the Town of Monroe, is a religious municipality composed almost exclusively of orthodox Hasidic Jews of the Satmar sect. “You may have difficulty finding this mystical village as there are, strangely enough, no directional highway signs on any of the public roads and no postal zip code despite its large population,” Hull told his audience. “Nevertheless, this enigmatic community dwells within the very bosom of Orange County and it is our responsibility as citizens to recognize its existence.” 'Pious ones’ Hull continued his one and one half-hour lecture explaining in detail the lifestyle and history of the Hasids. “Kiryas Joel is like a visit to another world,” said Hull. “Yiddish is their language and their dress makes them look like people out of an eighteenth century central European shtetl or village. Hasidism means 'devout piety’ and since antiquity Hasid was the name given by Jews to those whom they considered to be 'pious ones.” He added that the Satmar, as religious fundamentalists, see themselves as the defenders of the Jewish faith in a world, which in their mind, is characterized by a declining number of Jews who define themselves through religious practice. Hull concluded his lecture with observations about the incompatibility of Kiryas Joel with its neighbors. “Its unique lifestyle,” said Hull, “requires a legal system that is often incompatible with the prevailing laws of the land that have shaped American history. As a result, laws and legal procedures are occasionally circumvented and that has invited a series of protracted and bitter lawsuits and counter suits between the community and outside government entities, institutions and individuals. “And to everyone’s consternation, many of these suits remain clogged in the courts and have been unresolved,” Hull added. Next On Wednesday evening, Sept. 28, Hull will present a lecture at the Warwick Town Hall on the recently closed Mid-Orange Correctional Facility and the history of the site. “I’m deeply concerned over its future,” he said, “and will offer some information that I hope our town authorities will pay attention to.” About the lecturer In addition to his role as Town of Warwick historian, Dr. Richard Hull is the author of several books on local history and has served as professor of African history at New York University. He was also the recipient of the Orange County Revered Citizen Award, a United Nations Distinguished Citizen Award and a Fulbright Fellowship. In recent years Hull has also taught a graduate seminar at NYU. I have chosen to open this series with an examination of Kiryas Joel, or KJ, because it is a vibrant and increasingly important part of our county and its explosive growth and widening political influence and prominence have begun to impact not only our county and its municipalities but the state as well. KJ’s problems have become our problems and their solutions have tested many long-established legal frameworks.” Dr. Richard Hull, Warwick Town historian Kiryas Joel by the numbers The following statistical and demographic information is found online at www.city-data.com/city/Kiryas-Joel-New-York.html#ixzz1YX568vm6 Population in July 2009:23,414 (78.2 percent increase since 2000). Males: 12,589 (53.8 percent). Females: 10,825 (46.2 percent). Median resident age: Kiryas Joel: 15.0 years New York State: 35.9 years Ancestries: Hungarian (15.3 percent), United States (8.0 percent) Land area: 1.10 square miles. Population density: 21,319 people per square mile Estimated median household income in 2009: New York: $54,659 . Kiryas Joel: $17,770. It was $15,138 in 2000. Estimated per capita income in 2009: $5,089 Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: New York: $306,000. Kiryas Joel: $359,797. It was $159,000 in 2000. Median gross rent in 2009: $1,090. Among many places to find out more about Kiryas Joel, visit www.kjvoice.com.