Kiryas Joel, New York
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Kiryas Joel (sometimes also pronounced as Kiryas Yo'el or Kiryat Joel or KJ) (Hebrew: "Town of Joel") is a village located in Orange County, New York.
The Village of Kiryas Joel is in the Town of Monroe.
As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 13,138. The great majority of its residents are Orthodox Jews of the Satmar Hasidic sect, making it a virtual Satmar enclave.
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History: Inspired by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum
It is named for Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum who encouraged the project and helped choose its location a number of years prior to his passing 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 and following the end of World War II, he encouraged his hasidim ("disciples") to look 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 spot near Monroe was chosen and found acceptance with many of the Satmar hasidim.
Not long after the founding of Kiryas Joel, Rabbi Teitelbaum was the first person to be buried in the town's cemetery in 1979, and the town's name was dedicated to honor him. His funeral reportedly brought over 100,000 mourners to Kiryas Joel at that time.
Geography
Kiryas Joel is located at 41°20'24" North, 74°10'2" West (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 none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 13,138 people, 2,229 households, and 2,137 families residing in the village. The population density is 4,611.5/km² (11,962.2/mi²). There are 2,233 housing units at an average density of 783.8/km² (2,033.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 99.02% White, 0.21% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,229 households out of which 79.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 93.2% are married couples living together, 1.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% are non-families. 2.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 2.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 5.74 and the average family size is 5.84.
In the village the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 15 years. For every 100 females there are 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 118.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $15,138, and the median income for a family is $15,372. Males have a median income of $25,043 versus $16,364 for females. The per capita income for the village is $4,355. 62.2% of the population and 61.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 63.9% of those under the age of 18 and 50.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Friction with surrounding jurisdictions
The Satmar Hasidic Judaism community of Kiryas Joel, New York, is next to Monroe and Monroe (village), New York. There is frequent opposition from the people of Monroe and the authorities of Orange County, New York to what they view as "encroachment" by Orthodox Jews due to the rapid growth of the Satmar hasidim who have extremely large growing families, and who need more land to build their homes and community-related building projects such as synagogues, yeshivas and mikvahs.
See also
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) (http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2004/03/12/camkjlan.htm)
- Satmar group files to make land tax exempt (April 6, 2004) (http://www.th-record.com/archive/2004/04/06/vwichud.htm)
- Myriad of deals done to carve out new village (July 12, 2004) (http://www.th-record.com/archive/2004/07/11/camvaadw.htm)
- Editorial: When dreams collide (August 15, 2004) (http://www.th-record.com/archive/2004/08/15/editkj.htm)
- Bohan, KJ and the NYC Aqueduct (June 30, 2004) (http://www.th-record.com/archive/2004/06/30/30letter.htm)