New Square, New York
Encyclopedia
New Square is an all-Hasidic
village in the Town of Ramapo
, Rockland County
, New York
, United States
located north of Hillcrest; east of Viola
; south of New Hempstead
and west of New City
. Its inhabitants are predominantly members of the Skverer
Hasidic
movement who seek to maintain a Hasidic lifestyle disconnected from the modern world.
town Skvyra
, where the Skver Hasidim
have their roots. The founders intended to name the settlement New Skvir, but a typist-generated error anglicized the name. The village was established in 1954, when the Zemach David Corporation, representing the Skverer Rebbe
, Yaakov Yosef Twersky
purchased a 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) dairy farm near Spring Valley, New York
. Construction began in 1956, and the first four families moved to New Square in December 1956 from the Williamsburg
area of Brooklyn
, New York City
. In 1958 the settlement had 68 houses.
Ramapo's zoning regulations forbade the construction of multi family houses and the use of basements for shops and stores. Families occupying single-family houses said that they belonged to extended family, and private businesses in private homes had to be secret. In 1961, when the community asked for a building permit to expand its synagogue, located in the basement of a Cape Cod-style house, the town attorney requested the condemnation of the entire New Square community, citing that it threatened sewage lines. In response, the community requested incorporation as a village, and in July 1961 New Square incorporated after the New York Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the village. After it incorporated, New Square set its own zoning and building codes, legalising the existing houses and the liens disappeared. Lots were sold, and new houses were built. The businesses in basements could sell openly, and new businesses were founded, including a watch assembly plant and a cap manufacturer. Three knitting mills and a used car lot opened, but most men continued to go to work in the city. A Kollel
was opened in 1963. In 1968, the elder Skverer rebbe died and was succeeded by his son David Twersky.
, mostly from the Skverer Hasidic movement, who wish to maintain a Hasidic lifestyle while keeping outside influences to a minimum. The predominant language spoken in New Square is Yiddish.
People typically marry around 18 to 20 years of age. Girls finish high school at around age 17 and then marry. Custom dictates that women who marry people who studied in other Hasidic communities leave New Square. Some women who left New Square settled in the Borough Park
community in Brooklyn and the Monsey
community of the Town of Ramapo, where the community is not as tightly knit. Men who marry women from outside of the community are encouraged to stay in New Square.
In 2005 the community's rabbinical court ruled that women should not operate cars. In a 2003 article Lisa W. Foderaro of The New York Times
described New Square as "extremely insular" and said that the community's residents do not own televisions and radios.
Young men work as teachers, bus drivers, deliverymen, and store clerks. Some work as computer programmers or as craftsmen and entrepreneurs in the diamond industry. Many study in the kolel, a yeshiva for married men, and receive stipends to support their families.
In 1970 the village had the lowest per capita income in New York State. In 1963 four persons received welfare due to illness. One dozen people received welfare in 1975. In 1992 the village administrator said that in 1975 about two thirds of the families received food stamps and Medicaid
.
According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the village was $12,162, and the median income for a family was $12,208. Males had a median income of $21,696 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $5,237. About 67.0% of families and 72.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 77.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
2007 and 2008 reports from the State of New York stated that 89.8 of the village consisted of low-income and moderate-income residents.
New Square is located at 41°8′23"N 74°1′42"W (41.139745, -74.028197).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²), all of it land.
The village had around one hundred births each year from 1971 to 1986. By that year the village had 140 one, two, and three family houses, a 45-unit low-rent apartment complex, 2,100 people, and 450 families with an average of 7 to 8 children per family. During the late 1970s the Town of Ramapo denied New Square's attempt to annex land. Six years later, in March 1982 New Square gained the legal right to annex 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) of land.
New Square's population increased 77.5% between 1990 and 2000. In 2005 the village contained approximately 7830 residents; 1350 families, with 5.8 persons per family. Robert Zeliger of Rockland Magazine described New Square in 2007 as "a densely packed haven where Hasidic residents live largely by their own customs and laws." In November 2008 a new water tower serving New Square and the hamlet of Hillcrest opened, increasing residents' water pressure.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 4,624 people, 820 households, and 786 families residing in the village. The population density
was 12,811.8 people per square mile (4,959.3/km²). There were 838 housing units at an average density of 2,321.9 per square mile (898.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.95% White, 1.64% African American, 0.89% Asian, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population. 87.26% speak Yiddish
at home, 7.68% English
, and 4.11% Hebrew
.
There were 820 households out of which 77.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 92.6% were married couples
living together, 2.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% were non-families. 3.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.64 and the average family size was 5.81.
In the village the population was spread out with 60.5% under the age of 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 7.1% from 45 to 64, and 2.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 14 years. For every 100 females there were 105.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.7 males.
A 2007 report stated that each year one half of the women between ages 18 and 25 gave birth.
The Hillcrest Fire Department (also known as the Moleston Fire District) provides fire protection services to New Square. In March 2007, the fire district met with Town of Ramapo supervisors and proposed removing New Square from its fire district after a February 7, 2007 fire that destroyed two buildings in New Square. New Square is the site of frequent fires, from intentionally set nuisance fires in dumpsters and piles of refuse, to far more serious structure fires that quickly consume homes due to their sub-code construction and local reluctance to report incidents in a timely manner. New Square loses at least two to three residences a year to fire. Further hazards stem from only one main access road- Washington Avenue- and the failure of some residents to yield to emergency vehicles, or to the crowd of people on the streets surrounding an incident. There also have been isolated cases of residents tampering with fire equipment while responders are on scene.
The fire department felt concern about a lack of fire protection in buildings in New Square. On March 29 Ramapo town officials met fire district officials and fire department chiefs. On April 4 of that year the fire district announced that New Square would remain in the fire district. Christopher St. Lawrence, the Town of Ramapo supervisor, said that the town is considering a "public safety loan program" to help New Square residents install life safety devices such as smoke alarms and sprinkler systems.
In 1989 New Square funded their own Health Clinic called Refuah Health Center
.
New Square is within the 95th Assembly District in the New York State Assembly
, which is represented by Ellen Jaffee. New Square is within Senate District 38 in the New York State Senate
, which is represented by David Carlucci
.
justice as exemplified by the New Square arson attack
and other incidents. The rebbe has denounced this practice, saying: “The use of force and violence to make a point or settle an argument violates Skver’s most fundamental principles.”
, all children of New Square attend the local private Jewish PreK-12 schools, Avir Yaakov Boys School and Avir Yaakov Girls School, located in New Square.
s of education grants, subsidies, and loans from the U.S. Federal Government. The men were convicted in 1999. In October of that year all four men received prison sentences ranging from 30 months to 78 months. Two other suspects who were indicted left the United States.
Hillary Clinton met with New Square-area Hasidic leaders as part of her senate campaign. Michael Duffy and Karen Tumulty of TIME
said that "as far as anyone knows, that was a campaign event only; no pardons were mentioned." Hillary Clinton attended another session with the men, who wanted to see the four Hasidic leaders released. After Hillary Clinton was voted in as a senator, during the morning of December 22 Twersky and an associate visited Bill Clinton in the White House Map Room in Washington, D.C. and asked him to pardon the four men. Hillary Clinton attended the meeting; she said that she did not participate in it and did not discuss the meeting with her husband.
On January 20, 2001 President of the United States
Bill Clinton
commuted the sentences of the men; Berger's sentence became two years and the other men each had 30 months. Federal prosecutors investigated the pardons to see if they were made in exchange for political support. A 2001 ABC News
article stated that some people wondered whether the pardons occurred as a kind of favor because the Village of New Square had voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton for her first senate term (1359 out of 1369 votes) or if the pardons occurred as part of a quid pro quo
swap for votes. Hillary Clinton said that she was not involved in the pardons and that her husband pardoned the men out of clemency. In 2002 the prosecutors closed the investigation with no action.
in the town of Spring Glen, New York
.
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
village in the Town of Ramapo
Ramapo, New York
Ramapo , formerly known as New Hempstead and then Hampstead, is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of New Jersey; southeast of Orange County, New York; south of the Town of Haverstraw and west of the Town of Clarkstown and the Town of Orangetown...
, Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
located north of Hillcrest; east of Viola
Viola, New York
Viola is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Airmont; east of Montebello; south of Wesley Hills and west of Hillcrest...
; south of New Hempstead
New Hempstead, New York
New Hempstead, formally known as Kakiat , is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of New Square; east of Wesley Hills; south of Pomona and west of New City...
and west of New City
New City, New York
New City is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States, part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The hamlet is a suburb of New York City, located 18 miles north of the city at the closest point, Riverdale, The Bronx...
. Its inhabitants are predominantly members of the Skverer
Skver (Hasidic dynasty)
Skver is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Yitzchok Twerski in the city of Skver . Followers of the rebbes of Skver are called Skverer hasidim....
Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
movement who seek to maintain a Hasidic lifestyle disconnected from the modern world.
History
New Square is named after the UkrainianUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
town Skvyra
Skvyra
Skvyra is a town in the Kiev Oblast of central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Skvyra Raion , and is currently a municipality of raion subordinance. Skvyra currently has a population of about 18,009 and an area of ....
, where the Skver Hasidim
Skver (Hasidic dynasty)
Skver is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Yitzchok Twerski in the city of Skver . Followers of the rebbes of Skver are called Skverer hasidim....
have their roots. The founders intended to name the settlement New Skvir, but a typist-generated error anglicized the name. The village was established in 1954, when the Zemach David Corporation, representing the Skverer Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
, Yaakov Yosef Twersky
Twersky
Twersky, Twerski, or Tverski is the surname of a pedigree of rebbes in the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty. It was begun by the Grand Rabbi Menachum Nachum Twerski...
purchased a 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) dairy farm near Spring Valley, New York
Spring Valley, New York
Spring Valley, incorporated on July 9, 1902 is a village spanning the Town of Ramapo and Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Nanuet; east of Airmont and Monsey; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack...
. Construction began in 1956, and the first four families moved to New Square in December 1956 from the Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
area of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1958 the settlement had 68 houses.
Ramapo's zoning regulations forbade the construction of multi family houses and the use of basements for shops and stores. Families occupying single-family houses said that they belonged to extended family, and private businesses in private homes had to be secret. In 1961, when the community asked for a building permit to expand its synagogue, located in the basement of a Cape Cod-style house, the town attorney requested the condemnation of the entire New Square community, citing that it threatened sewage lines. In response, the community requested incorporation as a village, and in July 1961 New Square incorporated after the New York Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the village. After it incorporated, New Square set its own zoning and building codes, legalising the existing houses and the liens disappeared. Lots were sold, and new houses were built. The businesses in basements could sell openly, and new businesses were founded, including a watch assembly plant and a cap manufacturer. Three knitting mills and a used car lot opened, but most men continued to go to work in the city. A Kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
was opened in 1963. In 1968, the elder Skverer rebbe died and was succeeded by his son David Twersky.
Culture
The community in New Square is made up exclusively of Hasidic JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, mostly from the Skverer Hasidic movement, who wish to maintain a Hasidic lifestyle while keeping outside influences to a minimum. The predominant language spoken in New Square is Yiddish.
People typically marry around 18 to 20 years of age. Girls finish high school at around age 17 and then marry. Custom dictates that women who marry people who studied in other Hasidic communities leave New Square. Some women who left New Square settled in the Borough Park
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park , is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City in the United States....
community in Brooklyn and the Monsey
Monsey, New York
Monsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet...
community of the Town of Ramapo, where the community is not as tightly knit. Men who marry women from outside of the community are encouraged to stay in New Square.
In 2005 the community's rabbinical court ruled that women should not operate cars. In a 2003 article Lisa W. Foderaro of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described New Square as "extremely insular" and said that the community's residents do not own televisions and radios.
Economy
Young women, prior to entering marriage and before they have children work as teachers, secretaries, and bookkeepers, or they work in the New Square shopping center as cashiers and clerks. Some of the women, after having children, work as bookkeepers in their homes.Young men work as teachers, bus drivers, deliverymen, and store clerks. Some work as computer programmers or as craftsmen and entrepreneurs in the diamond industry. Many study in the kolel, a yeshiva for married men, and receive stipends to support their families.
In 1970 the village had the lowest per capita income in New York State. In 1963 four persons received welfare due to illness. One dozen people received welfare in 1975. In 1992 the village administrator said that in 1975 about two thirds of the families received food stamps and Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
.
According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the village was $12,162, and the median income for a family was $12,208. Males had a median income of $21,696 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $5,237. About 67.0% of families and 72.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 77.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
2007 and 2008 reports from the State of New York stated that 89.8 of the village consisted of low-income and moderate-income residents.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
In 1963 the settlement had 85 families and a total of 620 inhabitants. By 1967 this increased to 126 families and 812 total residents. The community celebrated ten marriages in 1967. In 1970 the village had 1,156 inhabitants, with 57% of the population under the age of 18.The village had around one hundred births each year from 1971 to 1986. By that year the village had 140 one, two, and three family houses, a 45-unit low-rent apartment complex, 2,100 people, and 450 families with an average of 7 to 8 children per family. During the late 1970s the Town of Ramapo denied New Square's attempt to annex land. Six years later, in March 1982 New Square gained the legal right to annex 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) of land.
New Square's population increased 77.5% between 1990 and 2000. In 2005 the village contained approximately 7830 residents; 1350 families, with 5.8 persons per family. Robert Zeliger of Rockland Magazine described New Square in 2007 as "a densely packed haven where Hasidic residents live largely by their own customs and laws." In November 2008 a new water tower serving New Square and the hamlet of Hillcrest opened, increasing residents' water pressure.
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,624 people, 820 households, and 786 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 12,811.8 people per square mile (4,959.3/km²). There were 838 housing units at an average density of 2,321.9 per square mile (898.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.95% White, 1.64% African American, 0.89% Asian, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population. 87.26% speak Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
at home, 7.68% English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and 4.11% Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
.
There were 820 households out of which 77.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 92.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 2.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.1% were non-families. 3.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.64 and the average family size was 5.81.
In the village the population was spread out with 60.5% under the age of 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 7.1% from 45 to 64, and 2.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 14 years. For every 100 females there were 105.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.7 males.
A 2007 report stated that each year one half of the women between ages 18 and 25 gave birth.
Government and infrastructure
As of 1992 the Village of New Square has a mayor, a mayor's assistant, a board of trustees, a village clerk, and a justice of the peace. The mayor's assistant performs the bulk of administrative work. The justice of the peace mainly handles harassment cases perpetrated by outsiders within New Square.The Hillcrest Fire Department (also known as the Moleston Fire District) provides fire protection services to New Square. In March 2007, the fire district met with Town of Ramapo supervisors and proposed removing New Square from its fire district after a February 7, 2007 fire that destroyed two buildings in New Square. New Square is the site of frequent fires, from intentionally set nuisance fires in dumpsters and piles of refuse, to far more serious structure fires that quickly consume homes due to their sub-code construction and local reluctance to report incidents in a timely manner. New Square loses at least two to three residences a year to fire. Further hazards stem from only one main access road- Washington Avenue- and the failure of some residents to yield to emergency vehicles, or to the crowd of people on the streets surrounding an incident. There also have been isolated cases of residents tampering with fire equipment while responders are on scene.
The fire department felt concern about a lack of fire protection in buildings in New Square. On March 29 Ramapo town officials met fire district officials and fire department chiefs. On April 4 of that year the fire district announced that New Square would remain in the fire district. Christopher St. Lawrence, the Town of Ramapo supervisor, said that the town is considering a "public safety loan program" to help New Square residents install life safety devices such as smoke alarms and sprinkler systems.
In 1989 New Square funded their own Health Clinic called Refuah Health Center
Refuah Health Center
Refuah Health Center is a health clinic located in the Village of New Square in Rockland County, New York.Refuah was funded in the Summer of 1989...
.
New Square is within the 95th Assembly District in the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, which is represented by Ellen Jaffee. New Square is within Senate District 38 in the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
, which is represented by David Carlucci
David Carlucci
David Carlucci is a member of the New York State Senate representing the 38th district, which includes all of Rockland County and parts of Orange County. He is an Independent Democrat....
.
Community norms
There is a strong expectation that residents of New Square will conform to community norms, for example, by worshiping at the community's synagogue and conforming to the Hasidic lifestyle. Generally conformity by those who do not comply voluntarily is enforced by the powers of "the kehillah", a council appointed by the rebbe, whose members control most community institutions. Those who have not conformed voluntarily have faced vigilanteVigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
justice as exemplified by the New Square arson attack
New Square arson attack
On May 22, 2011, Aron Rottenberg was attacked with an incendiary device outside his home in the village of New Square, New York by Shaul Spitzer who, it is believed, intended to set his house afire. Rottenberg suffered burns over 50% of his body. He was attacked because he chose not to pray in New...
and other incidents. The rebbe has denounced this practice, saying: “The use of force and violence to make a point or settle an argument violates Skver’s most fundamental principles.”
Education
Although the town is within the East Ramapo Central School DistrictEast Ramapo Central School District
East Ramapo Central School District is a school district headquartered in the Senator Eugene Levy Dr. Jack R. Anderson Education Center in the Town of Ramapo, New York, United States. The district serves areas of eastern Town of Ramapo, including Chestnut Ridge, New Hempstead, New Square, Spring...
, all children of New Square attend the local private Jewish PreK-12 schools, Avir Yaakov Boys School and Avir Yaakov Girls School, located in New Square.
Fraudulent grant receivers
Four Hasidic men from New Square, Benjamin Berger, Jacob Elbaum, David Goldstein, and Kalmen Stern, created a nonexistent Jewish school to receive $30 million United States dollarUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
s of education grants, subsidies, and loans from the U.S. Federal Government. The men were convicted in 1999. In October of that year all four men received prison sentences ranging from 30 months to 78 months. Two other suspects who were indicted left the United States.
Hillary Clinton met with New Square-area Hasidic leaders as part of her senate campaign. Michael Duffy and Karen Tumulty of TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
said that "as far as anyone knows, that was a campaign event only; no pardons were mentioned." Hillary Clinton attended another session with the men, who wanted to see the four Hasidic leaders released. After Hillary Clinton was voted in as a senator, during the morning of December 22 Twersky and an associate visited Bill Clinton in the White House Map Room in Washington, D.C. and asked him to pardon the four men. Hillary Clinton attended the meeting; she said that she did not participate in it and did not discuss the meeting with her husband.
On January 20, 2001 President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
commuted the sentences of the men; Berger's sentence became two years and the other men each had 30 months. Federal prosecutors investigated the pardons to see if they were made in exchange for political support. A 2001 ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
article stated that some people wondered whether the pardons occurred as a kind of favor because the Village of New Square had voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton for her first senate term (1359 out of 1369 votes) or if the pardons occurred as part of a quid pro quo
Quid pro quo
Quid pro quo most often means a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. English speakers often use the term to mean "a favour for a favour" and the phrases with almost identical meaning include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "this for that", and "you scratch my back,...
swap for votes. Hillary Clinton said that she was not involved in the pardons and that her husband pardoned the men out of clemency. In 2002 the prosecutors closed the investigation with no action.
Neighborhood disputes
For several years there has been a dispute between followers of the Skverrer rebbe, (the founder of New Square and the religious leader of the Hassidic court living there, with over 2000 residents in his following) and a small group of residents praying in a separate synagogue. Large demonstrations where reported and culminated in two suspected arson cases. There are claims that political involvement, with the large community vote has affected police, municipal and law enforcement treatment in these cases.Kiryas Square
Due to population growth in New Square, the Skver Hasidim have plans to expanded to a new village named Kiryas SquareKiryas Square
Kiryas Square is a planned Skver hasidic "shtetl" in the hamlet of Spring Glen, New York, prompted by a housing shortage in the town of New Square. The property, former Homowack Resort, was purchased by the Skver community in 2006. Dedication of the site was in August 2007...
in the town of Spring Glen, New York
Spring Glen, New York
Spring Glen is an unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Wawarsing in Ulster County, New York, United States. It is located just off US 209 just north of the Sullivan County line. It has the ZIP Code 12483....
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See also
- Skver (Hasidic dynasty)Skver (Hasidic dynasty)Skver is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Yitzchok Twerski in the city of Skver . Followers of the rebbes of Skver are called Skverer hasidim....
- Hasidism
- Kiryas SquareKiryas SquareKiryas Square is a planned Skver hasidic "shtetl" in the hamlet of Spring Glen, New York, prompted by a housing shortage in the town of New Square. The property, former Homowack Resort, was purchased by the Skver community in 2006. Dedication of the site was in August 2007...
- Kiryas Joel, New YorkKiryas Joel, New YorkKiryas Joel is a village within the town of Monroe in Orange County, New York, United States...
- Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a...
- Refuah Health CenterRefuah Health CenterRefuah Health Center is a health clinic located in the Village of New Square in Rockland County, New York.Refuah was funded in the Summer of 1989...
- New Square arson attackNew Square arson attackOn May 22, 2011, Aron Rottenberg was attacked with an incendiary device outside his home in the village of New Square, New York by Shaul Spitzer who, it is believed, intended to set his house afire. Rottenberg suffered burns over 50% of his body. He was attacked because he chose not to pray in New...
External links
- Mystics in the Suburbs - Time Magazine, 1961
- Hasidic Village Keeps Women out of the Driver's Seat
- Targeting Hasidim
- Scam Artists or Victims? The Hasidic Defendants of New Square
- Hasidic Jews' Pardons Included in Probe
- New York Town Mourns a Generous Friend
- Fishy Story Tests Chasidic Town’s Beliefs
- 2006 Census