Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on April 2, 2015

Local historian explains origins of Satmar Hasidim & KJ, outlines conflicts between sect and broader community, long-term implications

Published Apr 2, 2015 at 1:46 pm (Updated Apr 2, 2015)

Photo illustration An example of high-density housing in the Village of Kiryas Joel.

Photo by Abby Wolf Richard Hull, a professor at New York University as well as the historian for the Town of Warwick, described the history of Kiryas Joel during a lecture last month at Congregation Eitz Chaim in Monroe.

The Kiryas Joel School.

The welcome sign to the Village of Kiryas Joel.

Images in yellow represent the properties whose owners have asked to be annexed from the Town of Monroe into the Village of Kiryas Joel.

By Abby Wolf MONROE Professor Richard Hull offered his insights into the Satmar Hasidic sect at his lecture, The Satmar of Kiryas Joel: An Historical and Cultural Perspective, to a riveted audience on Sunday, March 15.

Hull, a history professor and Warwick town historian, spoke in great detail for about two hours, to a diverse audience numbering between 80-90 souls at Congregation Eitz Chaim in Monroe.

He said that the insular community is one he would describe as a patriarchal theocracy, where men exclusively make the major decisions, both religious and secular, and where the Satmars particular and particularly stringent brand of Hasidic Judaism is interpreted by a small number of religious authorities, but chiefly by the Rebbe.

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Uneasy Neighbors

Category: Hasidic
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