OPINION: Cuomo Should Not Support Reckless Efforts to Curb the Growth of Kiryas Joel

When presenting an issue to public officials, it is sometimes beneficial to make the matter more controversial than it really is. This is especially true when a plain reading of the situation doesn’t support your position. But as the saying goes, while you are entitled to your own opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts.

This is the case with recent legislative efforts to curtail the ability of Kiryas Joel—a storied Hasidic community in Orange County—to organically grow to accommodate its rapidly expanding population. Opponents of this growth are forcefully presenting arguments based on how they wish the world was, and not how it really is. While village opponents are entitled to their obviously deeply held beliefs, an imminent policy decision on this important matter—whether to veto reckless legislation passed to curtail the growth of this village—shouldn’t be based on village opponents’ equally obvious commitment to denial and distortion.

Kiryas Joel is a civic entity whose residents adhere to foundational religious practices. While strange to some, and admittedly discomforting to others, these practices inform all aspects of the culture of Kiryas Joel’s residents. These practices are not quaint or backwards—they are vital to their culture. They also should not be considered in assessing the merits of Kiryas Joel’s needed growth—doing so would be inappropriate.

That leaves us with the facts. 

• Kiryas Joel has been a responsible, engaged neighbor anchoring regional stability, and economic vibrancy.
• The village engaged in lengthy litigation and legislative efforts to carefully carve out a self-taxing, self-sustaining school district for its children so as to avoid messy entanglements involving taxes, school boards, and other people’s children.
• Planning for organic growth has been a consistent Kiryas Joel habit, with infrastructure improvements happening now that were planned for ten years ago or more.
• Kiryas Joel anchored development in the region, encouraging the growth of nearby communities, which sadly are now opposing Kiryas Joel’s expansion.
• Allegations of regional fiscal calamity due to village residents’ poverty levels and reliance on social services completely misstate how such programs operate and are funded, and where the money for them comes from. Similarly, these arguments fail to grasp the high level of cradle-to-grave services Kiryas Joel residents receive from religious organizations, which do not receive public money.
• Despite allegations otherwise, Kiryas Joel has consistently exercised restraint in its civic affairs, despite the electoral ability to do otherwise. For example, village residents regularly decide not to elect one of their own to local and countywide legislative bodies, which they could easily do, preferring to eschew decision-making authority over issues not relevant to their culture.

Since its founding in 1974, Kiryas Joel has been controversial simply because it exists and grows. Perhaps you’ve heard the joke about a previous Kiryas Joel school district superintendent being asked how many students they teach, answering with, “I only have this morning’s numbers.” 

Kiryas Joel’s 30,000 residents aren’t a problem to be solved, they are a model of how a faith-based, foreign-language community can be a part of a wider community while also being somewhat apart from it.

Kiryas Joel should be allowed to expand. Gov. Andrew Cuomo should veto legislation hurried through the state Senate and Assembly. A realistic, accurate understanding of Kiryas Joel’s history, its neighbors, and what regional future can look like all strongly suggest a decision in favor of openness, diversity and dignity consistent with recent civil rights celebrations.   

Michael Tobman is an independent Brooklyn-based political consultant.