Felony Charges In Kiryas Joel Disturbances

Hasidic factions battle over turf.

2 teenagers in Kiryas Joel charged after $500 window broken
By Chris Mckenna • RecordOnline

KIRYAS JOEL — Two 15-year-old Kiryas Joel boys accused of throwing a rock through a home window Sunday night have been charged with criminal mischief, a felony, and criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor.

The arrests followed several days of rowdy protests by local students in response to a wedding celebrated by a dissident congregation Wednesday just outside Kiryas Joel. Their activities included overturning the car of a relative of the wedding couple.

The two boys charged with smashing a $500 window on Satmar Drive had earlier been questioned about the overturned car, according to state police. They have been released to await action in Family Court.

Here's some background on the conflict:

Kiryas Joel Sects Clash Over Wedding
North Country Gazette

ORANGE COUNTY—Disturbances throughout Kiryas Joel since last week have resulted in several police responses.

On Wednesday night, State Police responded to the property of the Bnai Joel School located on CR 105 in the Town of Woodbury. Troopers with assistance of the Town of Woodbury PD located a group of Yeshiva students from the main congregation in the Village of Kiryas Joel attempting to trespass onto the property and disrupt a wedding which was in progress.

Police said their investigation determined the wedding was the first officiated without the presence or approval of the main congregation. A rabbi performing the ceremony was not typically recognized  by the congregation. The group was dispersed without incident.  

During the evening, disturbances continued when several residents from Kiryas Joel were telephonically harassed by Yeshiva students from the main congregation UTA school because of the wedding.

On Thursday evening, Troopers were summonsed to the area of Satmar Drive in the Village of Kiryas Joel.  The Yeshiva students from the main congregation had a non-resident rent a small box van. The Yeshiva students then mounted speakers to the van and played an audible broadcast denouncing the wedding from the previous evening. The van with its occupants began to protest throughout Kiryas Joel until it became gridlocked in traffic preventing at least 30 vehicles from moving.

Upon arrival of State Police,  a large group from the dissident congregation had gathered around the van. The occupants of the van were taken back to the Monroe barracks and issued several traffic tickets while the vehicles and crowd were dispersed by additional troopers.

On Friday afternoon, another small box van with audible speakers was utilized by the Yeshiva students from the main congregation and parked in the vicinity of the public parking lot located near the synagogue in the Village of Kiryas Joel. An audible broadcast continued until the speakers were removed by a group from the dissident congregation.

On Saturday evening, State Police responded to the parking lot of the main synagogue on Garfield Road. Upon arrival there were several hundred people gathered and a vehicle had been overturned by the disorderly group prior to arrival of troopers.

Troopers, with the assistance of the Town of Woodbury Police and the Village of Monroe Police, were able to disperse the crowd and have the vehicle removed. The owner of the vehicle was determined to be a relative of one of the parties married on Wednesday night.     

State Police said they would continue to diligently patrol the area to prevent further activities from occurring and to keep the residents safe. 

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Comments

[A. Nuran]

'Bout freakin' time

[Dr. Moe]

Is this on youtube yet?

[effie]

I was going to say it's a step up from their battling over a septic tank but since they were trying to spoil someone's wedding, it's pretty despicable behavior.

[HaNavon]

the one that needs to be charged is aharon teitelbaum. he has openly ordered the destruction of property and the bodily harm of anyone who disagrees with him.
he is a danger to the jewish people and whatever we can do to subvert his power and the power of the charedi leaders in general must be done, this is an issue that we can not longer ignore, we must act to stop them and if we don't, the blood of jews will be on our hands. it is just a matter of time until fanaticism reaches the point of murder.

[danny]

So what is the real story with the dissident rabbi and dissident congregation? Is it philosophical differences? Biblical interpretation? My yichus is bigger than your yichus?

Or does the new group just need to get their own facility, and everyone will be happy?

[harold]

Williamsburg, NY - One of the Few Last Known Hasidic Jews Saved By Shindler Passes Away

Williamsburg, NY - Reb Yosel Ryba, beloved Gabai of the Amshinover Beis Medrash for over fifty years passed away this past Shabbos. Named for his father who passed away shortly before his birth, Reb Yosel was raised by his aunt and uncle in Poland. He is one of the few last known Hasidic Jews who was saved during World War II by German businessman Oscar Schindler, who is credited with saving over one thousand Polish Jews by employing them in his factories, rescuing them from certain death.

After the war ended, Reb Yosel ran a kitchen in Czecheslovakia and with the help of his brother in law, he fed over 150,000 people. Upon his arrival in America, Reb Yosel was settled in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, at the home of his sister and brother in law, but deep in his heart, Reb Yosel knew that Wilkes Barre was not the place to raise a strong Jewish family. Despite the fact that he had no family in Williamsburg, Reb Yossel followed his heart and relocated there, where he found the type of community he was seeking. He got married, had three sons and joined the Amshinover Beis Medrash, where he davened his entire life. He forged a strong connection with the Amshinover Rebbe, among many others.

Upon the birth of his first son, Reb Yosel received a special bracha from the Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel Teitelbaum, Zt'l telling him that if he would collect money for Mosdos Yitav Lev in Israel, he would be blessed with good children. Even while Reb Yoself was in business, he devoted himself to collecting tzedaka, a task he continued even in his final days when he was confined to a wheelchair.

Reb Yosel is remembered as a vibrant individual, whose entire life revolved around helping others, no matter who they were or where they came from. He was well known in both Williamsburg and Boro Park, particularly in the Gerrer and Amshinover communities and was beloved by all. He sent his later years doing what he loved most: sitting in the Beis Medrash, collecting tzedaka and helping others.

Reb Yosel passed away on his 91st birthday, Tu B’Shvat, which was also the yahrtzeit of both his aunt and uncle who raised him, just one day after the yahrtzeit of his father in law, R’ Zangwil Lefkowitz.

[WoolSilkCotton]

"Eliyahu Ezagui goes on trial in Brooklyn federal court today, Tuesday. He is being accused of scamming families in the Crown Heights community in an alleged $18 million mortgage swindle."

http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=24069

[Maskil]

Shmarya,

I wish you would stop making all these posts before you post an explanation of the reign of Aharon Teitelbaum and the Satmar conflict after he took power. He seems to be far more learned and disciplined than his father Moshe, and he has been long accepted as a holy and scholarly man by the other Chasidic sects. Whether HaNavon thinks otherwise, or writes what he did despite the above being true, is unclear. It would be nice to see an article expanding on the current take on the Satmar situation from within and without the Satmar community.

[R]

I don't think anyone cares about the inner conflicts of Satmar. It's childish and disgusting. They not only make fools out of themselves, but they make fools out of all Jews.
Sadly they put themselves up on a pedestal and claimed to the world that they are the epitomy of a righteous jew.

[devorah]

What a waste of taxpayers money for the police to respond to this nonsense. Let the KJ residents provide their own security. Between the Monsey riots from last month, and now this KJ mess, we're not looking too normal to our goyish neighbors.

[harold]

What a waste of taxpayers money for the police to respond to this nonsense

True, the police have better thing to do than to bring in two 15 year old boys for breaking a window.

[Avrumy]

What a kiddush hashem! Why did I go off the derech? How did I lose my faith in the ribbono shel oilam?