KJ Terror TV reporting of Rabbi Teitelbaum's Terror in Kiryas Joel History

[Music] on the 4th of July our thoughts turn to fireworks and barbecues we should also pause to acknowledge our basic rights as Americans freedom of speech freedom of assembly the right to vote all too often we take these freedoms for granted little more than 30 years ago before Martin Luther King LED marches across the South millions of Americans couldn't vote for their elected representatives even after getting that right they faced obstacles in exercising it but if you think that no one can interfere with an American minority's voting rights think again it's happening right here in Orange County just a few minutes from downtown Monroe is the village of curious Jo a community of satmar hium an ultra Orthodox Jewish sect its religious leadership controls all aspects of life within the village and dissent is not tolerated several hundred dissidents have been expelled from the main synagogue the location of The Village's only polling place when dissidents go to cast their ballots they have been greeted with Hostile Mobs shouts shoves Showers of cold water and signs proclaiming their Outcast status they've tried for years to get officials to move the polling place to a neutral location with no success last fall 170 of them were allowed to vote in Goan by absentee ballot a trip they gladly made due to their fear of voting in their own community in this month's episode of Orange County public affairs Network we will explore the abuses of power by curious Joel's religious leadership which have been well documented by the Times Herald Record by 60 Minutes The Village Voice The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times all have spelled out why the Republican controlled Orange County Legislature and the County Human Rights Commission allow these abuses to continue they are beholden to a block vote of thousands around the world 100 thousand satmar hedum abide strictly by the Old Testament rabinal law and customs of 19th century Europe many live in Williamsburg Brooklyn 12,000 of them live in Curious Joel no one drives a car on Saturdays The Jewish Sabbath there are no bars movies or TV in the Village stores you can't buy newspapers or magazines from the outside world people speak Yiddish and attend daily prayer services hundreds of boys and girls come up from Williamsburg to study at one of KJ's parochial schools most youth marry at 17 or 18 with the help of a Matchmaker in Curious Joel there is no separation between religion and government the grand rabbi picks the officials who run Village Affairs the schools and the planning board his word is literally law traditionally elections have rubber stamped the rabbis choices during the 1980s many became dissatisfied with him Rabbi Judah Weingarten was one of the first to speak out while American law guards our right to publicly disagree with our leaders in the satmar community it's not only a big deal it's dangerous in June 1990 rabbi Judo wein Garten was beaten within an inch of his life here's a report from the channel 9 Evening News members of the Williamsburg H Community are outraged some are calling for Revenge Matthew Schwarz is here now with the tals Matthew it's an unusual story Rollin 25,000 members of the ultra Orthodox satmar sect live in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn about 20% of them reportedly don't like the chief Rabbi last night one of the main denters was attacked so he'd shut up Judah wein Garten is a man of Peace but a victim of violence the 41-year-old hdic rabbi suffered head and facial injuries when he was punched and kicked by what police say was a gang of 15 to 20 hdic youths it happened outside the rabbis Bedford Gardens apartment building Tuesday night a neighbor John Perez says he saw the gang approach the rabbi they were arguing and stuff and then after five like 5 minutes later they just started beating him and kicking him and he started screaming and we all came over and we they tried to stop them and they told us to mind our business because it was done our business and they had they had every right to do that what makes what happened here unusual is that the victim and his suspected attackers are members of williamsburg's usually close-knit satmar sect their legendary leader Rabbi Joel tidle bam died in 1979 at the age of 93 his nephew Rabbi Moses tidle bam is the current leader but some usually camera shy satmars say title Bal is greedy and puts in himself above the talmud the authoritative body on Jewish law after wein Garten criticized title Bal in the local Jewish newspaper in April weine Garten's car was set on fire now a group of fellow dissenters say tidle bound was behind the attacks on wine Garten Moses C his people orders in his house you know it maybe not his director but he want to do it because he he hold speeches a lot of people terrorized speeches he gave terrorist speeches to his congregation yeah meanwhile Upstate in Curious Joel Rabbi Moses had installed his own followers as Town leaders and set up his son Aaron as Chief Rabbi a group who didn't like the way Rabbi was doing things set up a new school for their children in a Passover 1989 speech Rabbi Moses ordered his followers to shout Infidel out to its supporters took the CU when Joseph Walman decided to run for the newly formed curious Joel School District in 1989 he was the only one of eight candidates not endorsed by the grand rabbi hundreds of Yeshiva students marched on waldman's home he claimed that phone conversations between him and Rabbi wearden were illegally taped and sold at a Willi willamsburg electronic store supporters of the grand rabbi kicked off a new election day tradition a hundred of them packed the basement Social Hall of the main synagogue which is the sole polling place for Curious Joel for the entire day in 1992 the Monroe Town supervisor Mike frerick and the town board called it a religious dispute among the hium and none of the town's business they went to the Orange County Board of Elections state law lets them move a polling place if they find it unsuitable or unsafe but the board said they couldn't find any quote proof that voters were formally barred from the Social Hall either by posted notice or written notice end of quote here it's the same same area see this is the sign congregation at the left and here's the sign of all the people who are banished many people the dissidents took their case to the state supreme court which backed up the Board of Elections saying the dissidents didn't have solid evidence of intimidation several like schma Tannon balm and Hershel ler recounted in affidavits that students yelled and cursed at them while the voting officials did nothing some from the boys took uh stones and throw it in the window and shoot in my face schma tan and balm and hersel laugher recounted in affidavit that students yelled and cursed at them while the voting officials did nothing car and some from the boys took stones and throw it in the window and Sho in my face really and did you go to the police I go to the police they say all of this is news to Orange County Sheriff Frank bigger who told the County Legislature that in four years of monitoring elections at curious Joel there were only two incidents Sheriff bigger wrote quote at no time has it been reported to this office of any voter being denied his right to vote or enter the the building further our deputies have maintained a peaceful presence for all voters concerned end of quote however the dissident did try to notify Sheriff bigger of problems with the July 1994 election after getting no help from the Monroe Town board the County Board of Elections or the state supreme court Mr Waldman went to the County Legislature when you look at this think about to your mind what possible ation can people have to sign a petition asking for the polling group to be moved in the village of curious Joel and this year the issue that actually brought me to this topic 179 people went to vote absentee at the Board of Elections it's a lot of people really 179 people drove 15 miles in East direction from on road of the Board of Elections to vote absentee I went to the Board of Elections filled out a freedom of information request for the absentee balot applications on all of them where it says the number one of all absentee do we have to explain why you're voting absentee this person right due to Terror and religious discrimination this person rights just due to Terror person writes because of my religious belief I'm being intimidated inside and outside of the poing place in this synagogue why would people drive 15 miles in each Direction write something like that bound to aggravate their Community what possible motivation could they have I can't imagine that there's just nothing going on there and most of all personally I spoke to some of these people they're not crazy people they're not hoodlums they're normal people with families who feel scared when they go to vote and that is the most persuasive thing of all the fact that they feel scared the fact that there are people in this County who are frightened when they go to vote means we can't deny there is a problem in the village let's say except that there's a problem there the big question then I've heard a lot is uh Mr R asked me in committee Mr Gold mentioned it uh why is this our business Mr Golden noted in rules committee that the Administration has decided there's a lwuit we only know was a lawsuit the disent community has filed a lawsuit asking for the polling place to be moved they failed at the first level now it's being appealed to the Supreme Court Mr Golden stated very clearly that this Administration decided to take an active role in this lawsuit these are the minutes of the rules committee meeting written down by the Legislative staff Mr Golden says said it isn't his duty simply to defend the Board of Elections decision as with any litigation before this county is his obligation to determine the course of litigation with respect to this the lawsuit was in place when he came on board the sentence is crucial at that time he reviewed it the lawsuit and made the independent decision to continue the lawsuit because he felt it was meritorious this County decided made an active decision to sign with the poing boots being where they are to me this is the shame of this County and to me it is the obligation of this legislature to go on the record saying that we disagree with the stand taken by the County Attorney by Mr Golden certainly within their legal rights but we also have the right to disagree the real question is what we stand for here we could be quiet throughout history when the government oppresses people there are million reasons to be quiet there's always an excuse but this legislature has supported cutting onr rates mandate Rel the direct request to the New York State Assembly and Senate another governmental body buckshot and many other issues that are important but cly not nearly as important as the fundamental right of people to vote without being harassed in conclusion it sounds like I don't want to get melodramatic and I don't sounds like a cliche but people fought people have fought for the right to vote and not just their right to vote everyone's right to vote black and white and Jew and Christian and dissident and not just these dissidents any dissidents the lonely guys sitting in his living room who's like against his entire Community that's why it's a democracy he still has a right to vote we without people throwing cold water on him taking his hat off yelling at him going into a a building where he's been expelled from I know what's going on here I know where this is heading I know it was a block vote I know a lot of people feel bound to that block vote and I know as I said you have a million reasons to vote a certain way I urge you to consider whether you come here as Republicans or legislators think of all July 4 you've been through the memorial days the Labor Days the veterans days and what you talked about fairness and equality and freedom and democracy and how much we cherish it and I said there are a million reasons to vote no there's one reason to vote Yes and that's to live up to our R about Justice and equality thank you however I'm going to read one and I'm going to uh read selective uh pieces of the other letters I'm just going to call the Public's attention and the press's attention to these letters one of the things that we have to do as a legislative body is to make good decisions and even if that decision is that it's none of our business we have to make a good decision and we have to solicit input from everywhere and emotionalism is not one of that criteria of making a good decision and Mr Bal I just am so um happy to hear you talking about your love of country and people fighting and dying but with all due respect my dead husband was in Korea and he and a lot of men in this chamber served in the service and you did not and I kind of resent that you also just a minute excuse me sir I didn't talk when you were talking um and and I think that I have the right because my husband uh went over there and fought for my rights as good as anybody else's so I would appreciate your attention first letter in this packet has to do with the uh with a request or a statement from the supervisor of the town of Monroe uh Dear Mrs Murphy I understand that a resolution will be presented to you at this evening's legislative session to change the ping locations in the village of curious Joel as you know this matter has been and continues to be thoroughly investigated by the Monroe Town board and the Orange County Board of Elections the Orange County Board of Elections has upheld the the current voting location the New York state supreme court has upheld the current voting location now you and the legislature being asked to overrule both the Board of Elections and the state state supreme court it is unfortunate that the Times Herald Record and some members of the democratic party have chosen to make this issue one of party partis partisan politics Republican legislators voted along party lines not to move the polling place next Waldman explained to the County's Human Rights Commission that voting rights abuses in Curious Joel is just the tip of the iceberg but Windows of dissident cars and houses are frequently broken with stones buses taking kids to dissident schools have been stoned undercover police who jumped out and arrested students of the grand rabbi school can attest to that slash tires are common as is graffiti just hours before his daughter's wedding arsonists torched waldman's car the rabbi who was to marry her got threats from people claiming to be followers of the grand rabbi Waldman had to find another Rabbi on short notice the daughter was escorted to her wedding by State Police in January they struck again dissidents accus the village leaders of inciting the several hundred Yeshiva students to act as their enforcers what were these students doing out so late on a school night in a blizz in 1992 The Wall Street Journal reported that when Rabbi Yosef Hirsch accused Village leaders of abusing he was dubbed an Informer a 100t banner was hung at top The Village municipal offices and shopping center saying his name quote should be banished from the face of the earth end of quote hundreds of men holding torches and screaming in Yiddish stoned his house last July dissidents gathered to hear Rabbi chesal Roth from Brooklyn 1,000 men rioted throwing rocks and eggs at both dissident and State [Applause] [Music] Police Joseph waldman's brother Solomon had his nose broken by a thrown rock later Deputy Mayor Abraham Wier explained that under Jewish law Roth shouldn't have come to curious Joel he forgot that under the laws of the United States freedom of speech of assembly and of religious expression are all guaranteed there are subtler forms of harassment dissidents claimed the village board used the building codes it wrote to close their synagogue but didn't apply the same codes to other buildings Waldman asked the Human Rights Commission to probe 19 separate complaints about intolerance in Curious Joel the commission voted to investigate but its director Kevin Barrett said they didn't have the legal Authority Barrett is a County employee appointed by executive rampy he declined to be interviewed for this program state law clearly says it shall be the duty of the commission to investigate and resolve conflict between groups well that that is exactly the the reason why I think it should be open because uh according to what what Mr War and presented to us I do believe that his Rights was violated in many a ways uh whether it was religious well it was political it was still his rights being violated and I do believe that the human rights organization is there to protect human rights happened was Joe Waldman and the other dissident uh members of the Curious Jo Community complained to the human rights commission the Orange County Human Rights Commission unfortunately Human Rights Commission didn't live up to its name Kevin Barrett the executive director told the other Commissioners that they shouldn't get involved in this because they don't understand the culture well I absolutely reject that argument you know everyone's allowed to have their culture in America we allow we want cultures to flourish in America but everyone has to obey the same rules and one of those basic rules is everyone has a right to vote to say that we shouldn't get involved there because we don't understand that because they're different from us it's patronizing to the people in Curious Joel It's patronizing to anyone of any different culture it's not an excuse to say they're different so they don't have to follow the same rules everyone has to follow and allow the right to vote as far as after that saying that the Human Rights Commission had no duty to get involved that's a joke Human Rights Commission two months ago was involved in lobbying to change the name of the Port Jervis football team because they felt it was insulting to Native Americans if they can get involved in the name of a football team they could certainly get involved in protecting people's basic right to vote in the village of curious Joel that if we not going to protect all people then I feel the whole um Comm uh Orange County human rights organization is useless from government scrutiny their ability to deliver a block vote Village voting records from the 1992 93 994 and 95 elections reveal that the satmar tend to overwhelmingly support or reject a candidate candidate politicians know that satmars in Curious Joel and Williamsburg Brooklyn are an important Statewide constituency and don't want to rock the boat what needs to happen in Curious draw what should have happened in currious jooles the legislature should have voted asking to change the polling place the town of Monroe should change the polling place it's unacceptable to have it in a building that part of the community has been banned from and then the Human Rights Commission should be getting involved on a whole host of issues including the voting issue to make sure that the minority in Curious Joel has their basic rights protected unfortunately none of that has happened and probably none of that will happen because the Republicans in power in Orange County are more concerned with the Republican voting block from Kish Joel than they are concerned with basic voting rights