Jul 26, 2023 4:55 PM
Updated:
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke with Satmar Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum about "the burning issue of the future of the holy education in New York" and other issues relevant to the Kiryas Joel community during a recent visit, according to an article in the July 23 issue of Hakiryah, a Yiddish-language monthly that serves the village’s almost entirely Hasidic population.
The visit was in June, but neither Jeffries nor Rep. Pat Ryan, who was also there, spoke or posted publicly about it. The article describes in vivid detail the image that Teitelbaum, the de facto leader of the Orange County village, evoked for the legislators.
The visit began at Aishes Chayil, a postpartum rehabilitation facility where the congressmen met with Satmar leaders. The venue was used to exhibit what Hakiryah calls “the fast, unstoppable growth of the village of Kiryas Joel.”
In the facility’s nursery, the two congressmen saw “an astonishing sight of close to 100 newborn babies.” On the top floor, they looked out the window for a view “which demonstrated with clarity the wide growth and density of the residential areas of Kiryas Joel.”
The article emphasizes what it calls “the united power of the massive bloc vote of our people.” Jeffries “thanked the strong bloc vote of our community of Kiryas Joel which elected Congressman Ryan in our district,” Hakiryah says.
From Aishes Chayil, the leaders walked through the village toward the rabbi’s home, where they discussed a project that would allow Kiryas Joel to get its water supply from New York City's Catskill Aqueduct in New Windsor. The project has been under construction since 2013 and is now nearing completion. Jeffries was asked “whether the pipeline can benefit from the federal infrastructure bill.” He “expressed a readiness and willingness to help out Kiryas Joel” with it, according to Hakiryah.
Teitelbaum also urged Jeffries to “put pressure” on state officials “to hopefully ensure that any guidelines and decrees should not affect and hurt the Haredi yeshivas in any way,” the article says.
Jeffries “promised he'd do all in his power to fulfill all the requests from the rabbi and that he'll defend the interests of Haredim all over New York, and in Kiryas Joel in particular,” according to Hakiryah.
The meeting took place prior to the release of a New York City Department of Education investigation that showed that 18 Haredi yeshivas are failing to provide adequate secular education.
In September, amid the New York Times’ investigation into the quality of education at Haredi schools Jeffries told the publication through a spokesperson that reports about the quality of yeshiva education are “serious in nature” and require a “rigorous inquiry.”
Shtetl cannot independently corroborate Hakiryah’s reporting, and Jeffries did not comment on the specific claims made in its article.
“We had a thoughtful and meaningful discussion on issues related to the education, infrastructure and housing needs of this vibrant community,” Jeffries said in a statement to Shtetl, speaking through a spokesperson.
Ryan expressed similar sentiments. “It was a great honor to meet with the Grand Rebbe alongside Leader Jeffries, where we discussed our crucial work on education, increasing access to clean water, and leveraging the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve roads, bridges and broadband in NY-18,” he said in a statement.
Teitelbaum has often personally involved himself in political activities related to the Hasidic community. In 2018, he negotiated directly with former governor Andrew Cuomo on a bill introduced by state senator Simcha Felder that would affect the yeshivas. In 2022, City & State named Teitelbaum and his brother the fourth-most influential faith leaders in New York State because of the weight their political endorsements carry among Satmar Hasidim. In 2023, Shtetl reported that Teitelbaum delivered a public speech in which he bragged about the passage of an education-related bill he said state assembly members voted to pass without understanding. The bill was never signed into law.
