Satmar

Media

Fact-check: ‘Der Blatt’ publishes fake letter from state police about lights and sirens

The fraudulent document, which had circulated on social media, claimed to be about an “enforcement initiative” from the New York State Police

Health

Kiryas Joel school could be fined up to $61 million due to unvaccinated students

The school allowed 121 students to attend school unvaccinated for nearly a year, carrying a maximum penalty of $2,000 per student per day

Technology

Flip phones: not just for Haredim anymore, says NY Times

In a recent profile of Haredi-owned Fabuwood cabinet manufacturer, columnist Kashmir Hill praised the company’s no-smartphone policy

Elections

Tom Suozzi, a Democrat with ties to Haredi leaders, wins former congressman Santos’s seat

Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip, an Orthodox Jew, to represent a district that includes parts of Queens and Long Island

Courts

RICO suit against rabbinical courts brought by founder of ‘Kindlein’ children’s magazine

Mendel Paneth, the visionary artist behind the wildly popular Yiddish-language kids’ magazine, claims rabbinical courts colluded with his former partner to sabotage his business in retaliation for defying a rabbinic order

Agunah

Spirited rally for an agunah in Kiryas Joel, despite gawkers, jeers, and egg throwers

Protesting on behalf of Malky Berkowitz, a diverse group chanted “give a get” and “let Malky go,” facing a sometimes hostile crowd

Yeshivas

Williamsburg streets littered with fliers against Satmar rebbe Zalmen Teitelbaum for yeshiva strategy

“Don’t sell MY children for YOUR money,” inflammatory fliers screamed in bold, blood red letters all over Williamsburg's streets

Yeshivas

Incompetent teachers and confused students at Hasidic yeshivas, new DOE documents show

Newly released documents from the NYC education department show troubling patterns at Hasidic yeshivas, including possibly fraudulent classes staged for DOE officials

Yeshivas

Agudath Israel holds annual ‘Yeshiva Summit’ in Staten Island

Subtantial equivalency requirements and “litigation update” figure prominently on the day’s agenda

Haredi Life

Year end reflections on Shtetl’s first ten months of reporting: the top issues of 2023

With the intimate familiarity of insiders but free from the usual top-down oversight of Haredi media, we reported on everything from the Satmar rebbe's bragging about deceiving legislators to Agudah's efforts to keep the Times from winning a Pulitzer

Legislation

Gov. Hochul signs bills raising population requirement for new villages — except for Vizhnitz’s Ateres

For decades, any group of 500 people could incorporate a new village, but the requirement has now been raised to 1,500 — nixing plans for the proposed village of Seven Springs near Kiryas Joel

Israel

YY Jacobson on Neturei Karta: ‘I doubt they’re really Jewish,’ claims they are agents of Iran

The popular Chabad rabbi said members of the anti-Israel group are “very sick people” and their actions “like marching with Hitler”