New Square is officially the poorest village in New York State, with a median household income of roughly $21,000 and over 60% of families living below the poverty line. Across the Jewish world, emissaries and organizations from New Square are constantly appealing for donations — not only for struggling families but for their many mosdos and institutions. Every week, shuls and communities receive letters, calls, and collectors asking for help to “support Torah,” “build another wing,” or “expand vital services.” Donors give generously, believing they’re helping sustain yeshivos and essential communal projects in a poor town.
However, beneath this image of poverty and piety lies a troubling secret. Vast sums, in the hundreds of millions, are being funneled into aggressive real estate efforts aimed at expanding New Square’s control and harassing neighboring Jewish communities.
How can a village with so much poverty, that requires so much tzedaka, find the funds to buy over 350 houses, collectively worth more than 100 million dollars? The same system that depends on the goodwill of others to survive seems to have endless resources when it comes to advancing divisive and harmful campaigns. Would people be as willing to donate to New Square if they were aware of how much money Skver Chassidim spent, not on helping their own, but on destroying others?
A community that relies so heavily on outside charity should be held to a basic standard of integrity and decency. When funds collected in the name of tzedakah are used to sow discord instead of compassion, it betrays the donors and their purpose of giving. The Tzedaka is meant to be used for building frum communities, not destroying them.
Until New Square’s leadership brings transparency to their actions and efforts, cease these destructive actions, and rebuilds trust, donations to its institutions should be paused. Requesting tzedakah demands accountability, honesty, and care towards others — values that are the foundation of Klal Yisrael itself.
7 Comments
100% Lashon Hara and not backed in this article by any facts. An embarrassing publication.
And I am not from New Square.
Sorry you are disappointed but this is all leToeles of stopping New Square from literally harming other Jews. I am not sure what you are referring to by “not backed by any facts”. This website has a map showing the hundreds of homes owned by New Square Chassidim for the explicit purpose of bothering other Jews. Those records are all available online if you search Rockland Deeds you can find the owner’s of all these houses. It is also an open secret that Shekel “HaKodesh” funds are used to help with these houses. Maybe if you were from New Square you would know that every word is true
It’s an exercise in futility to attempt to reason with this guy by confusing him with the facts. He may also be one of several shtetl shills, liberally slathering disruptive discord throughout this blog’s articles.
P.S. Here’s a crucial question for Ichud Kehillos – if you have connections at the Federal level – theoretically would Trump somehow be able to quietly yet legally enact the following on the basis that the NS tenants have committed crimes and violated religious freedom by disturbing neighbors’ Shabbosim: The enactment would require Utility Companies to cut off gas, water & electric to all houses tenanted by the NS leadership, until they agree to replace the tenants with ones approved by the Ichud, and for a rental fee equivalent to that which was in effect before NS hijacked the market. Could this be realistically enacted, or is it pipedreams?
This is what the חפץ חיים calls lashon hara לתועלת
you know that There is no תועלת with this. NS will not change the policy
My understanding is that this web site and it’s articles that are very carefully and intelligently written, are approved by choshuvah Rabbonim as it is deemed a toeles and maybe a mitzvah l’farseim under the unfortunate dire circumstances. If so then it’s 100% not loshon horah just desperate measures to save an innocent tzibur from powerful ruthless predators.
Please correct me if I’m wrong.