A Model Community

Kiryas Joel is a unique community, without parallel anywhere in the United States. It is perhaps a small piece of America that so many Americans could only dream about: A community without crime, drugs, AIDS, or some of the other calamities plaguing society.

Kiryas Joel is a community where traditional values and the centrality of family are still the guiding principles of community life. It is a place where parents and children participate jointly in the beautiful ritual and customs of Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish life.

To preserve these unadulterated values, Kiryas Joel is a community without television or radio. A few weeklies and other periodicals, published in Yiddish, are sold in the Village.

The community has a number of places of worship where young and old participate in prayer, song, dance and Torah study.

Albeit that only 5% of Kiryas Joel’s residents are college educated, all receive an intense religious education, many even spend several years in post-graduate rabbinical schools after they are married.

Kiryas Joel has also been a boon for the local economy. It has created jobs, pumped new life into County shopping malls, and helped create a sense of security for neighboring communities who could only hope for such peace-loving productive neighbors.