Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on February 11, 2015

Up in Monroe, NY in a community called Kiryas Joel, citizens usually isolate themselves from the rest of the outside communities, yet own most of everything. I have done business with them when I used to work for a telephone and internet company nearby. There seems to be many health issues among them, many on Medicare or Medicaid. I never knew why and who was I to judge? While working for the telephone company, they would get a discount if they provided me with a copy of their Medicare or Medicaid cards. No exaggeration here, but 90% of the Hasidic community that I have dealt with were all on Medicare. Why? Some say theyre the richest people around. They buy land all over literally.They practically own all of Monroe, NY. Are they really disabled? Or is it about money?If they have so much money, then why do they need Medicare and welfare? Ive seen so many Medicare cards fly by my desk for approval and wondered what was wrong with all of them. Why do they have so many health problems? Or am I wrong? Are they really in need of government assistance?

Is it health or money?

From observations alone and by working for the local telephone company, they would provide me with a social security number, in order to open up a new account. (I totally disagree with giving a phone company your social security number, however it was their policy.) Most of the social security numbers were from a deceased loved one or a very young child. They used a dead persons identity or a childs, in order to open up an account. I didnt think much of it, because there are a lot of people who do that anyway. I wasnt going to say, all of them do this, because that would be wrong. Many of the residents of Kiryas Joel were found on fraudulent assistance from the government or using somebody else's identity from Medicare or Medicaid to get a discount. So the bulk weren't all "disabled" or "poor" --- they were using fake identification cards to get a lower cost.

In a New York Times article, it was reported that Kiryas Joel was the poorest place in the United States! That has to raise some eyebrows.

"About 70 percent of the villages 21,000 residents live in households whose income falls below the federal poverty threshold, according to the Census Bureau. Median family income ($17,929) and per capita income ($4,494) rank lower than any other comparable place in the country. Nearly half of the villages households reported less than $15,000 in annual income. About half of the residents receive food stamps, and one-third receive Medicaid benefits and rely on federal vouchers to help pay their housing costs."

In the headline news a few years back, there was a huge tax fraud problem in the Village of Kiryas Joel in upstate, NY.

Welfare burden, tax fraud"Kiryas Joel residents have been alleged to cheat on taxes by claiming that they have a temple, or a place of worship, in their homes.[citation needed] Obtaining tax relief as a house of worship means the property is excused from paying property taxes that support local services, such as public schools, roads, water and sewer, fire and police, and so on, including the funds which subsidize welfare payments.

It is the custom in Kiryas Joel for women who work outside the home to stop doing so at the birth of their second child.[4] Most families have only one income and many children. The resulting poverty rate makes a disproportionate number of families in Kiryas Joel eligible for welfare benefits when compared to the rest of the county; and cost of welfare benefits is subsidized by taxes paid county-wide.

Per the New York Times, because of the sheer size of the families (the average household here has six people, but it is not uncommon for couples to have 8 or 10 children), and because a vast majority of households subsist on only one salary, 62 percent of the local families live below poverty level and rely heavily on public assistance [government welfare], which is another sore point among those who live in neighboring communities."

Ive always questioned their culture and how they lived. Id never judge them, however they stand out alone when these issues come out into the open. With this community having and saved so much money, through tax exemptions, as well as buying property all over the state, how and why are they on Medicare and welfare? As many children as they bear, its no wonder that poverty sometimes comes into play. Or does it? I have mixed feelings about it.

Excerpt from:

Let Me Go On and On...: What's the Truth Among the Hasidic ...

Category: Hasidic
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