Monroe, NY – The New York State Board of Regents has green-lighted a charter amendment requested by the Monroe Free Library that effectively bans Kiryas Joel residents from using library services.
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THE PHOTO NEWS (http://bit.ly/18FKDO0) reports that the board’s decision, which was handed down on October 22, was announced on Tuesday by Monroe Free Library officials.
The change essentially leaves Kiryas Joel residents without access to a library.
In their decision the Regents, “voted to approve a new Charter for the Monroe Free Library designating the library’s service area to be coterminous with the Town of Monroe, including only the Villages of Monroe and Harriman,” wrote Sandra Keltai, president of the library’s Board of Trustees in an email announcing the decision.
Keltai went on to say, “Kiryas Joel residents have not paid taxes toward the library, or voted on library issues, since 2005, when they entered into a contract exempting them from those taxes so that they could direct funds toward the construction of their own library, an initiative that never materialized.”
“This will leave Village of Kiryas Joel residents without public library service,” Keltai said further. “They will not have borrowing privileges at any public library in the Ramapo-Catskill Library System, which networks libraries in Orange, Ulster, Rockland and Sullivan counties.”
Before everyone starts shouting “Antisemitism”, consider the fact that KJ wanted to be exempt from paying taxes toward the library in exchange for building their own. If you want to benefit from the service, don’t ask to be exempt from paying for it.
What could the Satmar residents of Kiryas Yoel possibly need from their library???
Good for them! If the people in KY don’t pay taxes they shouldn’t use it. Not sure how many books the library has in Yiddish or in Broken English so it probably doesn’t matter anyway.
Even though I hear them, it’s pure discrimination.
According to them we should split our town and shouldn’t let african-americans use our library? Since we make most of the money and we pay taxes.
Then we can do to the hospitals the same, then buses!?
Or I forgot that’s pure racism!
I guess that’s what we call it! And that’s what they do!!!
When was the last time a Satmar Chosid was in a public library? Why is this even a story, they obviously didn’t want to pay into the system for the library because they won’t use it. Why is this a story?
I very much doubt that the residents of Kiryas Yoel care about not having access to that library.
What would anyone from Kiryas Yoel want in a goyishe library in the first place? They have done us a favor!
as if they really care
They should set aside a section for seforim in the library. Then Kiryas Joel residents would have an interest in the library.
I don’t think they even know that there is a library building.
So they cut off their nose to spite their face. You can’t have it both ways – if you vote to be exempt from taxes towards a library, you can’t expect to be able to use it. Too bad.
Besides, how many KJ residents would use a public library anyhow? It probably has INTERNET. A shanda!
In the end that’s fair – if they did not pay or asked for an exemption then that’s it. Unfortunately, and this is the same with the Hareidi community in Israel – there is a bigger picture and if one pushes to have only one’s own way and to pressure others – in the end it comes back to bite the pusher. We are in GOLUS despite all the freedoms, and we should keep a low profile and do things in a way of hatznei’a leches
I live in the outside area near Kiryas Joel for over 30 years. I never ever used the Monroe Library. Chasidic Jews have no need for the books of a local library. Maybe the public library on 42nd str. In NYC has something useful.
why would they pay for a llibrary that they arent allowd to use.
The problem with today’s library there is every perversion possible there. I would not lets my kids go to these library. The only time I would go if I had to do research.
No problem. I’ll continue to read my books in the mikvah where every person is treated with the same respect.
Just a quick comment to all the “negativists” out there…
Kiryas Yoel b”H has many libraries. They’re called yeshivos and batei midrash – whose bookshelves are filled with all types of seforim. That is the reading material which is important to the KY community.
Anti Semitism? Perhaps. But remember, they don’t need it, didn’t want it and choose not to pay into it. No harm done. They won’t miss it.
Just as an FYI, I have a first cousin who lives in KY and has a masters in education. Just spoke to him. He states that in all his years of schooling, any material he ever needed was available to him in school – that he never stepped foot into a public library.
I imagine that the hanhalla of the Chassidishe velt is very pleased that their children will not be able to use this new library. Whether this will ultimately be a good policy is subjective.
What happened to the public funds for the library they were supposed to build? One wonders.
Good news! Which kj resident used the library anyways??? Why should they pay taxes when they don’t use it.
Actually the Monroe library is filled with mostly chasidim, who come to use the internet, not wanting to use Internet at home.
And they’re not blocking Jews from the library, if the Jews live outside KJ and are paying the $400/year in library taxes.
KJ exempted itself from paying library taxes saying that they don’t want to use it.
It’s like the new KJ park paid for by KJ residents for KJ residents only.
Actually the Monroe library is filled with mostly chasidim, who come to use the internet, not wanting to use Internet at home.
And they’re not blocking Jews from the library, if the Jews live outside KJ and are paying the $400/year in library taxes.
KJ exempted itself from paying library taxes saying that they don’t want to use it.
It’s like the new KJ park paid for by KJ residents for KJ residents only.
Reading comprehension!
Where does it say they can’t go into the library?
They can’t use *library services*. This means they can’t get a library card, can’t borrow books for use at home, and (maybe) can’t use the internet there, if (as many libraries now require) they need a card to sign up for the computers. They *can* go in and read books at the tables there, use the rest rooms or the water fountain, and so on.
There’s not going to be a cop at the door turning people away if they have a beard and payos. That *would* be discrimination, and illegal.
#38
Sorry but your comment has nothing to do with the comment of mine you were replying to. Someone argued that the library thing was discriminatory against orthodox Jews (the words at the start of my comment were a quote from him) I argued that it wasn’t.
Incidentally Monroe has hardly any African Americans, which would seem to indicate that you’ve never been there.