Two other suspects wanted in the original case fled the country. Over the years, Rabbi Schiller and New Square officials argued that the sentences were too stiff for crimes they say were committed on behalf of an impoverished community. Federal prosecutors have countered that some of the defendants personally benefited from the scheme. Rabbi Schiller said that prosecutors made a mistake in throwing the book at the four defendants instead of negotiating with New Square officials to institute some meaningful economic reforms. Secular education and vocational training are forbidden in New Square's private yeshiva system, with many men often forsaking employment for opportunities to proceed with their religious education.
Residents marry young and usually have large families.
The village, a 7,000-person enclave located some 40 miles north of New York City, was established in 1954 and officially incorporated seven years later. It relies heavily on private charitable donations and government- assistance programs. My belief is that a lot of the troubles, almost all the troubles, are attributable to that problem. Although Rabbi Schiller's political views seem to have little bearing on his advocacy for New Square, they did bubble up in connection with an interview he gave this past July with a Protestant publication in Northern Ireland. Just a month before Mrs. Clinton met with New Square leaders for the first time, Rabbi Schiller ripped the then-first lady and her husband in an interview.