The curious case of Kiryas Joel
Subtitle: the rise of a village theocracy and the battle to defend the separation of church and state
By: Louis Grumet with John Caher
Contributors: Caher, John M., author
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 286
ISBN-13: 9781613735008
Subjects: Trials, litigation; Jewish religious schools; Church and state; Law and legislation; Kiryas Joel Union Free School District (Monroe, N.Y.); Freedom of religion; Satmar Hasidim; Jewish religious education of children with disabilities; Legal status, laws; Religion in the public schools
Description: "Twenty years ago, on the last day of session, the New York State Legislature created a publicly funded school district to cater to the interests of a religious sect called Kiryas Joel, an extremely insular group of Hasidic Jews. The sect had bought land in upstate New York, populated it solely with members of its faction, and created a village that exerted extraordinary political pressure over both political parties in the Legislature. Marking the first time in American history that a governmental unit was established for a religious group, the Legislature's action prompted years of litigation that eventually went to the Supreme Court. The 1994 case, The Board of Education of the Village of Kiryas Joel v. Grumet, stands as the most important legal precedent in the fight to uphold the separation of church and state. In The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel, plaintiff Louis Grumet opens a window onto the Satmar Hasidic community and details the inside story of his fight for the First Amendment. Informed by numerous interviews, media accounts, court transcripts, and more, The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel tantalizes with a peek at cynical power politics driven by votes. This story--a blend of politics, religion, cultural clashes, and constitutional tension--is an object lesson in the ongoing debate over freedom of vs. freedom from religion"--

"The 1994 US Supreme Court case Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet stands as the most important legal precedent in the fight to uphold the separation of church and state. In this book, plaintiff Louis Grumet opens a window onto the insular sect of Hasidic Jews at the center of the case, and details the inside story of his fight for the First Amendment and against New York's most powerful politicians"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-276) and index.