The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel

February 8, 2016
Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, a 1994 Supreme Court case concerning a New York public school district created to accommodate the religious preferences of a faction of Hasidic Jews, gets a behind-the-scenes look in this blend of history and memoir. Grumet’s personal involvement with the case, as its main litigant, is both a blessing and a curse for this work. He provides curious readers with endless details about how he persuaded his fellow state school board members to sue, how he selected and worked with the primary lawyer, and what he discussed with New York politicians—including then-governer Mario Cuomo—concerning the laws and the legal battle. But his writing relies heavily on his own personal sympathies, fluctuating between thinly veiled dislike and near-sycophantic admiration for key players. The book’s narrative struggles to hold up under the weight of Grumet’s details and gossipy tone, and despite its important topic, it will likely only satisfy readers with an existing strong interest in the case.

February 1, 2016
Post-mortem of an unusual Supreme Court case regarding the separation of church and state. In the 1970s, the reclusive, ultra-Orthodox Satmar Jewish community of Brooklyn began to expand into a new enclave in upstate New York. Named Kiryas Joel, the new community would bring unexpected challenges to existing communities as well as to the existing school district. With the assistance of former New York Law Journal senior reporter Caher, Grumet, former executive director of the New York State School Boards Association, chronicles a court case spurred by unique issues the village presented regarding the education of special needs children. In a book that is far more an insider's view of New York state politics than an examination of the Satmar movement, the author introduces readers to an up-and-coming state assemblyman named George Pataki, a cynical side of Gov. Mario Cuomo, the many unseen bosses of New York's Democratic machine, and the inner workings of the state court system. After the state legislature passed a bill creating a new school district catering entirely to the village, Grumet sued to prevent the new district from creating a precedent that might jeopardize the First Amendment. After moving through multiple levels of the state courts, Kiryas Joel appealed to the Supreme Court, which voted against the new district. Undeterred, the state went on to pass more laws, fighting even more court battles, to keep the school district alive. The story of this epic court battle will fascinate those interested in the legal system as well as those intrigued by Albany politics. However, the author presents only one side of the story. Readers will wonder about the nature of the counterarguments of the Satmar community. Though a balanced, objective study of the case would be useful and illuminating, Grumet does provide a readable look at the nitty-gritty of New York's political machine.

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