A Schande Far Di Goyim or: The Busy Job of Fact Checking (Part 2)

Today we continue our fact check of South Blooming Grove's de facto mayor, Joel Stern, including his claims of owning Prospect Road and ignoring the hearing damage caused by his Sabbath Sirens

The Nazis wiped out my grandmother’s family.

I tell you that because I firmly believe that the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi.

And I’m including these terrorist jackasses in Nashville when I say that.

I also tell you this because, in recent years, white supremacists have coined an Internet meme and phrase, “The Goyim Know. Shut it down.”

According to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), “While “goyim” is a term used by some Jews to refer to non-Jews, antisemites, and white supremacists have weaponized the word to mock and accuse Jews of promoting a prejudiced support for their own clan.”

So, when I tell you that Joel Stern is dangerous, not only to every resident of South Blooming Grove — where residents don’t have clean air and clean drinking water — but to my fellow Jews across America, I mean it.

He is exactly what white supremacists claim we are.

From Stern’s repeated use of referring to residents as “the goyim,” denying there’s a water crisis and covering up the failure of his village’s municipal water system, stealing over $100,000 from the Village to benefit properties that he owns, putting people’s lives in danger by creating his very own illegal turning lane on Route 208 without any consultation by experts. To say nothing of his relentless hostility, secrecy, and dishonest treatment of those residents and the sheer amount of bullshit that comes out of his mouth — more of which we will fact-check here today.

All of that plays precisely into the most crazed antisemitic beliefs spread by white supremacists.

“The Goyim Know. Shut it down.”

Thanks to this one schmo, now every Nazi with an Internet connection, when asked to validate their crazed antisemitic conspiracy theories about how “Jews run everything” and hide the truth from the “goyim”, can say, “Joel Stern. South Blooming Grove.”

And just once. And only just this once. They would be right.

And that should be terrifying to everyone reading this.

Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but democracy is literally on the ballot this Fall. Republican. Democrat. Haredi. Non-Haredi. It doesn’t matter what you are. What matters is the white supremacists are ascendant, and it’s incumbent on all of us to deny them a victory at every conceivable opportunity.

So, when I say Mr. Joel Stern is a Schande Far Di Goyim, I mean it. And that’s why it’s so essential for all of us in the Jewish community, both here in Southern Orange County and across America, to speak out and condemn what this man is doing in South Blooming Grove.

In studying the history of Southern Orange County and its interactions with the Satmar, I have repeatedly found a failure on the part of the local Jewish community to stand together and consistently condemn bad actors such as Mr. Stern in South Blooming Grove, Mr. Gedalya Segedin in Palm Tree / Kiryas Joel, and Hanhallah itself, which includes both Grand Rebbes Aaron and Zalman Teitelbaum.

That does not mean our people, individually, have not spoken out. They have.

And that does not mean NO Jewish organizations have spoken out. They have. Here’s one example:

Listen carefully to my Haredi friends in the video above. They are NOT on Joel Stern's side. In fact, they are endorsing former Mayor LoFranco over George Kalaj, the current Mayor, for whom Stern served as Campaign Manager.

But here’s the thing …

No organization has been consistent and loud enough over a long enough period of time. The resistance from my fellow Jews comes in spurts.

It’s the lack of a consistent and loud presence that enables a lot of what is happening in Southern Orange County, Rockland, and Sullivan.

Far too many of my fellow Jews either look at the Satmar as some unwanted throwback jersey our team came up with to make a quick buck, or worse, or as a community being picked on by racist rednecks.

Fifty years of factually documented evidence found here, here, here, and here, should disprove both positions.

But in some cases, Jewish organizations that should be helping us all, like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), don’t.

Instead, they start out as defenders of the separation of Church and State, but today, they are nowhere to be found when asked about what’s going on in South Blooming Grove.

The ADL joined Louis Grumet as part of his 1994 Supreme Court case against the School District of Kiryas Joel. Fast forward to the 21st Century, and that very same School District refuses to disclose how it spent $94M in federal COVID-19 Relief funds.

That $94M, by the way, is in addition to the nearly $100M in Congressional funding the Village of Kiryas Joel received to build a water pipeline that taps into New York City’s water supply due to Mr. Segedin and Hanhallah’s poor planning.

So far, the ADL has not spoken up about any of this.

Given that they felt the school district shouldn’t exist in the first place, it seems like something they would be interested in, don’t you think?

In addition, the representatives for the ADL in New York and New Jersey, Scott Richmond and Yisroel Kahn have repeatedly failed to respond to requests to speak up about what’s happening in South Blooming Grove.

They have also failed to respond to requests to speak up about statements made by Mr. Stern’s United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove organization, where Mr. Stern has referred to non-Satmar Jewish residents of our area as “Half-Jews.”

I last contacted the ADL on April 14th. It’s now August 30th, and I still haven’t heard back from them about South Blooming Grove.

Leviticus 19:16 says, “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened.”

In many cases, that’s precisely what we, and organizations like the ADL, have done by dismissing these repeated and factually verified instances of aggression, disrespect, and hostility against non-Satmar by bad actors within the Satmar community, such as Mr. Joel Stern.

It’s time for a change.

Mr. Stern cannot be allowed to continue to have cover to protect himself from the consequences of his actions by claiming “antisemitism” or “anti-Chassidim.”

Or, to use a more recent example down in Rockland County involving an organization Mr. Stern has worked closely with, Agudath Israel, “While assuredly not the intent, this rhetoric only inflames already dangerous racial tensions and antisemitism and does nothing to solve the issue.” (Emphasis added.)

I want to point out that, when told about the antisemitic campaign for State Senate being operated by the fascist Dorey Houle, Adugath Israel said nothing.

So, it’s interesting that they’re saying a decision that’s unpopular among their constituents will “inflame antisemitism” while they have failed to call out actual antisemitism when asked to do so.

And if you’re wondering what exactly that action is that would “inflame antisemitism,” Adugath Israel is claiming the New York State Department of Education’s request that the East Ramapo School District increase its tax levy — to make sure public school children were getting the resources they need — would be the cause.

Yes. Seriously. Giving public school children additional funding will “inflame antisemitism.”

Maybe the Haredi and Orthodox members of the East Ramapo School District should have thought about that before they knowingly and intentionally cut funding from public school students to give it to the Yeshivas.

(Worth noting that, like the ADL, the ACLU does not directly mention the Haredi and Orthodox activities, instead saying, “Once a thriving district, more than a decade of white-majority control of the school board has resulted in cuts to hundreds of positions and slashed programs.”

I felt this was cowardly of the ACLU, to say the school board was a “white-majority” and not explicitly identifying the Orthodox and Haredi motivations behind these cuts. Specificity matters, and we won’t solve this larger problem of poor behavior and racism in the Haredi and Orthodox communities by dancing around it.

As always, the issue of Whiteness among my fellow Jews and I is also a subject of much debate. So, to say a “white-majority” school board isn’t entirely accurate either. But .. That’s a point for another time.)

The point here is: Adugath Israel’s response to the New York State Department of Education’s request would be comical if it weren’t so stupidly evil and an antithesis of everything that we Jews are supposed to stand for—namely, justice and fairness for all people.

Because as Jews, we know that we won’t be safe until all people are safe from discrimination, bias, and hate.

But that’s been Adugath Israel’s role in our area for many years: Providing cover for bad actors like the East Ramapo School Board members and Mr. Joel Stern.

So, do you understand now why it’s so crucial for us as Jews to stand together and loudly and consistently speak up?

Because as long as Mr. Stern has that cover provided by organizations like Adugath Israel, or schmucks like this, our politicians and other authorities are going to be reluctant to take action against Mr. Stern and his friends at the local hate group, the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove.

---

Above: The August 26th, 2024, Village of South Blooming Grove Board of Trustees meeting. The video is courtesy of our friends at Preserve Blooming Grove, with the video this time being provided by by Kristie Johnson. Thank you, Kristie!

---

I will skip over a couple of items related to the Town of Blooming Grove Police Department for now. Mr. Stern mentioned both of these points, but I am waiting to hear back from the Chief of Police Wakeham to fact-check Stern’s claims.

The first is related to the Speed Studies Mr. Stern claims these Speed Tests showed that there is little to no speeding in the Village. I submitted a FOIL request to the Town of Blooming Grove Police Department for the speed studies.

Once I have them, I will do a follow-up post.

The second item is related to noise complaints.

Mr. Stern stated the Town Police have decibel readers and that residents should call 911 to report noise complaints. Some residents dispute that the Town of Blooming Grove Police Department has these readers. I’ve been in touch with Town of Blooming Grove Police Chief Wakeham concerning the best way residents should report these noise complaints, and whether or not the police do indeed have this equipment.

Calling 911 seems like a waste of time, money, and resources for actual emergencies. So, I’m looking to see if there’s a better, faster, and less costly way for residents to report these without distracting the police and emergency responders.

Before moving on, I wanted to say one thing, though, about noise levels in the Village of South Blooming Grove concerning the Sabbath Sirens.

We’ve covered the Sabbath Sirens already here at The Monroe Gazette — They’re a violation of the NYS and federal Constitution’s Establishment Clause because they were set up on Village-owned property, and the Village refuses to comply with FOIL requests concerning the application and special permit given for the use of these sirens.

I’m also of the belief that the Sirens were set up as part of Mr. Stern’s larger plan to harass “the goyim”, but that’s just my opinion … For now.

But here’s another fun fact about the Sabbath Sirens that I shared with the Town of Blooming Grove Police Department: The Sabbath Sirens are a public health hazard.

The CDC has a handy guide here to show you how long exposure to noise heard at above 85 dba can cause damage. The louder something is, the less time it takes for you to suffer permanent hearing loss from it. South Blooming Grove residents who have used sound measuring apps to report on the volume of the Sabbath Sirens all said that their sound meters were “in the red” (that’s over 85 dba) when the sirens go off.

So while everyone has a Constitutional right to practice their religion however they choose, that right does not supersede the right of all citizens to their own life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. You can’t exactly do all three when someone’s right to religious freedom deafens you.

Above: Video from SBG resident Chris Maderia taken from outside his home when the Sabbath Sirens go off. Mr. Maderia can hear the sirens from inside his house every weekend.

---

When talking about noise complaints, Mr. Stern informed residents that the Code Enforcement Officer, Al Fusco Jr., who sat next to Mr. Stern during the entire meeting and said nothing, will “take action as well.”

Thus far in speaking to residents of South Blooming Grove, I can find no documented instance of Mr. Al Fusco Jr. taking any action, whether it be about noise or anything else.

Residents of South Blooming Grove are encouraged to call Fusco Engineering, which has a contract with the Village of South Blooming Grove to serve as Code Enforcement Officers and Building Inspectors, directly at (845) 344-5863 or email them at jmh@fuscoengineering.com

Claim: The Village of South Blooming Grove Owns Prospect Road

Stern: “Who’s going to be paying for the lawsuit? It’s up to the Town" […] Prospect Road from Round Hill to Peddler Hill belongs to the Village of South Blooming Grove.”

If you don’t mind, I will let the Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor, Robert Jeroloman, address this claim from Mr. Stern. Mr. Jeroloman told The Monroe Gazette:

The Village declared, sometime last year, that the Village of South Blooming Grove owned and maintained Prospect Road from Peddler Hill Road to Round Hill Road. As I was the Mayor of the Village of South Blooming Grove from 2006 until December 31, 2017, I can affirm that at no time did the Village of South Blooming Grove own, maintain, and / or control this section of Prospect Road. Additionally, I was a member of the governing board of the South Blooming Grove Homeowner’s Association, who spearheaded the creation of the Village, and was directly involved with surveyor Joseph Haller (deceased) and was one of the board members who approved the final survey of the borders of what is now the Village of South Blooming Grove.

Since January 1, 2018 to present the borders of the Village of South Blooming Grove have not changed. The present Village Board and their associate members make many unsupported statements concerning the Village.

Please refer to some of the correspondences that have been sent to the Village from the Town.

Additionally,  the Town had put the Village on legal notice of the Town’s claim that the Town always has owned and maintain this section of Prospect Road. If the Village fails to respond a court will make the final determination on who is the rightful owner of this section Prospect road. We wait the Village’s response and for the Court to assigned a date for all parties to appear to render a final determination.

The Statement [From Stern] ” Peddler Hill belongs to the Village “ is correct the Village does own and maintain Peddler Hill Road from NYS Route 208 to Prospect Road. The Town has NOT made any claim opposing their ownership of Peddler Hill Road.

The Town has not received any claims from the Village against the Town. The Town has filed a claim against the Village of South Blooming Grove.

Supervisor Jeroloman sent The Monroe Gazette three letters sent to the Village of South Blooming Grove from the Town:

You can view the first one from April of 2023 here.

The second one from January of 2024 here.

And the most recent one, from May of 2024, here.

In May 2024, the Village of South Blooming Grove received a survey showing that its boundaries had not changed since 2006.

Mr. Stern did not reply to requests to explain why he, as the de facto Mayor of South Blooming Grove, would engage in a lawsuit with the Town — that Village residents would pay for — over property he was factually made aware of that he does not own.

Yes. You read that sentence correctly.

Claim: “The Village of South Blooming Grove had a second garbage pickup, they did away with it, and now there’s data to show the need is there to bring it back.”

Once again, I’m going to turn things over to Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor, Robert Jeroloman, who told The Monroe Gazette:

“I have lived in the Town of Blooming Grove for approximately 30 years. Prior to 2001 (the creation of the Town-wide Garbage District) each and every homeowner had to contract directly with a private garbage company to pick up their garbage and recycling. Prior to 2001, it was the determination of the homeowner how many times garbage and / or recycling would be picked up.

After 2001 and the creation of the Town-wide Garbage District for the Town of Blooming Grove (the entire Town), including the two (2) Villages, only had one garbage and recycling pickups a week.

I am only aware of the Town of Monroe (including the two (2) Villages, Harriman and Monroe) who has two (2) garbage and recycling pickups per-week.

The Town of Monroe also requires their residents to provide their own garbage cans. The Town of Blooming Grove Town-wide Garbage District requires the vendor to provide the garbage and recycling toters.”

Mr. Stern had said the Village Attorney, Scott Ugell — not present at yet another Village Board meeting — and Special Counsel, Nora Murphy — Never present at any meeting — had collected information demonstrating the need for this second garbage pick-up.

Both Nora Murphy and Scott Ugell did not reply to emails requesting this data.

As mentioned in the first part of this fact check, Mr. Al Fusco is the Village of South Blooming Grove’s Code Enforcement Officer and Building Inspector. At no point did he identify himself as such when village residents asked to speak with the Code Enforcement Officer about this issue, and Mr. Fusco declined to provide any additional information to support Mr. Stern’s claims that a study had been done concerning the need for the second garbage pick-up by the Code Enforcement Officer / Building Inspector.

About That NYS Comptroller Investigation …

Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to, real quick, talk about The New York State Comptroller’s Office and Mr. Thomas DiNapoli, the current New York State Comptroller.

Mr. Thomas DiNapoli has refused to comment directly, and has declined interview requests, about what’s going on in South Blooming Grove.

Mr. DiNapoli has also refused to include South Blooming Grove in his weekly email newsletter, in which he discusses all the ongoing audits in New York State.

This is very strange, since the audit of South Blooming Grove has been verified by the media — The Monroe Gazette included — and the audit has been ongoing since at least April of 2024.

So, it's a bit troubling that there’s been zero mention of it in the weekly newsletter and that Mr. DiNapoli won’t commit to interviews or answering questions about South Blooming Grove.

Especially given that Thomas DiNapoli put out a press release just a couple of days ago where he said the following: “Fighting hatred and bigotry demands that we communicate with, respect and accept our neighbors. It requires our spiritual, political, community and business leaders to take active roles in denouncing hate, investing in prevention and protection efforts, and increasing education that celebrates the value of New York’s diversity.”

I guess he doesn’t want to take an active role in denouncing the hate being spewed by Mr. Stern when Mr. Stern refers to South Blooming Grove residents as “goyim.”

Then again, the Comptroller is an elected position in New York State, so maybe Mr. DiNapoli has a reason for not mentioning South Blooming Grove specifically …

I want also to reiterate what I said in our first post in fact-checking Mr. Joel Stern: The audit process by the Comptroller’s office DOES NOT prohibit the Village of South Blooming Grove, in this example, from continuing to do shady shit. So, while it was pointed out in the video above that Mr. Stern and the Village can’t take action on the second garbage pickup, that’s not the case.

The Village can do what it wants, regardless of the legality of that action, while a New York State Comptroller’s office is underway. This includes an “emergency” resolution, presented without any explanation and not placed on the meeting agenda prior to the meeting, where Mr. Stern’s four properties would directly benefit from a Village expenditure of over $100,000.

When asked why Mr. DiNapoli would allow such illegal action to be taken despite the confirmed existence of the audit, his office declined to comment.

Sure sounds like some larger media outlets should take up this question with the Comptroller, don’t you think?

Claim: “It Will Be Taken Care of Promptly.”

One last fact check, since there will be a part three when I hear back from the police …

I touched on this one already, but just to reiterate: I was in touch with the Village of South Blooming Grove Clerk, Kerry Dougherty, on April 4th, 2024. I requested from her the following via a FOIL:

I'd like to FOIL any records created by Mayor Kalaj, Joel Stern, and Isaac Eckstein concerning the hiring of Mrs. Murphy. Specifically I am requesting the contract that was signed by the village, the total amount invoiced for Mrs. Murphy's services, and emails sent from Mr. Kalaj, Mr. Stern, and Mr. Ekstein sent from their personal and professional devices concerning hiring Mrs. Murphy sent from 1/1/24 to the present.

A municipality in New York State has five days to respond and let you know when you can expect to receive the documents you requested.

Eleven days later, I received an acknowledgment of my request and a reply stating that my response would be completed within twenty days.

You can see a copy of that letter here.

Then, 30 days later, I received a follow-up notice from the Village stating that they would write to me back in 90 days with the information I requested.

You can see a copy of the second letter, dated May 6th, that I received here. Those 90 days would bring us to August 5th, 2024.

Wouldn’t you know it, but it’s now August 30th, and I have not received the information I requested in my FOIL.

South Blooming Grove residents have experienced way worse when it comes to FOILs, but I just want to demonstrate this specific example to show further that little of what Mr. Stern says to residents is true. If you send something to the Clerk, in this case, it won’t be taken care of, despite what Mr. Stern says to residents.

We’ll conclude our fact-check of this schmuck soon.

Enjoy the holiday weekend.