Skver Hasidism: The Community That Built Its Own Village

Ukrainian Origins

The Skver dynasty traces its origins to the town of Skvira (Skver in Yiddish) in Ukraine’s Kiev province. Founded by Rabbi Yitzhak Twersky (1812-1885), a descendant of the Hasidic dynasty of Chernobyl, the Skver court emphasized intense prayer, strict communal discipline, and separation from secular influences.

The Twersky family belonged to the broader Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty, one of the most important in Ukrainian Hasidism. From the beginning, Skver distinguished itself through its emphasis on community cohesion and the rebbe’s central role in governing every aspect of communal life — not just religious matters but social, economic, and even domestic decisions.

The movement grew modestly in Ukraine, maintaining a devoted following in and around Skvira. Like most Eastern European Hasidic communities, it was devastated by the Holocaust, with the majority of its members murdered.

Postwar Rebuilding

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Twersky (1899-1968), the Skverer Rebbe, survived the war and arrived in the United States in 1947. He initially settled in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, joining the concentration of Hasidic refugees rebuilding their communities in New York.

But Rabbi Yaakov Yosef had a vision that set him apart from other Hasidic leaders. He believed that authentic Hasidic life could not be fully realized in the mixed urban environment of Brooklyn, where secular influences — television, movies, non-Jewish neighbors — constantly intruded. He wanted to recreate the insular communal life of the European shtetl on American soil.

Building New Square

In 1954, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef began purchasing farmland in the village of Ramapo, Rockland County, about thirty miles north of New York City. Hasidic families began moving to the area, building homes and a synagogue. In 1961, the community incorporated as the Village of New Square — an anglicization of “Naye Skver” (New Skver).

The village was designed as a complete Hasidic environment. Streets were laid out to facilitate walking to synagogue on Shabbat. Schools were built for boys and girls (separately). A mikvah, a community kitchen, and social services were established. The rebbe’s residence and main synagogue formed the physical and spiritual center.

Television and internet are prohibited. Dress codes are strictly enforced. Education follows the Hasidic curriculum, with emphasis on Torah study and minimal secular subjects. Yiddish is the primary language of daily life, with English used mainly for necessary interactions with the outside world.

Community Structure

New Square operates as a tightly controlled community in which the rebbe’s authority extends to virtually all aspects of life. Housing is allocated through the community, and residents who violate communal norms can face social sanctions or even expulsion.

The village has its own government — a mayor and board of trustees drawn from the Hasidic community. Public services are managed through a combination of village government and community organizations. The population has grown steadily, from a few dozen families in the 1960s to approximately 10,000 residents today.

The community’s insularity has generated both admiration and controversy. Supporters see New Square as a successful experiment in preserving traditional Jewish life against the erosive forces of modernity. Critics point to limited secular education, restricted individual freedom, and allegations of political corruption.

Spiritual Life

Prayer in Skver follows distinctive customs. The Skverer nusach (liturgical rite) includes unique melodies and textual variations. Services are long and fervent, reflecting the dynasty’s emphasis on intense devotion. The rebbe’s tish is the spiritual highlight of the week, drawing hundreds of Hasidim who crowd into the main synagogue to sing, eat, and receive the rebbe’s blessing.

The current rebbe, Rabbi David Twersky (born 1941), is considered one of the most reclusive Hasidic leaders. He rarely appears in public outside his community and gives few formal addresses. His authority is exercised through private audiences, communal decisions transmitted through intermediaries, and the sheer weight of his spiritual presence.

Controversies and Challenges

New Square has faced scrutiny over several issues. Secular education in the community’s schools is minimal, raising concerns about children’s preparation for life outside the community. The village’s political practices — particularly the near-unanimous bloc voting that gives communal leaders significant influence in county and state politics — have drawn criticism.

In 2011, a village resident who attended a synagogue outside New Square was severely burned in an arson attack by a community member. The incident highlighted the pressures toward conformity in tightly controlled communities and raised questions about the limits of communal authority.

Legacy

New Square remains one of the most distinctive Hasidic communities in the world. It represents an extreme version of the Hasidic response to modernity — not accommodation but separation, not adaptation but recreation of a lost world.

Whether one sees New Square as an admirable preservation of tradition or a problematic exercise in insularity, it stands as evidence of the Hasidic movement’s remarkable capacity to build and maintain communities that operate by their own rules within the broader American society. The village is a living experiment in the question that has defined Jewish life for centuries: how much engagement with the surrounding culture is compatible with authentic Jewish living?