Outside Looking In

The story of an outsider representing the Hasidic Satmar Jewish community of Kiryas Joel in the Orange County, New York Legislature.Outside Looking In chronicles the saga of Michael Frank Amo, an Orange County, New York, legislator who has represented the Hasidic Jewish community of Kiryas Joel for three decades. As a political minority member of the legislature, Amo fought to get their voice and points of view heard amid during his unique role as a non-Jew representing a Satmar Hasidic community. It shows how he learned about them, how to best represent them, and why they behave so differently than others, ultimately illuminating the humanity and core values of the Satmar in relationship to the world around them, how they manage conflicts among themselves, and the non-Hasidic or secular world of Orange County. With input from many in and outside the community, Amo proposes approaches to the conflicts caused by theological differences, ignorance, bias, antisemitism, and anti-Hasidim that have fermented for nearly a half-century. For anyone interested in this unique community or the ongoing problems caused by antisemitism in our country, this book is a must read.