Kaser is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the town of Ramapo,

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

, New York, United States. The village is completely surrounded by the hamlet of Monsey. As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the village population was 5,491. Kaser is a village with a population consisting almost entirely of

Hasidic Jews Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

of the Viznitz denomination. The etymology of the name is derived from the Eastern European pronunciation of Hebrew, as the word "כֶּתֶר" is pronounced "Kay-ser", hence "Kaser", (כֶּתֶר=crown in English). A total of 4% of Kaser's population claims Romanian ancestry, making Kaser the most Romanian census place in the United States. The village is the most densely populated municipality in New York State according to the 2010 census, being the only incorporated place in the state with a higher population density than

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

; and the 5th most in the United States.

History

Members of Viznitz, a Hasidic denomination, established Kaser in 1990 so they could build denser housing.Berger, Joseph.
Growing Pains for a Rural Hasidic Enclave
" ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. January 13, 1997. Herbert Reisman, the supervisor of the town of Ramapo, cooperated in the creation of Kaser because the town leaders also wanted to create more housing.

Geography

The village of Kaser is on Route 306. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the village has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of 2010 census, 99.5% of population was

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, As of the 2000 census, there were 3,314 people, 1647 households, and 1617 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 19,342.6 people per square mile (7,531.3/km²). There were 678 housing units at an average density of 3,954.9 per square mile (1,539.9/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the village was 98.61% white, .24%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, .45% Asian, .03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, and .66% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

of any race were .54% of the population. There were 1647 households, out of which 79.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.9% were married couples living together, 3.7% were female households with no husband present, and 4.5% were non-families. 3.2% of all households were individuals, and 1.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.89 and the average family size was 5.04. In the village, the population was spread out, with 53.4% under the age of 18, 18.2% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 6.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 16 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $13,125, and the median income for a family was $13,191. Males had a median income of $20,500 versus $19,792 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $5,147. About 65.0% of families and 66.4% of the population were below the

poverty threshold The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 68.9% of those under age 18 and 43.4% of those age 65 or over. The village population grew by 43% from 2000 to 2010.

Government

As of 1997, the town of Ramapo provides police. As of 2022, the village of Kaser provides with garbage pickup services for Kaser residents

Notable people

* Rabbi

Mordechai Hager Rabbi Mordechai Hager (14 July 1922 (18 Tammuz 5682) - 16 March 2018 (29 Adar 5778), he, מרדכי הגר; yi, האגער) was the Admor of Vizhnitz Hasidic sect for 46 years, and had a following of tens of thousands of chassidim. Bi ...

, leader of Viznitz (1965 - 2018) * Isaac Hager, Brooklyn real estate developer (born in Kaser)

References