Editing New Square, New York (section)

==Government and infrastructure==
[[File:NewSquareElectionSign.JPG|thumb|A 2008 election poster in front of a store in New Square, entirely in Yiddish. The candidate names are written in Yiddish.]]

As of 1992, the Village of New Square has a mayor, a mayor's assistant, a board of trustees, a village clerk, and a justice of the peace. The mayor's assistant performs the bulk of administrative work. The justice of the peace mainly handles harassment cases perpetrated by outsiders within New Square.<ref name="Mintz204"/>

The Hillcrest Fire Department (also known as the Moleston Fire District) provides fire protection services to New Square. In March 2007, the fire district met with Town of Ramapo supervisors, and proposed removing New Square from its fire district, after a February 7, 2007, fire that destroyed two buildings in New Square. Further hazards stem from the fact that the town has only one main access road (Washington Avenue), and the failure of some residents to yield to emergency vehicles, or to the crowd of people on the streets surrounding an incident. There also have been isolated cases of residents tampering with fire equipment while responders are on scene.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The fire department felt concern about a lack of fire protection in buildings in New Square. On March 29, 2007, Ramapo town officials met fire district officials and fire department chiefs. On April 4 of that year, the fire district announced that New Square would remain in the fire district. Christopher St. Lawrence, the Town of Ramapo supervisor, said that the town is considering a "public safety loan program" to help New Square residents install life safety devices such as [[smoke alarm]]s and sprinkler systems.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://insiderockland.lohudblogs.com/2007/04/04/fire-service-to-new-square-wont-be-interrupted/ |title=Fire service to New Square won't be interrupted |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803074008/http://insiderockland.lohudblogs.com/2007/04/04/fire-service-to-new-square-wont-be-interrupted/ |archive-date=August 3, 2009 |work=[[The Journal News]] |date=April 4, 2007}}</ref>

In 1989, New Square funded their own health clinic, called [[Refuah Health Center]]. The New Square Cemetery is located on Bais Hachaim Way.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.misaskim.org/cemlisting |title=Cemetery Listing |website=Misaskim |access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref> The village has a [[Hatzalah]] ambulance service branch, part of the [[Rockland County]] chapter, and has a public safety department that patrols the village.

New Square is within the 97th Assembly District in the [[New York State Assembly]], which is represented by [[John W. McGowan]]. New Square is within Senate District 38 in the [[New York State Senate]], which is represented by [[William Weber Jr.]]

===Community norms===
There is a strong expectation that residents of New Square will conform to community norms; for example, by worshiping at the community's synagogue<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|last=Applebome|first=Peter|title=In Hasidic Village, Attempted Murder Arrest Is Linked to Schism|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/nyregion/in-hasidic-village-attempted-murder-arrest-is-linked-to-schism.html|access-date=June 6, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 5, 2011|quote=a rabbinical court ruled that praying outside the synagogue was a serious violation of community rules.}}</ref> and conforming to the Hasidic lifestyle.<ref name=DSJDF>{{cite news|last=Deen|first=Shulem|title=What Is Really Happening in New Square?|url=http://www.forward.com/articles/138211/|access-date=June 6, 2011|newspaper=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=May 30, 2011|issue=June 10, 2011|format=Opinion|quote=There had been rumors in the study hall that the student in question was in possession of items forbidden by the rules of our austere Hasidic lifestyle.}}</ref> Generally, conformity by those who do not comply voluntarily is enforced by the powers of the {{Transliteration|yi|kehillah}}, a council appointed by the rebbe, whose members control most community institutions.<ref name=Forward>{{cite news|last=Tobin|first=Andrew|title=New Square: Where Tradition and the Rebbe Rule: And Difference Comes at a Painful Cost|url=http://forward.com/articles/138472/|access-date=June 10, 2011|newspaper=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=June 8, 2011| issue=June 17, 2011}}</ref> Those who have not conformed voluntarily have faced [[vigilante]] justice, as exemplified by the [[New Square arson attack]] and other incidents. The rebbe has denounced this practice, saying, "The use of force and violence to make a point or settle an argument violates Skver's most fundamental principles."<ref name=Forward /><ref name=JN>{{cite news|title=Group of devotees enforces obedience to grand rebbe in New Square, residents say|url=http://www.lohud.com/article/20110605/NEWS01/106050380/Group-devotees-enforces-obedience-grand-rebbe-New-Square-residents-say|access-date=June 6, 2011|newspaper=The Journal News|date=June 4, 2011|author=Shawn Cohen|author2=Steve Lieberman|quote=Residents who defy this Hasidic enclave's spiritual leader say they live in fear of a band of thugs who sometimes violently defend his edicts|archive-date=August 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814073736/http://www.lohud.com/article/20110605/NEWS01/106050380/Group-devotees-enforces-obedience-grand-rebbe-New-Square-residents-say|url-status=dead}}</ref>