YouTuber who exposed India's poop-throwing festival investigates 'welfare-addicted' Jewish town

American YouTuber Tyler Oliveira, who recently went viral in South Asia after covering India’s poop-throwing festival, has now investigated the world’s largest Jewish settlement outside of Israel.

Tyler, who has over eight million subscribers on YouTube, went to New York City’s Kiryas Joel to investigate the media reports claiming that most of the population relies on government benefits - programs funded by American taxpayers’ money - and lacks formal employment.

In the 40-minute video, the host talked to several members of the Hasidic Jewish community and also the Hispanics working in the town. 

Though many residents declined to talk on camera, some of the people Tyler interviewed told him that on average there are 10-12 kids per family.

When asked what members of the community do to provide for such large families, many claim that they work in construction, sales, day care and bus driving jobs.

However, the Hispanics claimed that only their community does the labour and most of the Hasidic Jews do not work. A media report claimed that the town receives around $94m in state and relief funds.

When a salesman was asked about how many town residents used Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) to pay for their groceries, he said nearly all residents use the program. Similarly, a medical facility receptionist stated that most of the patients used Medicaid (another government-funded programme).

The population of the town has doubled from 2010 to 2024. A predominant majority of the town’s residents expressed disapproval of the State of Israel, stating “Zionism is not Judaism”.

Tyler praised the town for its very low crime rate and strong community service.