Kiryas Joel resident Joel Bernath said on Thursday that the increased presence of New York State Police and Orange County deputies in the village has "definitely" made its residents, who are almost all Hasidic Jews, feel safe.

Bernath said the police presence has given neighbors some peace of mind, after recent attacks on the Jewish nation in Jersey City and, more recently, Monsey.

"They're going around, so it makes it look safer on the streets, you know?" Bernath told Spectrum News in an interview Thursday by a bus stop on Forest Road. "God forbid anything happens again, but it looks better."

Kiryas Joel's Hasidic culture has drawn intense criticism from outsiders. Upon entering the village, a sign requests visitors to cover necklines, wear long skirts or pants, and "maintain gender separation in all public areas."

Families are typically large, homes are built close together, and village leaders are trying to expand housing and borders of the town that contains Kiryas Joel: Palm Tree.

This has strained the village's relationships with neighboring municipalities and with state lawmakers.

On Thursday, few village residents wanted to speak publicly about the culture or the pushback it receives.

Most declined interviews because they solely speak Yiddish. Others said their religion requires them to be conservative and modest, a rule they believe should keep them from doing an on-camera interview.

Several spoke off-camera, though.

By and large, residents said they are pleased with the extra patrols, and pleased to learn the Orange County Sheriff's Office recently did a security assessment at the village's main synagogue on Garfield Road.

When asked his feelings on police's extra security measures, one street vendor, who asked not to be identified, said the police "is not what makes me feel really safe. Prayer makes me feel safe."