Welcome to Kiryas Joel: Don't Forget to Cover Up

KIRYAS JOEL, N.Y. (CBS/WCBS) Is it a crime to sport bare arms and legs?

Not really, but one Hasidic Jewish community wants its visitors to cover up and has created a "Welcome" sign that discourages the scantily clad.

Kiryas Joel, which is 50 miles north of New York City, is home to a community of Satmar Hasidic Jews who follow a strict policy of modesty.

Congregation Yetev Lev posted the signs at the village's entrance - in both Spanish and English - asking visitors to cover their legs and arms, use appropriate language and maintain gender separation on public, reports WCBS.

Unfortunately, some passer-bys feel the would-be prerequisite for entering the town is too extreme.

Jessica Pantalemon of Monroe stopped in Kiryas Joel to deposit a check and didn't think twice about her bright pink tank top and white shorts - until she noticed the women of the village scowling.

"Just from the women, mostly," she told WCBS. "The guys let me walk by, the women stop and stare, start whispering to each other...I just ignore them."

The main synagogue is asking visitors to comply with and respect the local culture, but there are no legal consequences for not adhering to the "Welcome" sign.

"We're not threatening anyone," said Rabbi Jacob Freund. "Everybody is free to come in and be the same, like all other places in the United States."

According to CBS affiliate WCBS, most of the residents of the village are covered from head to toe even on the hottest of days.

Because the signs were paid for privately and are not on public land, the New York Civil Liberties Union have given the signs the okay.