While the original Viener Kehilla strictly adhered to the customs of Ashkenazi and Yekkish Jews, during the past 40 years there has been a major shift to Hasidic customs among most members of the group due to the proximity and political dominance of Hasidism in their neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Borough Park in Brooklyn, New York.
Some of the most notable differences of the pre-Hasidic Vien were: Today, while there are still very few who follow the old Viener way, the vast majority switched and are similar to other Hasidic sects in every way.
The current Rav, Rabbi Asher Anshel Katz, took the Viener Kehilla to new heights by expanding all of its existing institutions and by adding many new branches.
Rabbi Ezriel Yehuda Lebowitz (Hudhazer Rov) founded the Mesivta Nachlas Yakov, which came to be one of the leading yeshivos in the United States, which consistently counted more than 300 rabbinical students.
Testing centers are located in Williamsburg; Borough Park; Monsey, New York; Lakewood, New Jersey; and Israel.