VISIT THE ORTHODOX JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD OF NEW YORK (WILLIAMSBURG)

Before visiting New York we had no idea that there was a neighborhoodin Brooklyn, which houses one of the largest communities of orthodox Jews of the world. Well yes: it is Williamsburg, although eye ... South Williamsburg, the north zone is anything but orthodox :-p, it is rather alternative or rather “pijhipster. "

But let's go back to the Orthodox Jewish Williamsburg. How strong, right? This city is like that, you are walking through an Italian neighborhood and suddenly you are surrounded by Chinese shops. Or you go on a bus contemplating the luxurious shops of 5th Avenue, and in a moment when you get lost you are already in the most authentic Harlem. New York never ceases to surprise, although believe us, the jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg It is one step ahead on the scale of surprises. If you have time on your trip to the Big Apple and want to know more about this community, here we tell you how to visit the orthodox jewish quarter of New York And more curiosities.

The nearest meters are Hewes St (lines J and M) and Broadway (line G), although you can always pull on google maps to check the bus routes. Once there we recommend you approach up Lee Avenue, the main artery of the neighborhood, and where life is concentrated.

Current Judaism can be divided into 3 branches very different: conservative, reformist and orthodox. The latter are characterized by following firmly and in a literal way to the Halacha (Jewish laws extracted from the Torah). Within this group, there are different types of Orthodox Judaism, this Williamsburg is part of the branch of the Hasidic judaism Satmar Of Hungarian origin, in fact the name comes from the Hungarian city of Satu Maru. They arrived here fleeing World War II, guided by Rabbi Teitelbaum.

These are the 13 principles of the Jewish faith:

The neighborhood itself does not stand out for its charm, it is austere, simple and with little seasoned air. We also saw enough dirt and garbage in the streets. The truth is that wealthy Jews live in other areas of the city, many are involved in trade and purchase of jewelry and diamonds and curiosity! The owners of the BH electronics store are Jewish. But the people you will see walking around the neighborhood are mostly humble people.

As soon as you start walking around here you will move quickly to a new world, where its inhabitants are men dressed in black with hats, rivets and endless beards, women who mostly wear wigs and dress demurely and children everywhere , especially on Saturdays.

But there will be countless details. These are the things that caught our attention:

The "invisible" thread

If you notice, just started Lee Avenue, you will see a thread that surrounds several areas of the neighborhood. And what is that? Attentive because he is very curious: during the shabbat, the Jews cannot make a list of innumerable things (cooking, lighting and extinguishing fires, washing, unloading and transporting things ... among others). This fact directly affected the lives of many Jews, so an ace was removed from the sleeve. The area bounded by this thread (which is called Eruv, is "free zone", that is, within it the Jews can "skip" the rules of shabbat. Although of course ... only if strictly necessary. And you won't believe it, but in Manhattan there are some 30 km from Eruv! More info about the invisible thread.

The hats

You will not see an orthodox Jew without a hat and eye, that there are several types. To start is the kippah, the typical Jewish beret. Its meaning is mega important to them: it represents the sacred and, having it on their heads, reminds them that nothing can be higher than God. Then there is the black wide brimmed hat, used as a symbol of distinction and, interestingly, is manufactured in Seville! And finally, the most curious of all: the shtreimel, a fur and velvet hat, used only during the shabbat and the Jewish holidays. The funny thing is that it is very expensive! According to what I saw they cost between $ 600 and $ 5,000.

The Peiot

Are the long ones slingshot that men let grow next to the ears, following one of the 613 mitzvah (divine commandments of the Torah). Although it is allowed by its law to cut the peiot, this community has a habit of not doing so

Women

Women also attract attention for others like us. They dress in a very demure manner, dark colored clothes, nothing flashy, always skirts (never above the knee), with socks, flat shoes and no accessories. But the most curious thing is the hair ... or should I say wig? Yes, you heard right: apparently when they get married they have to hide their hair, because it is synonymous with sensuality and only the husband could see it, and they use handkerchiefs (tichel) or wigs To go outside. In addition, satmar orthodox beans have to go one step further: they shave their hair when they get married.

Indifference ... or not

If you look, when you walk through the neighborhood, its inhabitants they won't pay attention to you. Especially if you are a woman and you cross a man, you will most likely look at the floor or the other side to avoid eye contact. And if they go with children they usually take them by the hand and attract them to them when you cross them, so that there is no contact.

Instead, I realized (Lety) that women did look at me, I think that because of a matter of curiosity, after all we are so equal and so different ... There were several who smiled at me. Children are also usually very curious and will look at you for sure (but parents will often talk to them to distract them :-p).

The job

Do not believe that women they stay at home cooking and taking care of the children, many are the ones who take the money home (they usually work as teachers or in stores). The mens they are dedicated rather to nourish the spirit, studying the Talmud and the Old Testament. And those who work usually do it in shops.

Children

You will see many children, many (and we saw many twins, we do not know if there is any specific reason). The issue is that parents marry very young and form large families. If you see a woman walking on the street, most likely she will go with a baby carriage or have a beautiful belly for a few months.

Buses and toy stores

Look at school buses: they have the written in Hebrew. In fact here is the language you will hear on the street! And the toy stores seem taken from another era ... all super vintage!

Informing us for this article, we found other interesting things, for example:

Kosher food

Surely you heard or read this word a thousand times. But do you know what he means? For the Jewish belief, the only one who can take life is God, so before sacrificing an animal, you have to follow the shejita, a process to "thank and sanctify" the animal. Jews can only eat one food if the shejita it was followed rigorously: only then will the food be pure (kosher).

Curiosities: never offer blood sausage to a Jew. For them, blood is synonymous with life. Another curious fact about food is that if they eat meat, they cannot drink milk (or eat products derived from it) for at least 3 hours. We already anticipate it: it is a whole world!

The reencarnation

Orthodox Jews believe in reincarnation, so burning is prohibited. In addition, the time of grief after the death of a relative follows established rules: the direct family, for example, cannot go out for a month.

Marriages

Marriages are almost always agreed between families and the rabbi. Love, if that, will come.

After the period, the woman ...

When a woman has the rule, at the end of the period she will have to undergo a sacred bath (mikvah) to purify yourself. Only after that can you have sex with your husband again (they never use contraceptive methods).

Fridays are total stress

During the shabbat, as we anticipated before, there are endless prohibited actions… so on Friday they leave everything ready to avoid having to do anything but eat, sing, read sacred texts and spend the day between the synagogue and the family.

A curiosity: only men with children go to the synagogue (boys). More info about Shabbat.

A fairly closed community

As you have well understood, that of the Orthodox is a very closed community. Do not mix, something very rare in a city that is a constant ethnic and cultural mix. Here they have schools, banks, doctors, shops ... The truth is that they could spend their lives in the neighborhood, without ever leaving. And who knows ... the same someone did.

Although there is absolutely nothing to fear, it is good that you know a few crops before visiting the neighborhood. Here are these tips:

- I know respectful, and especially when taking photos, be discreet: nobody likes tourists coming to our house and treating us like strange animals.

- We recommend you visit the neighborhood on a saturday in the morning. For them it is “Shabbat”, the sacred day of rest and meeting with God. That is why you will see toooda the community in the street, dressed unbearably, the men with their silk coat and their hats well ready to go to the synagogue, the super elegant women and the children fluttering in the parks. The "bad" thing is that being a rest day all shops are closed, so the ideal would be to visit it also on a business day. But hey, if you can't, it's worth visiting on Saturday.

- A few weeks ago, in April 2019, there was a measles outbreak that emerged right from this neighborhood. Apparently there was a strong anti-vaccine current led by some rabbi who, like Rabbi William Handler, considers non-kosher vaccines.

- Best for free or on tour? It depends on you. We did both and we don't regret it. If it is your first time in New York, we almost recommend doing it with the tour of contrasts, not for security reasons (the neighborhood is very safe), but because it is a tour that takes you to know many other areas of this incredible city. But what was said: for free it is easy to visit and you control your time.

As you can see, visit the jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg It is one of the things you can do in New York, and better on Saturday. After reading this article, surely you are even more curious to learn more about this community with a culture so different from ours. And you? Have you visited the Orthodox Jewish quarter of New York?

Video: ᴷ Walking Tour of South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC Lee Avenue, Division Avenue, Jewish Town (April 2024).