such an interesting post - thank you so much Rob! You know I am big fan of your substack - one of the most precious things about it besides your amazing photos is your audio- I love clicking that first and then reading the post. It really puts you in there. Thank you!!!
I recently visited boro park on a friday afternoon, to witness the mayhem ahead of Shabbat. Minor flaw in my plan-- I brought my dog for a walk. Walking towards 13th avenue from the F train, I noticed that nearly everyone was going out of their way leaving the sidewalk and walking in the street, instead of walking past me. Once I got to the main avenue, I realized that almost all of the kids were terrified of my dog! My 20 pound dachshund chihuahua mix! I kept him on a very short leash and eventually picked him up and carried him. Some parents lifted babies out of stroller and said (in Hebrew) "Look, dog!"
I asked an older man on the street what was up with that, and he explained that a certain understanding of the Torah forbids owning a pet, since God intends you to love other humans, not animals. So (according to him) 99% of kids in the neighborhood have never seen a dog and wouldn't know the difference between a dog and a cat. I never would've known!
Fantastic details in this post! Boro Park is truly a fascinating neighborhood. The post office story on its own is memorable, but then so is everything else: the volunteer fire department and the recent fire, Robert Moses cleaving another community in two for an expressway, the Jewish community, Maimonides, the photographs of the men watching the eclipse.... so much depth and color here.
Slight correction. The photos of the wedding in 2007. The wedding likely took place in Bobov, the synagogue the next block over. I recognize the men in the photo as the personal gabbai'im of the Bobover rebbi and of Bobov shul. Also, I've been in beth El and in Bobov, and beth El doesn't have anything that looks like those bleachers, but Bobov does
such an interesting post - thank you so much Rob! You know I am big fan of your substack - one of the most precious things about it besides your amazing photos is your audio- I love clicking that first and then reading the post. It really puts you in there. Thank you!!!
Thanks Rob. Fascinating as always.
I recently visited boro park on a friday afternoon, to witness the mayhem ahead of Shabbat. Minor flaw in my plan-- I brought my dog for a walk. Walking towards 13th avenue from the F train, I noticed that nearly everyone was going out of their way leaving the sidewalk and walking in the street, instead of walking past me. Once I got to the main avenue, I realized that almost all of the kids were terrified of my dog! My 20 pound dachshund chihuahua mix! I kept him on a very short leash and eventually picked him up and carried him. Some parents lifted babies out of stroller and said (in Hebrew) "Look, dog!"
I asked an older man on the street what was up with that, and he explained that a certain understanding of the Torah forbids owning a pet, since God intends you to love other humans, not animals. So (according to him) 99% of kids in the neighborhood have never seen a dog and wouldn't know the difference between a dog and a cat. I never would've known!
Fantastic details in this post! Boro Park is truly a fascinating neighborhood. The post office story on its own is memorable, but then so is everything else: the volunteer fire department and the recent fire, Robert Moses cleaving another community in two for an expressway, the Jewish community, Maimonides, the photographs of the men watching the eclipse.... so much depth and color here.
I worked at Maimonides for about a year and really enjoyed walking around BP. Thanks for this piece, Rob!
The neighborhood went from the Scottish equivalent of a "happy home" to the Hebrew equivalent in a fairly short time.
Great article post! Together with fabulous photographs.
One of the things that makes New York such a great city is its rich history, no doubt.
Slight correction. The photos of the wedding in 2007. The wedding likely took place in Bobov, the synagogue the next block over. I recognize the men in the photo as the personal gabbai'im of the Bobover rebbi and of Bobov shul. Also, I've been in beth El and in Bobov, and beth El doesn't have anything that looks like those bleachers, but Bobov does
Fab post, as always. The car/baby head/flag photo should be an album cover.
Ok, live blogging calling the 917 number...