Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Hasidim vs. Hipsters In Williamsburg
By now, everyone knows the story. The city recently closed down a bicycle lane on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, and many people said that the Bloomberg administration had made an election deal with the Satmar Hasidim to close it down, although the Mayor’s Office denied it.
It seems that the Satmar Hasidim objected to young women with “immodest” attire, such as shorts, bicycling through their neighborhood. The Satmars frown not only on shorts, but on women wearing pants in general, since they consider these “men’s clothes.” They, and the smaller, allied Hasidic sects that live in the area, clothe women from head to toe, with long skirts, long sleeves and wigs (lest a woman’s natural hair excite someone).
The local cyclists, many of whom were no doubt “hipsters” (and were described in the media as such) were outraged. First, some of them illegally repainted the bike lane in the street. But secondly, some female cyclists decided to ride topless through the Hasidic neighborhood in protest, stymied only because of a winter storm. One must note that established cycling organizations, such as Transportation Alternatives, didn’t support the topless protest.
Many of the protesters and their supporters, who no doubt have a negative attitude toward religion in general, made some rather nasty comments about the Hasidim. For example, one said that if the Hasidim want to totally live their own lifestyle with minimal contact with the outside world, they should live in their own town with their own rules. Probably unknown to whoever made these statements, by the way, is the fact that there is such a town, New Square in Rockland County, where even the sheriff is Hasidic.
On the surface, one can understand the attitude of the Hasidim. They look around and see a breakdown of civil society — girls getting pregnant at age 16, four-letter words on prime-time TV, stars wearing outfits that reveal almost everything, an increasing number of out-of-wedlock births, one of every two marriages ending in divorce.
But most people — including modern Orthodox Jews — would say that the Hadisim’s “remedy” is worse than the “disease.” In some Hasidic boys’ textbooks, even totally innocent pictures of girls are blacked out, less they lead to licentiousness; and when a Hasidic woman has her period she can’t even hand a salt shaker directly to her husband, lest he become “contaminated.” Also, Hasidic men are not allowed to listen to a woman singing, since this, too, is considered indecent.
One can also understand the anger of the hipsters. By and large, these are people who grew up in unhappy home situations and who have moved to Williamsburg from other parts of the city or the country to “be with their own kind” and live their own unconventional lifestyle. Many, if not most, were teased during their childhood because they were “different,” and fiercely want to defend their hard-fought right to live their lifestyle without interference.
The two communities can coexist in nearby areas, but they must make some concessions. The hipsters must become more sensitive to the Hadisim’s ideas of modesty, and not deliberately do things that unnecessarily provoke them. For example, they shouldn’t turn up their stereo full blast on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, if they live next door to a Hasidic synagogue.
And the Hasidim must realize that they don’t make the laws — for example, they can’t stop someone from driving down the aforementioned Lee Avenue on Saturday. They also have to realize that not everyone adheres to their code — that when a woman wears a pants suit, for example, that doesn’t mean she is a fallen or immoral person.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=10&id=32620
It seems that the Satmar Hasidim objected to young women with “immodest” attire, such as shorts, bicycling through their neighborhood. The Satmars frown not only on shorts, but on women wearing pants in general, since they consider these “men’s clothes.” They, and the smaller, allied Hasidic sects that live in the area, clothe women from head to toe, with long skirts, long sleeves and wigs (lest a woman’s natural hair excite someone).
The local cyclists, many of whom were no doubt “hipsters” (and were described in the media as such) were outraged. First, some of them illegally repainted the bike lane in the street. But secondly, some female cyclists decided to ride topless through the Hasidic neighborhood in protest, stymied only because of a winter storm. One must note that established cycling organizations, such as Transportation Alternatives, didn’t support the topless protest.
Many of the protesters and their supporters, who no doubt have a negative attitude toward religion in general, made some rather nasty comments about the Hasidim. For example, one said that if the Hasidim want to totally live their own lifestyle with minimal contact with the outside world, they should live in their own town with their own rules. Probably unknown to whoever made these statements, by the way, is the fact that there is such a town, New Square in Rockland County, where even the sheriff is Hasidic.
On the surface, one can understand the attitude of the Hasidim. They look around and see a breakdown of civil society — girls getting pregnant at age 16, four-letter words on prime-time TV, stars wearing outfits that reveal almost everything, an increasing number of out-of-wedlock births, one of every two marriages ending in divorce.
But most people — including modern Orthodox Jews — would say that the Hadisim’s “remedy” is worse than the “disease.” In some Hasidic boys’ textbooks, even totally innocent pictures of girls are blacked out, less they lead to licentiousness; and when a Hasidic woman has her period she can’t even hand a salt shaker directly to her husband, lest he become “contaminated.” Also, Hasidic men are not allowed to listen to a woman singing, since this, too, is considered indecent.
One can also understand the anger of the hipsters. By and large, these are people who grew up in unhappy home situations and who have moved to Williamsburg from other parts of the city or the country to “be with their own kind” and live their own unconventional lifestyle. Many, if not most, were teased during their childhood because they were “different,” and fiercely want to defend their hard-fought right to live their lifestyle without interference.
The two communities can coexist in nearby areas, but they must make some concessions. The hipsters must become more sensitive to the Hadisim’s ideas of modesty, and not deliberately do things that unnecessarily provoke them. For example, they shouldn’t turn up their stereo full blast on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, if they live next door to a Hasidic synagogue.
And the Hasidim must realize that they don’t make the laws — for example, they can’t stop someone from driving down the aforementioned Lee Avenue on Saturday. They also have to realize that not everyone adheres to their code — that when a woman wears a pants suit, for example, that doesn’t mean she is a fallen or immoral person.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=10&id=32620
Comments:
Nice editorial, with 2 factual mistakes. 1. One cannot hand anything ot their spouse during the period, not anything to do with contamination, they are just laws of Family purity. no one becomes contaminated. 2. no one objects to anyone driving a vehicle past williamsbaurg on saturday.
Comment Credit ---This article posted by 
: December 23, 2009 6:56 PM
: December 23, 2009 6:56 PM
Another significant issue: why does the writer feel qualified to psychoanalyze anyone included in the "hipster" label (which is by no means a well-defined term, incidentally) as having had unhappy childhoods or who were teased as kids for being different? Plenty of hipsters were raised upper or middle-class and become attracted to "alternative" lifestyles as a way to shock or differentiate themselves from their peers who may act or dress alike, or who have the same tastes in art, music, or entertainment.
Alleging that most hipsters are survivors of "unhappy home situations" is a bizarre tidbit to include in a piece advocating both groups trying to come together and get past their respective stereotypes about each other.
Alleging that most hipsters are survivors of "unhappy home situations" is a bizarre tidbit to include in a piece advocating both groups trying to come together and get past their respective stereotypes about each other.
Who the hell cares why the "hipsters" live where they do? It's irrelevant. The fact is they have a right to ride their bikes in the street, and to dress as they please. Anyone who doesn't like it should look the other direction. The arrogance of these Williamsburg frumakers is astounding.
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