CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn — No barns were raised when Hasidic Jews and the Amish joined together on the streets of Brooklyn yesterday, but eyebrows sure were.
The 25-strong Amish contingent made the trip by yellow school bus from Lancaster, Pa., to Crown Heights for a second annual guided tour of the life and culture of the Lubavitcher sect.
NYPOST: Beard But True! Hasids Wow Amish Visitors
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn — No barns were raised when Hasidic Jews and the Amish joined together on the streets of Brooklyn yesterday, but eyebrows sure were.
The 25-strong Amish contingent made the trip by yellow school bus from Lancaster, Pa., to Crown Heights for a second annual guided tour of the life and culture of the Lubavitcher sect.
“It’s interesting to see how the Jews live and what they believe,” said Elmer Fisher, 37.
“The tradition is similar. They believe what their fathers believed — which is how we believe.”
Rabbi Beryl Epstein, who has been giving tours of Hasidic life since 1982, noted the culture swap makes perfect sense.
“They don’t have too many places they can visit where they can be reassured their beliefs will be respected,” he said.
“If they go to Times Square, that’s not gonna work.”
The two sects both choose to live simple lives at odds with the larger society. “They also have large families and earn an honest living,” Epstein said.
And, of course, their tastes in headwear run pretty much the same.
But there are important differences.
“For one thing, they are fundamentalist Christians,” Epstein said after taking the visitors to the Hasids’ main synagogue on Eastern Parkway, the rebbe’s library, and a Passover matzo factory.
In addition, the Amish lead a pastoral existence working the land, eschewing modern technology and ending formal schooling at seventh or eighth grade.
The Lubavitch, on the other hand, live urban lives, embrace modern technology and study into their 20s, Epstein said.
Still, Jacob Blank, 49, a married Amish father of five who manufactures farm machinery, figured he could see living in Brooklyn.
“I suppose you can adapt, because with […] in your life, you can adapt to most circumstances,” he reasoned.
After taking in the sights and sounds in Crown Heights, the visitors dined at Esther’s Deli on Albany Avenue.
“It was very good,” Blank declared of his meal, a shawarma on laffa, or shaved meat on flatbread.
The group then got back on their bus and continued taking in the city’s Jewish life at the Living Torah Museum in Borough Park.
“In some things, we are alike, like our clothing and our traditional beliefs,” John Lapp said.
His wife, Priscilla added, “And in some things we are not. The biggest thing is who is our savior.”
Still, the tourists were charmed.
“It’s a new experience — a lot of interesting people,” Blank said, confessing he took the tour out of “curiosity, mostly.”
What really caught Blank’s eye, he said, was “watching people cross into the street. People were just walking into traffic,” he marveled.
If the Lubavitch were to travel to Pennsylvania Dutch country, Epstein said, “That would be purely for tourism.”
umbelivabe!
what a kiddush hashem!!!!!!!!
TRS
very cute
hard at work
They do try to push J on people. They want to win converts. Still, I think it is educational for kids to see people who live without the things that everyone takes for granted. City kids should be taken to farms so that they can appreciate how things grow. When others who have a strong way of life praise the Jewish people for being strong in our way of life, it is a kiddish Hashem.
Isaac
Nice! What a great headline for the story in the Post! Go Benny!
Kiddush hashem but...
Did they really say that chabad is a sect?
Lol, the title of the article is note 100 percent kosher, if u understand what I mean…!
Ruth
BIG shout out to Beryl and Yisroel Ber!!! You guys introduced me to Chabad via your fantastic tour and now I daven by Chabad of Oceanside CA!!!!
And a couple of years ago I brought about 20 interculturalists for the tour during our professional conference. People STILL talk to me about that tour and how it was the highlight of their whole NY experience. Couldn’t agree more!
So you never know what’s going to happen. . .
Ushmartem Meod es Nafshosechem
Beautiful, Kidush Hashem!! One point though: “What really caught Blank’s eye, he said, was “watching people cross into the street. People were just walking into traffic,” he marveled.”
Imagine, coming on a tour and the BIGGEST impact he had, was how UNSAFE R”L it is….. PLEASE we hear of enough tragedies every day. Take this seriously, and Be Careful. And, I don’t need 100’s of comments telling me to not be negative, Just opening your eyes. Especially Yom tov time when crossing on the way home from shul.
May we celebrate Pesach with Moshiach and the Korban Pesach in Yerushalayim!
Hiram Bingham II
hasids??? amish???
can’t tell ’em apart!!! – which are which!????
been there
a shout out to the shluchim in Lancaster, Pa– theyre amazing!! and just thought id mention its a really cool place to visit!
Nat
The Amish shave the mustache. Once you know this, it’s is easy to spot them.
I-m confused
Are they allowed to be on busses?
fun facts
they only do things which are mentioned in the torah and they cant have zippers therefore they dont ride cars etc and they keep their beard and not their mustaches’.
they ride horse and buggy and night you cant see them on the highway because they dont have any kights so it was dangerous so the state made a law that they have to use lights but it dosent electricity but in genesis it mentions about a great light that hashem hid so thay are able to use big white lights so if you ever drive down the penn state highway and you see a big light cominig at you dont freak out its only an amish
guess who?
interesting,never seen that before!!!!!!!!!
D. A.
I live and work with the Amish…I’m a Boer goat farmer, and I’m Jewish! We get on very well together, and I have many close Amish friends. They are wonderful people.