Ohel’s Neighbors: This Year Went Smoother than Ever
A plan to cope with an annual Orthodox Jewish pilgrimage to a Queens neighborhood made for one of the smoothest years ever, organizers and residents said.
About 15,000 Lubavitch Jews gathered in Cambria Heights last weekend to pay tribute at the gravesite of their late Grand Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, on the anniversary of his death.
Residents have long complained that the visitors can be rude at times, and often leave leftover food and other garbage strewn on nearby streets. This year’s event had the potential to be especially contentious, as Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the synagogue where it is traditionally held, is seeking a controversial plan to expand.
An added complication: this year the anniversary fell on the Sabbath, meaning the ultra-Orthodox followers could not drive or ride the subway Saturday, forcing some to camp overnight.
But organizers say that this year, they cut down on the littering, parking congestion and overall impact the pilgrims had on the community.
“I think that things went smoothly,” said Rabbi Abba Refson, the synagogue’s leader. “We had our maintenance personnel combing the entire neighborhood, keeping it clean.”
Up to 1,500 worshippers were expected to arrive on Thursday and stay until Sunday. The synagogue had arranged for extra security and trash receptacles for the anniversary. A meal tent was set up on a nearby playground and visitors slept in tents put up on the Montefiore Cemetery parking lot.The synagogue ran bus service for followers living in Brooklyn, and parking boundaries were clearly marked.
City officials have continuously worked to lessen the pilgrimage’s impact, said Community Board 13 district manager Larry McClean, who added that he thinks it is run better every year.
“My job was to get them in and out safely and make sure the community wasn’t trashed,” he said.“I don’t have the same problem two years in a row.”
McClean said, for example, that residents complained that the doors to portable toilets were facing their property. The city was able to turn them around so neighbors wouldn’t have to see visitors entering and exiting the restrooms, McClean said.
McClean and other community members will recap and evaluate the event next week.
Although some residents still complained of illegal parking and visitors spending the night in their parked cars, no major incidents were reported.
“It was better this year than it has been in years past. There were less vehicles crowding the street and they cleaned up a lot of the trash,” said long-time Cambria Heights resident Heyward Williams, 75. “They just learned to deal with it.”
They had to say it was better..
it would have been very embarrassing from them to say it was worse this year and it would even be embarrassing from them to say it was the same; because it was clean! The streets were kept spotless! there was no noise! there was no double parking!
But they still find what to complain about…
“Although some residents still complained of illegal parking and visitors spending the night in their parked cars, no major incidents were reported.”
holy molly!! this is a complaint?? as of Shabbos afternoon there were 2 reports of blocked driveways/walkways, according to an NYPD tow truck driver, both of which were not actually blocking anything and he therefore did not have to tow (but the complaint was made).
and yes some people quietly slept in the cars on Friday night. And this bothered them??
I would like to know if anyone filed a complaint for the blasting music these shvartzes were playing until midnight on Friday night?? why wasn’t that in the news!? or why we did not hear of the cars filled with shvartzes double parked right near the Ohel on Motzai Shabbos just when thousands were leaving from Shabbos; causing much traffic!? (they were moved when the police came)
Dovid Dick
Very good point indeed. Sadly, the New York Daily News wont print what 1 had to say.
moti
how can you sleep in a car friday night? Eletrics? Locks? Courtesy lights?!?!? Plus it’s probably muktza regardless
Car sleeper
To #3:
Am Haratzus (sorry, you probably are not familiar with that term either do I’ll spell it put on English: ignorant fool).
There is nothing wrong with sleeping in a car that has no issue of lights turning on etc.
truth
How can sleeping bother them? WHo cares if someone sleeps in his car for a night?
To sleep in a car is okay so long as you deactivate the lights etc. It’s not muktzah if it was intended for use before shabbos. The whole defenition of muktzah is “huktzah midaas” which in this instance it wasn’t.