Leaders Reach out to PS Kids in Effort to Deter Hate Crimes
Jewish leaders Tuesday began talking to Williamsburg public school students after a rash of hate crimes in the neighborhood targeting Hasidic residents.
Hasidic and Hispanic residents have lived side by side in the neighborhood for years – but rarely talk to each other or understand much about each others’ worlds.
For the students at Intermediate School 318, what they heard about how their neighbors lived surprised them.
“In our community many families don’t have television or radio,” said United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg Rabbi David Niederman as the students gasped in disbelief. “We don’t go to movies but our children are happy just like you even though we are dressed very differently.”
Niederman also said the two groups had more in common than either might believe: “We all want to feed our children. We all breathe the same air.”
A panel of rabbis and activists led by Borough President Marty Markowitz kicked off the program yesterday with the first of several visits to Williamsburg schools.
Five speakers, including Niederman, explained elements of Hasidic culture to about 550 students at the Walton St. school – citing traditions such as wearing hats and growing their sidelocks long.
One child asked why Hasidic men wear a hat. “We cover our head in the presence of God,” said Niederman.
What they heard seemed to make an impression on the students.
“I never talked with a Hasid before, but now I see they’re just like us,” said Matyna Grochecki, 13.
Markowitz organized the program in response to two beatings of Hasidic men that occurred in Williamsburg in November.
“Many of our students see Orthodox Jews on the street every day but don’t have a clue of what the culture really is,” said Markowitz.
Hasidic residents hope the panel’s efforts will help ease worsening anti-Semitic tensions in Williamsburg.
Two 15-year-old boys are charged with assault as a hate crime for an attack that occurred in the neighborhood on Thanksgiving.Yesterday a detective testified that one of the teens confessed to beating up strangers, three of them Jewish, “for fun” over the past couple of months. Hasidic residents are worried the violence will continue.
“The Jews here are afraid to walk the streets at night,” said Moishe Roth, 35. “It’s worse than it’s been in years.”
why bother?
So now these hoodlums know WHY they hate us & will be able to explain why between kicks. Nice idea, ain’t gonna work.
DS
I am impressed. Now let’s try that in the schools that surround Crown Heights.
cynic
This is very nice. Does that mean that the next visit will be by a member of the hispanic community to a Yeshive in williamsburg?
Wouldn’t the Jewish kids benefit from knowing about their hispanic neighbors?
ceo
DS, after the CH riots/pogrom, there was a group of people going to the schools and doing just that. So they can do it now too. Just don’t say it was never implemented, because a group of wonderful women went and spoke to public school groups and to the kids separately as well.
To #3, the cynic
Actually, they would benefit greatly if they understood the culture of those around them. When you understand that a protester is trying to bring attention to an issue that affects his daily life, all of a sudden he isn’t “that crazy guy with a sign” anymore. He’s a man with a purpose. The same is true with teaching our neighbors the reasons why we look and act differently.
Our children hear racist remarks in their homes, schools, and even from commentators on this site, and they develop a racist mentality without understanding a single thing about those they’ve been taught to hate. If our children were taught to understand the culture of our neighbors, it would be easier to create a tolerant community, one without hate.
It may sound like an unachievable Utopian idea, but I seem to remember being taught “Yogati umutzosi, taamin”. You can’t stand around waiting for the world to change itself. Ker a velt heint!
To #5.
Very well said! Thanks for your positive two cents!
Jew
Interesting. Come to think of it, we are just like them. We are even a “culture.” we brush our teeth everyday. we breath the same air. we were all created equal. men, women, black, white, gay, straight, religious, atheist, halal, kosher, wrong, right, nutral, peace, love, hate, its all the same
ceo, i was a kid back then when they came to give us their usual “were all the same” in my class. but when a classmate askt, really? so why was I chased down my block by four blacks men?
Number 5, go ker a velt by joining liberal demonstrations. I prefer other ways of making the world a better place.
Parent
maybe we should also bring in some teachers/leaders from public schools/secular side to teach us what gentiles are about. Our children grow up thinking that goyim are bad people which is not true and disrespectful.
realist
At my old age, I agree with #7. #5…well-meaning, but so naive.
I don’t want to learn about their culture & I don’t need them knowing about mine. As if it will stop them hating us. Feh!
Practical
Can we have this in Crown Heights too, please?
to #8
yea right LOL