INBOX: Tishrei in Crown Heights – A Call for Order
Every year, the month of Tishrei brings energy, joy, and inspiration to Crown Heights. Thousands of guests arrive to celebrate yomim tovim, share in the Rebbe’s shechuna, and uplift the community. Hosting them is a tremendous zechus. But alongside the joy, another reality emerges: our neighborhood begins to look like a marketplace and a dumping ground.
Walk up Kingston Avenue from President Street, and the transformation is undeniable. Every few feet there’s another unauthorized booth selling food, clothing, or even tashmishei kedusha. Who approves these tables? Where is the hechsher on the food? What about the Kingston Avenue storeowners who rely on Tishrei sales all year long? Their parnassah is undercut by pop-up vendors who pay no rent, carry no supervision, and leave behind litter. This is not just untidy—it’s hasagas gevul, encroachment on honest livelihoods.
Even more concerning is what happens on President Street. Feeding guests is a noble endeavor, but when streets are piled high with spoiled produce, rotting leftovers, and overflowing garbage, it stops being a mitzvah and becomes bal tashchis. President Street is a residential block, not a commercial kitchen. Residents are forced to live among the waste while infrastructure is stretched far beyond its limits.
To be clear: this is not about turning away guests or dampening the simcha of Tishrei. Crown Heights should always be a beacon of hachnosas orchim. But hospitality does not mean surrendering order, kavod, or cleanliness. Other communities manage large-scale gatherings responsibly, with vendor rules, sanitation systems, and clear community standards. Why not here?
Some progress has been made—like the ban on selling during Simchas Beis HaShoeivah. But one night of enforcement is not enough. The entire month requires leadership, foresight, and the courage to say: unauthorized booths are not welcome, garbage mountains are not acceptable, and our neighborhood deserves better.
Tishrei in Crown Heights should inspire respect, not dismay. It should highlight Torah values, not contradict them. With clear planning and real accountability, we can host guests with dignity, support our local businesses, and preserve the holiness of the Rebbe’s shechuna.
The question is simple: do we continue to allow chaos, or do we finally find the backbone to keep Crown Heights clean, respectful, and worthy of the name it carries?
Grateful we left
And who is enforcing all these lovely rules. I appreciate and agree about the Tishrei complaints but what’s actually done.? Nothing
Mushkie
Crown Heights is a ship without a captain. It can float ok, even without a specific direction as it rides the currents…until a storm hits. And then someone posts an Inbox asking, Who is in charge?
Bubby
Well said!
If seems
You are obviously a resident of that specific block on President Street.
I live in Maryland.
A chossid
All very good BUT how can we require or “in force” order when our so called “leaders” don’t follow the rules and order?!
P. McDonald
Order is for Yekies (German Jews) Lubavitch trives on disorder. Dancing a whole night for a week is not a product of order
Yaakov
Don’t forget the underwear and shampoo for sale in front of 770