Several weeks ago we spoke about the quality of the sound level that we find abhorrent especially at weddings and various simchas. We have since realized, not knowing if there really is a correlation, that perhaps the high volume originates from the borough of Brooklyn.
Excuse us everyone, we really do not know a good deal about Brooklyn, but we are gradually finding out that some of our preconceived thoughts and experiences have left us believing that the way to get your message through in that borough is to blow your car’s horn.
We drove to a shiva home in Crown Heights. While waiting for a red light it did not take even one eighth of a second after the light turned to green, before someone behind us began blasting their horn. We did not hit the gas pedal quickly enough. The funniest thing is that he immediately swerved to go around us and then found himself in a line of traffic waiting behind a car that was double parked. We have heard that double parking is another Brooklyn phenomena. Driving down some streets that appear to be as narrow as a bowling lane we found the maneuvering that must be done harrowing. There went that horn again, the man behind us felt that we were moving too slowly. He was in a big rush to get to the red light at the corner. It seems that in this borough, individuals feel as though the street belongs to them and they can therefore make as much noise as they wish and drive as erratically as they wish. Several years ago we were in Miami Beach with friends and as we were walking into a restaurant a car came by and could not stop beeping. Immediately our friend turned to us and said, “A visitor from Brooklyn.”
After we made our shiva call we decided that we would go to have a bite to eat. Baby carriages were strewn everywhere. Many were left on the street in front of stores totally blocking the entranceways. We suppose that this way one can start teaching a child that it is not necessary to obey other people’s rights. The education persists as they get older, and they learn from observation that it is not necessary to respect the rights of anyone driving on the roads near them. One just blasts his horn until the person moves, and keep your hand on that wheel until he or she gets out of your way.
To be totally honest, we did have an experience years ago that definitely tainted our ideas of what the holy borough is all about. We took our children to a store that they had heard about in their Bais Yaakov class. Friends who had relatives in Brooklyn told our girls that there was a certain store in Boro Park that had absolutely the world’s best “stickers.” At that time it was a common pastime to have sticker books, and they would glue their stickers into them. Everyone was busy collecting. On one of our frequent visits to grandparents who lived in Jericho, Long Island, we decided to treat our children to a special visit to Boro Park and the epitome of happiness. We remember it so well.
We walked into the store, all of us with our daughter Naama, and immediately a lady came to tell us that Naama had to stay on the street outside. Baby carriages were not allowed in the store, she said. We made the effort to tell her that Naama was not a baby and she was not in a carriage. In the English language it is called a wheelchair (bite your tongue). They stood their ground and would not allow Naama to come into their store. Our dreams of the classiest stickers were dashed by this abominable behavior. So much for Brooklyn for the Glick family. All of these years have gone by and one would think, and we hope, that things have changed considerably. Obviously, though, they have still not learned to hold on to their tempers as they beep their horns, haphazardly park their cars and recklessly leave their strollers blocking the entrances to so many stores. We will stick to the other boroughs and the quiet of our area.
By Rabbi Mordechai and Nina Glick
