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The Brooklyn Bike Lane Battle Today

‘New York’ covers the Hasid-hipster clash

by
Marc Tracy
April 12, 2010
Satmar Hasidim in south Williamsburg.(New York)
Satmar Hasidim in south Williamsburg.(New York)

The new issue of New York has a long, comprehensive article on the Great Brooklyn Bike Lane Brawl: the fight in south Williamsburg between the resident Satmar Hasidim, who aspire “to faithfully reproduce pious shtetl culture—in the sooty five-story brownstones,” and the nearby hipsters who are synonymous with the neighborhood in the popular culture. “Clash of the Bearded Ones”—great title, guys—focuses on the controversy over the Bedford Avenue bike lane, in which the Satmars, who do not like scantily clad young people cycling by, allegedly struck a deal to get the city to remove the reserved lane. It profiles Baruch Herzfeld, who has positioned himself as a go-between, and even alerts us to the emerging trend of, yup, Hasid hipsters.

You should read the whole article, in other words. And, for context, you might want to watch the video, below, that the folks at God & Co. made for Tablet Magazine last year. Certainly provides a new perspective on the Hasid-hipster culture clash, and it’s just really, really funny.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.