Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is home to two of New York’s most devout, and sometimes conflicting, religious sects. Inhabiting the South section of the neighborhood are the Hasidim. Often referred to as simply the Satmars, the name of their particular religious sect (which began in Hungary), they represent one of the largest communities of ultra-Orthodox Jews in New York. Their modest dress—black pants, white shirts, fur streimel hats even in the summer—is straight out of 18th-century Eastern Europe. The men keep sidecurls, the women cover their hair, and everybody prays. Yiddish is spoken; knishes are eaten. No less diligent in their ritual garb are the neighborhood’s newer émigrés: the hipsters. The Artisten, as the Hasidim call them, obediently don their skinny jeans, fanny packs and granny glasses. They smoke Parliaments and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon while they bop, understatedly, to indie music. Irony is studied as carefully as the Talmud. Stroll down Broadway, the unofficial divider between the two factions, and evidence of their strange co-existence abounds. Kiki’s Pet Spa sits next to the offices of Der Yid, a Yiddish newspaper. A yuppie butcher shop butts up against an Orthodox chapel.
And outside Peter Lugar’s steakhouse, a group of well-heeled bankers seem oblivious to the Hasidic men walking by at their characteristic clip. Most of the time, these neighbors don’t seem to much notice each other. Hipsters, in general, do not want to belong to a specific group and they protect their independence and individuality – although it does seem that they all dress alike. One manifestation of this preference is that it has been reported that the hipster have not participated in the census. By refusing to fill out the senses the Hipsters are declaring that they do not wish to be labeled or identified. Hassidim, on the other hand, are the ultimate joiners. Even though Hassidism started as a rejection of the prevalent character of the Jewish community, currently, Hassidism is all about joining and conforming to the norms of the group. Being a Hassid means following the rules of a specific rebee and living in accordance with detailed and strict guidelines of the specific group.
Hassidism is highly symbolic, and virtually every activity is ritualized according to longstanding tradition. But we have to admit that hassids and hipsters are very similar : Mad beards ; Vintage apparel; Think they are #1. Everyone else is mediocre; Obsessed with everyone in their posse looking alike; Always have apartment issues, either as tenant or landlord; Exploit technology to make a profit; Have a fondness for delis; Take their mode of transport seriously; Sociable within themselves, but judgmental of anyone who is different… We love this comunity, and hope will generate benefits, culture, ideas. Here bellow we make a 5election of pictures that demonstrate you how they are similar and remember to watch the funny video of Jimmy Kimmel Live showing a game called Hipster or Hasidic at the end of this post.
