By Danielle Kerker

Today, after a long subway ride, the group arrived in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Out of all the areas of the city we have visited in the past couple of days, Crown Heights was by far the most “segregated”. The community is comprised of many minorities, the most obvious being Hasidic Jews (which make up 30% of the population) and blacks. On a Saturday morning, one block is filled with Jewish men and boys making their way to synagogue, while the next block over is occupied by the black community, strolling down the sidewalk in jeans and t-shirts. Although the visual differences were startling at first, the presence of religion was constant (one shop had a poster marked “God’s Property” across the top). Interaction is minimal, consisting of sitting in the same subway car or using the same Laundromat. We met with a worker from the Crown Heights Mediation Center, whose job is to bring the communities together through events such as a family picnic, and she explained to us that the root of the tension between the communities today began in a 1991 auto accident, when a car following the Rebbe hit two children from the black community. The Jewish funded ambulance tended to the Jews in the car first, while the children (who were far more injured, one of them died) had to wait on the government-funded ambulance. Predictably, the incident was followed by riots, one of which resulted in the murder of a young Jewish man.

riding the NYC subway	at the Crown Heights Mediation Center
walking around Crown Heights	on the walking tour

After walking around the city, we stopped for a very quick slice of New York Pizza (the plain cheese was by far the best) and then headed to CBS Studios to meet with Elliot’s mom and some of the men and women who worked there. They gave us a tour of the control room and the newsroom, and many of us got a chance to sit in the anchor chair. We spoke with the Director and Anchor of the CBS National News about the process of selecting the stories they cover.

NEW YORK PIZZA!

We then ventured to the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy (which had unbelievable Gelato!). We heard about the way our ancestors lived in the Lower East Side and saw the Italian and Chinese communities living side by side. We also saw how the housing changed from tenements to what we have today. We then had an hour and a half of free time on Canal Street, where many of us bought something for ourselves, our family, or our friends, all while learning how to bargain. Following a brief meeting with our old friend Scott Fried, we sat together in a park for a wrap up session. That night we were able to explore the West Village as we had free time and dinner. All in all, another great day.

reuniting with Scott Fried