Quote:
Originally Posted by Nantais
At some point, I lost myself in some kind of ultra-orthodox jewish neighborhood. I didn't take many pics of it because I felt somewhat uncomfortable. It was very different from all the other "ethnic" neighborhoods of New York in the sense that it felt like an enclave. I mean, you will find in NYC some neighborhoods which are predominantly Chinese, Russian or Puerto Rican, but they still remain diverse. It was not the case here, I was like the sole guy in sight who was not wearing this kind of strange hat (it's called a shtreimel, after somme google search), nor sidelocks on my head... and I felt that passers-by (who were numerous : streets were full of ultra-orthodox jewish families with many kids) were giving me weird looks.
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You were in South Williamburg/Northern Bed Stuy, which is the home of Satmar Jews. They are probably the most insular and strict Orthodox sect anywhere in the world outside of Israel.
They (generally speaking) don't speak English (they speak Yiddish), aren't allowed on the internet, and generally don't socialize with any outsiders unless required for business purposes.
I've actually worked with a few people from this neighborhood for business purposes, and I find them to be nice guys, but yeah, they don't associate with outsiders. I think taking pics in their neighborhood is fine, but I wouldn't specifically take pics of families, especially not women and children.
Also, I love the fact that you venture to the grittiest, poorest, least-known neighborhoods in the NYC area. You definitely don't follow the typical tourist route.