By a resident
As a long-time resident of Crown Heights, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in recent months in Shchuna, particularly on Erev Shabbos.
Erev Shabbos is a time when our community is preparing for the heilikeh day of rest. We are running errands, finishing up work, and getting ready to welcome the Shabbos Kodesh Malka. The last thing we need is to be bombarded with music that is not only disruptive but also offensive. Some of the lyrics are downright vulgar and have no place in our community.
The music being played on the streets is not only loud and intrusive but often includes lyrics that are inappropriate and definitely against the hashkafa of our community. This is not kosher, and it needs to stop.
I understand that there are those who enjoy this type of music, but there is a time and place for everything. Kingston Avenue on Erev Shabbos is not the time or place for this kind of leitzonos. We need to be respectful of our community and have proper derech eretzs.
It is not just a matter of personal preference, but also a matter of respect for our traditions and customs. The music that is played on the streets of Crown Heights should be uplifting, inspiring, and in line with our values. It should help us get into the right mindset for Shabbos and not detract from it.
I am not advocating for a ban on music altogether, but rather for a more thoughtful and respectful approach. There is no need for Israeli beats when nichoach would suffice. If people want to listen to modern music, they should do so in their homes or at appropriate venues. Playing music on the streets should be done with consideration for the community and its values.
I urge our community leaders and the music players on Kingston Avenue to take a step back and reconsider the type of music that is being played on Erev Shabbos. Let’s work together to create an environment that is respectful, uplifting, and in line with our values. Only then can we truly honor and appreciate the sanctity of Shabbos in our community.
I think the CH Vaad should hire a live band to play for the shchuna!
LOL
It’s not so bad that there is fast upbeat music being played on the streets, it brings a lively energy to the shchuna while nichoach won’t.
There is plenty of “fast upbeat” music on Nichoach too. Have you never been to a chassidishe farbrengen?
Noice pollution
All the unnecesary sirens that exist.
Police over use theirs (that are totally unncesariy to begin with) in am hours like nothing. Trucks use theirs despite being a prohibtion to use them in cities. Certain people with the full blast. Motorcycle and quads gangs (another illegal thing that no one is interested in enforcing) wait until they bring 2 buses lines to pass throught crown heights.
Those who flunked spelling have no place in the comment section!
That mods admin let this comments publized but not my OWN ones
Suck it up. Do you think by Simchas Beis when Moshiach comes we will be playing Nichoach?! The point is to be uplifting and joyous. That’s the music they play. Every song has toichen. So you don’t like the style? It’s “non-Jewish” you can say that about niggunim too which sound like Russian Folk Music. Every genre has the potential for kedusha.
Are you saying that Omer Adam had Kedusha?!?!? He doesn’t even have a beard!! Besides Simchas Beis has its own issues.
Bro, if he was frum ge wouldnt have a beard… he isnt chabad and is Israeli 🙂
Not trying to be judgemental, but try saying what you want without naming names.
Every Jew has Kedusha. Omer Adam has a few songs that are kedusha. Now I’m not in CH enough to know what exact songs they play. However, everytime I have been it’s only been kedushadik songs.
By Moshiach they will actually play nichoach!!
The Gemera describes that they got the loudest must upbeat music they could find. No they wont be playing Nichoach.
Haha you sound like a lubab. Only in your holy city of CH does this happen
Um ya, this is a Chabad site; you could go back to Yeshiva World News if you want. We don’t welcome disrespectful snags over here
Where does your invented halachah say what kind of music they will or won’t play? Yes, they will most certainly play melodies of kedusha, which includes Lubavitcher niggunim.
“Suck it up”?! Speaking of pritzus’dike talk!
And yes, every song has toichen, but some of them have a negative one. Look at what Chazal say about Elisha Acher and the non-Jewish songs he used to sing.
It doesn’t bother me too much
Completely disagree I think that it enhances the atmosphere of erev shabbos
Enough with this modern decadant music it’s gross that the standard of music that people listen to sunk so low. DONT YOU TELL ME THIS RAP MUSIC OR ELECTRO IS TALANT!!!!!
Arabs love to complain about “Western decadence”.
As a bochur who writes raps. You are wrong.
The point could be true for some people but Shabbos is all about rest and enjoyment, and for every person that’s a different level. For some people that’s the kind of music that puts them into their Shabbos mode.
So there can’t be just one rule or opinion about Erev Shabbos music cuz everyone celebrates Shabbos in their own way.
So suppose someone’s rest and enjoyment is playing video games. Or music. Or painting. Are all of those valid ways to celebrate Shabbos too?
Shabbos is not “all about rest and enjoyment”; those are important aspects of it, but fundamentally it’s about reconnecting with Hashem.
Weinsteins sells ear plugs and perhaps also blind folds, that should help with your erev shabbos errands, If that doesn’t do the trick, we are on serious trouble…
Perfect! This can also solve the Pirtzus issue by simchas Beis. Great thinking!
TOO FUNNYYY
First off, I want to thank this gentleman from our community or as he says “resident” for taking the serious needs of our community into consideration and bringing this up during yomtov! Kol Hakavod!
But I do must comment, that perhaps writing something like this on this subject and saying how this is bad just seems like a giant waste of time. Especially during זמן חירותינו!!!
On the contrary, that’s the best time to bring up an issue regarding keeping apart from non-Jewish ways.
Yes I absolutely agree. We are a holy Shchuna of the Rebbe. Let’s keep the Main Street of our city pure.
I’ve asked this many times you bring people to enjoy the ruchnius then go to a restaurant and the atmosphere is……
There is this new invention called headphones. If you don’t like the music put them in. You can take your opinions and play them to yourself in your headphones so you can feal like you are holier then everyone else.
Is that what you would tell your children when they go to the American DJ pritzus festival???
I totally agree.
Btw
(Feel is spelled with two E’s not a E And A)
I’m not sure what new innovation you’re talking about! Last I checked headphones go over your ears, not in them, AirPods go in.
If this is satire, you did great
it is lol but I think he could’ve dwelled more on the multitudes of genres so we could have had a ascending-descending graph from holy and not.
Beautifully written. Couldn’t agree more.
How does everyone always find someone to complain about?
Next thing you know, someone will have problems with the eiruv!!
Stop the nonsense and mind your own business…
What eiruv?? Where?
If you were joking then that was a terrific joke, otherwise…
The Torah tells us to mind others’ business. הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך, and כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה, and so forth. Do you think you know better?
Another op ed with someone complaining??
Welcome to hardships of living in the shchuna
Which shiur daled bochur wrote this? 😀
What makes you think it was a bachur. Sometimes some people have serious issues they want to discuss (I happen to disagree with this fellow)
It’s mesivta :facepalm:
And the music over sukkos is better?
Not against Israeli pop music. My kids listen to it all the time BUT I’m an out-of-towner from Florida. Brought my family to Kan Tzive for pesach and we went to visit 770 almost right away to get into the vibe. After leaving 770 with my children who are keenly aware of its status of Bais Rabainu as the Rebbe told us, I was disappointed to walk into a flower booth right by the dreidel that was blasting Israel beats.
The bochrim got their phones back for bein hazmanim!! @Author
I happen to agree, and to take it a step further, I believe a ban all on music thats nichoach is in order.
Also another problem I’d like to touch upon is simchas beis, I believe only bochurim who have completed Tanya baal per should be allowed entry, for only they can with stand the taivos olem haazeh(or a brunoy bochur)
Um excuse me? There are so many things wrong with what you wrote.
First how do you suppose we ban what people do in private? That’s not darchei chabad.
Second your Simcha beis comment is crazy!! I don’t even need to mention why.
And your brunoy bochur thing is just down right wrong, a bochurs yeshiva doesn’t define him.(for example you can have a chassidishe bochur in oholei torah)
For sure the whole thing. If not, just Likkutei Amarim will do.
This will all be moot because we’ll be in Aveilus with Sefira after Yom Tov, with music forbidden
Okay, Nichoach is going a little bit overboard. Best case scenario would be Niggunim, even if it’s upbeat with Israeli singers, it still has a chassidishe aspect to it. If it’s going to be music though, at least it should be a Yiddishe style (and don’t act like you’re not sure what a Yiddishe style is nowhere days) and sung by people who you would want your children to have as a role model. And here’s (for some odd reason) a hot take: Just because the guy has a Bris and the lyrics sound inspirational doesn’t mean it’s fit to… Read more »
Yechi isn’t any better….
Why do people think nowadays that just because the guy is Jewish that it’s fit for Lubavitcher Chassidim?! Most of the songs nowadays barely give any impression that it’s made by a yid, and is promoting ANYTHING to do with Yiddishkeit!
Walking through the shechuna with blasting omer adam isn’t the greatest either, there is somewhat of a problem but the 1960s nichoach is not a solution
I don’t think that nichoach was meant as the only solution… I think that was an example of chassidishe niggunim that are fit for the rebbes shchuna. If you want you can put menachem amar instead
In these days, free speech is relevant as ever. People do what they want, say what they want, and even think what they want. Therefore, there is no way you’ll be able to ban someone from playing the music they choose no matter how vulgar it may be (like gad elbaz) as this is not your place at all. What we really should be focusing on here is the chinuch of our children, how they’ve come to see music like this as totally normal and acceptable. Parents need to step up and educate their children how music has such a… Read more »
Why should the people who are trying to stay clean and pure have to suffer and carry around an mp3 and headphones all day to avoid hearing goyishe songs?!(just cuz the singer had a bris doesn’t make the song jewish כנ”ל) Maybe the ones who want to listen to all these grubbe songs should have to wear the headphones.
Why do you care about everyone else’s Yiddishkeit mind your own business everyone has there own way of Yiddishkeit so don’t bud in to someone else’s business
It’s not called butting in when you are playing music on the streets THAT IM WALKING ON its called worrying for myself and others like me. Nobody’s telling you not to listen to goyishe music by yourself (besides halacha kol Isha vechulu) but to play it on our streets needs to stop now.
I say just Expand770 and all will be well!
I love this
Apparently, much of the music played by DJs, (the latest “in” thing at chassenas) has inappropriate lyrics, to say the least! Just because we don’t understand what is being “sung” doesn’t make it kosher.
This is something to complain about? It’s really not a big deal. Put in earphones or just tune it out!
You can’t control everything
I don’t understand why people playing music in the street is a community issue. If it bothers you, file a noise complaint with the city by calling 311. If it doesn’t bother you enough to do that, then leave it alone.
Hey, if you’re not feeling the tunes on our street, you can always move somewhere else, no biggie. Music changes all the time, it’s just the way it is. And if you don’t like the way our community is heading, maybe consider packing up and heading over to Kingston, Pennsylvania. Oh, and by the way, if you’re the one writing this article, it sounds like you might have some other stuff on your mind and more reasons for moving too. Just sayin’.
It’s not your hip community where you can do whatever you want. It’s first and foremost the rebbes shchuna and we have to keep it and behave in a way that’s fit and reflects that.
Soon it’ll be kol isha and non Jewish music altogether. At the rate we’re going none of us will have Jewish grandchildren. Chevra, do teshuvah!
Seems like someone got ripped off at the flower shop……
YES
Get this individual HeadPhones and let him listen to whatever music he likes and as LOUD
as he likes and not impose his GARBAGE in our domain…
Chag KOSHER V”Sameach
You’re making an entire op-ed about a singular man that runs a flower booth on the street and is trying to create good vibes. Maybe to to him directly.
I definitely agree with the author that regardless of what people personally listen to, as a community, only high standards of music should be playing on our streets. Families who stick to a higher standard should be respected. You can argue that the kids will anyways hear lower standards outside the home, but in this case it’s coming from within the community, on our streets.
Maybe Nichoach is a little much to ask for though 🙂
I was in CH a few months ago and the guy selling flowers on the corner of crown and Kingston was blasting music that did not fit CH at all (I think it was trance music). I politely and humorously told him “let me be your DJ for a few minutes. You know flowers, but I know music.” With a huge smile, he said “absolutely – go ahead.” I put quick Playlist together of some awesome Fried, MBD, Lubavitch niggunim and shabbis songs – and he was thrilled – singing along our loud. I told him “this is awesome music”… Read more »
Hm. Certainly all citizens should follow the preferences of certain authority regarding what music is allowed on the public streets in Brooklyn and how how people should dress and what language they should speak and what speed they should walk and which side certain genders should walk.