We Need to Tell Boro Park’s Story     

To insiders, Boro Park is a vibrant community with bustling businesses, loving families, some of whom struggle financially, and yeshivos and schools on every corner.

But many people in New York view our community through darker lenses. Sadly, a man with a long jacket and hat or shtreimel, or a woman dressed in distinctive Orthodox garb, brings negative associations to mind. We are rule-breakers, the public was told repeatedly during Covid — sometimes by elected officials — or we have large families and rely on the dole for support.

This public image is in part a result of the media’s mischaracterization of our community, and has led to anti-Semitic attacks and the passage of laws that harm our way of life. Matters have reached such a dangerous level that in 2020, William Barr, then the US attorney general, visited my office to discuss how to combat the rise in hate. “I will not take my eye off of this,” he promised at the time.

So it’s now time for our community to work proactively to shape our public image. The approach of lying low may have been appropriate at some point, but with our growth attracting a harsher media lens, it is no longer an option.