The “Hasid vs. Hipster” culture war in Williamsburg continues apace. Today’s Post carries news that residents of Williamsburg’s Hasidic community are protesting the bike lanes on Wythe and Bedford Avenues and are trying to delay the creation of one on Kent Avenue, on the grounds that the bike riders are frequently “hotties,” that is, women, “many of whom ride in shorts and skirts.” “I have to admit, it’s a major issue, women passing through here in that dress code,” Simon Weisser, a member of Community Board 1 in Williamsburg-Greenpoint, told the Post. This is at least the third time in recent months that Williamsburg Hasids have complained about having their souls sullied by a glimpse of the female form: Some months ago, there were similar complaints about H&M ads, and just a couple of weeks ago, community members protested the placement of a billboard for the new 90210 that featured teenagers in bathing suits. “It’s real racy and it doesn’t belong in our community where you have children who aren’t used to seeing these images,” Weisser, who is apparently specifically attuned to these images, told the Brooklyn Paper then.
Well, at least you’d think they’d be used to seeing them now.
HASID LUST CAUSE [NYP]
Hasidim: This ad is anti-sign-metic? [Brooklyn Paper]
