More Matzo Troubles on Kent Avenue

Sounds like we all should be taking our money out of real estate and investing in matzo!

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 11:03 AM

Hmmm, 'picto-browser' looks like a neat toy but I'm not so sure what the six photographs above really convey. A picture is worth a thousand words, except when it's not.

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 11:13 AM

were the owners of these matzo factories paying someone off until now?

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 11:44 AM

Clearly, there is a flourishing underground matzo-baking ring operating in Williamsburg. Unbelievable.

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 11:50 AM

Private Ambulances, neighborhood watches, and an insular population... I don't think anyone is paying anybody off. The City just looks the other way. The Hasidic Community is a big player in NYC politics. Any questions?

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 12:52 PM

>Any questions?

Yea, why all the Matzo baking in February?

Passover is in April.

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 2:19 PM

12:52, Whats your point many neighborhoods have Private Ambulances and neighborhood watches....The ones from Williamsburg were some of the first responders at 9/11 and lost many ambulances.

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 2:23 PM

there are number of matzo "factories" throughout williamsburg. from the looks of them, I don't think any would pass muster with the buildings department and whichever agency oversees food making facilities (not to mention, OSHA). the hasidic community votes as a block, so they have an absurd amount of political clout. it'll have to get pretty bad before they're forced to adhere to the same rules as everyone else, e.g., massive fire, building collapse, widespread food poisoning. in other words, nothing's gonna happen until some people start dying, accompanied by a big NYTimes investigative report...

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 3:12 PM

Often when there is a story about the Hasidim, the fact that the community votes as a block is trotted out as significant. I work for the city; I've worked for elected officials; I've worked with the Satmar and even had the opportunity--no thanks--to work at United Jewish Organizations. That is who is making the following observation:

If people think that elected officials call, say, the borough commander or a captain at a firehouse and tell them, 'gee, can't you go easy on the matzo-makers,' you're crazy. I don't even believe that, for example, a cocktail party conversation between a council member and the fire commissioner ('Commish, you know what's killing some of the businessmen in my district....') filters down to influence middle-management and staff decisions.

To insinuate otherwise is anti-Semitic and insulting to agency staff. If you're a fire captain, your advancement is more secure doing your job, including inspections, than by doing the bidding of some elected official. I can be as critical of the Satmar as anybody--you know what familiarity breeds--but the fact that they vote as a block has little impact at city agencies.

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 3:30 PM

if any city agencies start wit hasidim it will end up in big lawsuits of religious freedom in the courts

Posted by: guest at February 19, 2008 7:13 PM