Today’s image of the day comes from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, where according to sources, a billboard—sponsored by the Congregation of Yad Moshe— has been erected to warn commuting Jews about the temptations or perils of Manhattan:
The sign on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway reads in Hebrew: “Dear Jew: You are entering a dangerous place. Shield your eyes.” The words “Shield your eyes” are repeated in English.
Now, beyond the natural dangers of taking that message literally while driving a car, a better question would be to ask what dangers does New York City, recently named the safest large city in the country, hold for Jews that a great of number of religious Jewish enclaves in America not have themselves? A cursory glimpse at some of the biggest stories over the past few years would show a not insignificant number of criminal and social problems exist in communities that are exclusively Jewish. So, what gives?
Looks like we’re gonna need a bigger sign.
New York City Remain Safest Big City [Bloomberg]
Related: Sufjan Stevens’ celluloid and musical paean to the BQE
Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.