Monsey, NY – It seems whenever Wal-Mart proposes a new store, controversy sprouts.
But the protest of a planned 215,000-square-foot store in Monsey has a decidedly religious overtone.
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When residents talk about traffic, they are fearful for the safety of families walking to synagogue on Saturdays. And when they imagine the outsiders who would shop at the store, they worry that their presence could transform the town's pious, sheltered atmosphere.
"The reason a lot of us came to live in Monsey is because we wanted to raise our families in a safe place, away from the influences of the outside world," said Yossi Weinberger, 30, a father of four who works at a local travel agency. "I'm not sure it will be easy to do it if we have such a gigantic piece of the outside world move to our town."
Philip H. Serghini, a public affairs manager for Wal-Mart, has visited the community of 28,000, most of them Hasidic Jews, at least six times since October. He has met in private with about two dozen rabbis to explain the company's proposal to turn a shuttered drive-in theater on Route 59 into a retail magnet for miles around. And that Wal-Mart has already agreed to conceal magazine covers that may be deemed offensive, such as the ones picturing celebrities in provocative outfits, "something that's new for us," Mr. Serghini said.
"The rabbis have a lot of concerns, and some of them are similar to those we've heard from other communities, but there are very specific elements to this experience," Mr. Serghini said. "Definitely, this is the most unique place I've ever been to."
Mr. Serghini, of Wal-Mart, said he had asked the rabbis to prepare a list of concerns, which he has yet to receive, in an effort to "comport to the local mores." Wal-Mart is also considering creating a way for rabbis to provide feedback to the store on a regular basis, he said.
An analysis by Brian Ketcham, a transportation engineer hired by the Neighborhood Retail Alliance, a small-business advocacy group in Manhattan that has helped organize Monsey's anti-Wal-Mart movement, said the store would add about 16,000 vehicles to Route 59 on weekdays, resulting in a 30 percent increase in congestion. [NY Times]
Please allow me to Clarify some points.
1) I didn’t say I came to live in Monsey cause………., I said and Quote “The reason a lot of us came to live in Monsey is because we wanted to raise our families in a safe place, away from the influences of the outside world,” I meant the Earlier generation.
Let’s say the Vishnitzer Rebbe.
Or the Yehivish Guys, from Beis Medrash Elyon.
Or the Cong Beis Yisroel People.
They came to Monsey to be in a Quieter, relaxed life style.
I must admit the NY TIMES reporter, was very honest, she did not misquote or mislead, as many people complaint about them.
Of course she printed what she felt like important for her article, what do you expect? she is her to prove her point, and I salute her for doing her job right.
Yes, the Rabunnim are against only things that they have interest in, like the Shoppers Haven that they were Quiet, cause Pinchas Klein has money, and………….
I did tell her that we shop in the local Wal-Mart and Target, and if it opens in our area we will shop there too, but it’s not a store that we want in our area for all reasons.
Now, don’t compare it to other Wal-Marts or Big super center, this is going to be the MEGA super center, as they say “the mother of all super centers”.
And we can’t predict the what it will cause to our neighborhood.
Remember one of the Reasons the Yudenrat was a successful tool in the War, let’s not fight and disagree so MUCH.
We are so busy trying to please the GOYIM that we can’t look straight anymore.
Yossi Wein……
p.s. Thanks S”S for the opportunity to voice my opinion.
In Brooklyn there is a simple rule, Rabonim only mix in when asked to mix in to protect Kosher food stores. This was demonstrated when Shoprite opened and GM made a campaign to have Rabonim mix in.
There are reasons to not shop at walmart, there are reasons that are valid to shop there. I think everybody should decide bt themselves. Remember, most Kosher food stores do not have Hashgacha on the entire store, only on certain parts. If you do not believe this then ask the store. You might also ask if walmart sold the non kosher chickens.
They don’t seem to have a problem with the Walmart Supercenter just a mile or so away from Kiryas Joel. In fact many of the customers are Chassidim. They also don’t have a problem with traffic when they put up those huge projects all over Monsey. Their only fear is the loss of business at the local stores. In fact Shoppers Haven’s main goal was to drive the small businesses on Main St. out or get them to pay rent to Shoppers Haven.
No one is being forced to shop in Walmart. If the Chassidish community wants to avoid the store who is stopping them? They can shop in their own stores all they want.. Maybe they’re afraid of losing business to Walmart because the prices there are much better. There’s already a Walmart on Rte. 59 only minutes away from Monsey, so I don’t know why Walmart needs to open another store anyway.
I’m not from Monsey, don’t have family in Monsey, and thus don’t have a dog in this fight. Knowing Wal-Mart, though, “they” are building the store for people in the surrounding communities who presumably would like more purchasing power for their money.
I’m always more interested in who is against Wal-Mart. While I can’t speak for Monsey, in many communities, anti-Wal-Mart forces have been dominated by unions from outside the community and elitists who don’t like the fact that Wal-Mark might aid the local riff-raff in improving their standard of living.
The only problem I can think of would be the traffic. They say they will take care of that. (They plan on adding a new road to old nyack turnpike?) If so then let them open. It makes no sense to me that we should worry about the stores that won’t make so much money, and forget about the many people in Monsey that can’t afford to shop in those same stores.
I work across the street from Pathmark, It takes me up to 10 minutes to get to Purple pear during lunch hours. Imagine how much longer it would take if wallmart came around.
Pedestrian Safety will be a huge issue as well, How many kids will get run over Chas vesahlom, before people realize theres no way, a center that big can operate in an area so small and congested.
And to think….60 years ago Monsey was a farm more or less.
Ponder this: Who are they building the wal-mart for?
Hey Yossie you moved to Monsey ’cause your shver lives there.period. don’t give us no frumkeiten here…..The reason a lot of us came to live in Monsey is because we wanted to raise our families in a safe place, away from the influences of the outside world,” said Yossi Weinberger, 30, a father of four who works at a local travel agency. huh?
Kudos to Wal-mart for expressing their willingness to cover magazines as Path Mark in monsey has done covering their magazines with a blank black piece of plastic. However why have the Rabonim not come out against the lingerie store (U.P.) located in the Path Mark shopping center where heimishe yungerleit – sometimes as many as three – stand at the register ?!
I wonder how many rabbonim protested when shoppers haven opened up that monstrosity and hurt the mom and pop stores…. It’s interesting how they pick their fights… Someone is going to mention this to an outside reporter and then it will hit the fan..
Which Rabbonim are against Wal Mart. Are they also against stores that fleece the heimasha consumers or those that advertise one price and charge you another. Lets police ourselves before we take to the big stage and attack everyone else…. But if they are bein paid to protest then “loz zey machin a parnusa”
Anonymous 1:06 PM said
“… there is another major problem which is the customers and employees who would mostly be from other neighborhoods and bring with them all the hippies and illegal’s from Spring Valley …”
Your complaint about Wal-Mart’s drawing the Spring Valley illegals is nothing short of hilarious.
Which illegals are you referring to?
You mean the illegals who currently enter our homes to clean and to babysit our children? Or maybe you mean the illegals who do all of the manual labor in our community? Or maybe it’s the ones who work in our stores?
Yes, it would be a tragedy that they should have a place to shop on their way home from taking care of our children, cleaning our homes, and building our houses.
It’s one thing to have them come directly into our homes and babysit our children, but it’s quite another to give them access to a Wal-Mart.
Plenty of Chassidim come to shop at the Wal-Mart down the road in Tallman – and that one does not make any consessions for Tznius (ie covering magazines, etc.) If this new store is willing to do that, why complain?. I don’t see the down side – other than a possible increase in the volume of traffic. If the competition will cause food prices to be lower – Vus Is Shlecht??
Yes, you are correct. Hippies are a BIG problem in 2007.
All those tie-died shirts and pants will do horrible things to our neighborhood.
Whether it would hurt local business or not is an important issue, but besides that there is another major problem which is the customers and employees who would mostly be from other neighborhoods and bring with them all the hippies and illegal’s from Spring Valley and besides there is a Wal-Mart a mile and half down the 59 for goodness sake!!!!
10:45 –
You got it right.
There are no real ‘frum’ issues with Wal-Mart. The Rabbonim that are speaking with the Wal-Mart reps are creating a big Chilul-Hashem.
We all shop at Target, all the area malls, Shoprite, Pathmark, etc… and they don’t have ‘issues’ with that.
This is about control and trying to protect the mom and pop stores.
It is the same story all across the US, whenever Wal-Mart opens.
I’m not saying they shouldn’t do what they can to protect some hard working people that have built nice businesses over the years, but why drag Yiddishkeit into it?
All that does is creat greater problems.
Most rabbonim are against itb/c it would hurt local busineses, not b/c of traffic. No one was against the target down the road. They are just scared that walmart will force all the yiddishe food stores to lower their prices
In a way, I do feel bad for them, but competition is good, especially for the consumer. i really hope they do open up.
to SZ:
Contact her and complain.
I can’t believe how selfish a person could be.
She only contacted me because of VIN’s posting here, and she even said that all connections and personal contacts are because of VIN. And not even saying a word in the article, giving them some credit?
Its a shame on the NY Times and more so on this reporter.
Never Trust the NY times.
I am quoted in the story as Shlomo Zalman.
Thanks VIN for getting me in touch with the reporter.
The reporter took my comments somewhat out of context. Nothing surprising coming from the NYTimes (or any major media for that matter.)
I told her I supported the store. But her angle was that everyone is against it, so she made my comments appear that way.
Even my comments she used were not a direct quote, even though she put it in the paper as a direct quote. She took my answers and rewrote it as a direct quote.
The quote “I don’t know if I would shop there” I did not give bchlal.