Waterbury, CT – The changes have come slowly but inexorably as the handful of Orthodox Jewish families who relocated here in 2000 from New York have expanded into a 500-strong community.
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There are some noticeable changes, of course, like the former chemistry labs of the old UConn campus that now house classrooms of young Jewish children, piping out songs in Hebrew.
Perhaps the best example of this has been at Waterbury Hospital, which found itself confronted with Orthodox patients who not only couldn’t eat the food that the hospital provided, but couldn’t sign their names or open an electric door if it was the Sabbath.
“The hospital knew nothing about us,” said Chaim Gewirtzman, 21, the liaison between his community and the hospital. “And when we came here, we were used to New York. We were spoiled. There were so many Jews and everything was worked out already.” [hartfordcourant]
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Anon. 2:32PM Exactly my point. Things are great. Let’s [do our share to] keep ’em that way.
Big Wheel,
Do you have any idea about Waterbury?
The yeshiva has transformed a neighborhood full of drug dealers and gangs into a nice quiet area. The people of Waterbury love the Yeshiva and the families. I met the janitor from the local CATHOLIC high school, where the bochurim play on Motzai Shabbos, and he could not stop praising their middos and Derech eretz. He told me how the boys never fail to thank him and say good night.
Many out of town hospitals look forward to accomodating patients of various ethnicities – much more so than in NYC. Many are pleased when such an opportunity presents itself to work together with a particular religious community to accomodate them. If only our local hospitals would view their patients as assets to work together with to improve whatever can be improved, rather than liabilities that they can’t wait to get rid of.
What a kiddush Hashem! Keep it up!
Keyword in the article was ” we were spoiled”….
This is exactly the problem in Boro Park. Everyone is so spoiled.
Let’s make sure not to wear out our welcome. Let’s remember all the things we do in Willy & BP and
refrain from doing them.