Sloatsburg, NY – As in recent summers, tens of thousands of Orthodox men are expected to use the popular minchah/maariv area along the northbound New York State Thruway on the road up to the Catskills. The start of using the area will be this afternoon.
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The New York State Thruway Authority last year moved the “prayer zone” from the first to the second level of the parking structure that housed it. All minyanim take place on the second-level parking area (which is level with the second-floor restrooms). In the event of rain, minyanim will be allowed in the stairwell.
The minchah/maariv area, located at the Sloatsburg rest stop off the northbound New York State Thruway, was designated to serve the summer Jewish transient community after intense negotiations with community leaders.
While minyanim are successfully held during the summer season, it’s important to remind the community that peddling is prohibited and can cause a massive chillul Hashem. Also, the NY Dept. of Transportation has asked that no one park on the shoulders of the Exit ramp leading up to the parking area. State Police will be issuing hefty summonses to anyone violating parking regulations.
As with last year, the New York State Thruway Authorities Inspector has teamed up with Kiryas Joel resident and noted activist Chaplain for the state police and Orange County Sheriff’s Office Rabbi Mordechai Friedman to be present every Thursday night to enforce compliance with the peddling ban. A Kosher Vending machine is on premise for anyone who is in need for a snack.
Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law—and, please: if you’re caught selling stuff, don’t cry “Chillul Hashem!” later if the media picks it up.
A special recognition goes to Rabbi Edgar Gluck who was was the brainchild of the Mincha Area idea.
Also of recognition is Rabbi Bernard Freilich, Special Assistant to the New York State Police, for working tirelessly with the NY State Thruway Authority to ensure the success of the minchah/maariv area.
Please: Let’s make this a huge Kiddush Hahsem—and in the merit of the many tefilos, may all Jews in need have a refuah shleimah.
How great and thankful we have to be to HASHEM for letting us live our yiddishe lives in the united states
But let’s not forget we are in GOLUS
Whats with this “peddling” prohibition….who is going to try to sell anything to a bunch of tired and anxious yiddin trying to “speed daven” mincha/maariv and get back into their cars to beat the traffic to the bungalo colony. I cannot imagine even the most entrepreneurial merchant setting up shop in a parking lot off the thruway to “peddle” seforim or hand out passes to the new mikvah in south fallsburg.
Question: Islam requires prayer 5 x a day. Is this a “Jewish Only” prayer area? or may Muslims form prayer groups there also?
can a schnorrer schnorr there if it is government land?
are there set minyanim times? like mincha 1:30 maariv 8 etc etc…
i hope there will be security there.there are a lot of nutjobs out there.
What a transparant PR piece. State Police are not authorized to issue “hefty” summonses. Fines are what the law says they are and cannot be arbitrarily changed when imposed on jews seeking to exercise their right to pray in a public area.
Its one of the biggest chilul hashem situations I have ever seen. People blocking the parking lot, the stairs etc…better to daven biyichidus
its better to daven without a minyan then make a chillul hasm
just finished maariv a nice minyan of heimishe yidden on the way up to the country was a little drizzly but otherwise done quietly and unassuming what a Kiddush hashem!!
Let’s keep the place as clean as when we got there.
wonder why I never heard of anyone choshuv davening there. look in halacha, davening should be in a makom kavuah, making davening part of a rest stop seems as if davening to you is like useing the bathroom, something your trying to get out of the way. no wonder we don’t feel our tefillos being answered today, they border on botzaya beirach ne’etz es hashem. I also had a theory that maybe there were so many car accidents the past summers because of the bezayon we have made of davening on the road. let’s all begin to daven in shuls before or after we go & bezras hashem we’ll be zoceh to a healthy summer.
Peddeling means seeling stuff, drinks, snacks etc. Doing so takes away buisness from the vendors who pay rent to sell at this rest stop and it is unfair to do so. I dont see why we cant make a kiddush hashem and not a chillul hashem here. You can make mintonim, daven and leave the area !!! and if you need a drink , you can buy it from one of the regular shops that are there. Last year it was a huge chilul hashem when the TV ran a big story on this! and trust me, they were not trying to make us look good, because WE were not trying to make ourselves look good!
In Pittsburgh, Rabbi Swift is trying to secure a location on the Pennslyvania Turnpike.
brains, the kosel is a makom kavuah, not a rest stop or a stairwell, you may be confused by all the misguided people who make it a rest stop, but if you truly don’t know the difference between the kosel & a rest stop please keep away from it (from the kosel) how pathetic.