I am not a big fan of mobile restaurants. I find them to be unappealing. And I always question how they maintain proper health standards. But I understand the appeal to others. It is kind of fun to be able to buy a delicious hamburger or hot dog fresh of the grill. It is cheap and fast… exactly what fast food restaurants are famous for.
So when Nathan Lichtenstein had the idea to provide such a service for his own Satmar community of Williamsburg, he probably thought he would be welcome with open arms. What could be better than providing a proven favorite source of fast food ...a ‘street vendor’ of the Glatt Kosher kind.
People in that community can now enjoy the ‘fun’ of buying a hotdog or hamburger or other fast foods ‘in the street’. It is a fun break from the routine to go out for a walk and buy supper this way rather than to have the same type of home cooked meal every day (...not that there’s anything wrong with that).
The enterprise has been succesful and I’m happy about that. Mr. Lichtenstein says he gets about 200 Charedi customers every night. But its acceptance is only partial.
Unfortunately for Mr. Lichtenstein some Chasidim of Williamsburg didn’t quite see this Glatt Kosher food truck as a plus. Their religious sensibilities have been threatened. So the extremists among them did what seems to have become standard operating procedure these days for communities like these. They have taken steps to ‘do what’s necessary’ to try and shut it down as reported in the Jerusalem Post.
(It) has touched off protests from extreme segments of haredi Williamsburg, who say it challenges their values. A few weeks ago, two men were taken into custody in connection with the protests, and police threatened more arrests if the situation got out of hand.
On Sunday, street posters warned families not to patronize the truck. "If you know what's good for your kids, don't let them go," the signs read.
Thankfully Mr. Lichtemstein is staying his ground… despite the hate mail he keeps folded in his pocket, asking him to leave. Letters from the Central Rabbinic Congress and other haredi organizations accuse Lichtenstein of "being like the goyim."
The Central Rabbinic Congress is the Satmar version of the OU or the Edah HaCharedis. They are a kosher certifying agency and spokesmen (...among other spokesmen) for the Hashkafos of Satmar. So it is clear to me that even though the protesters are a minority, their motives are nevertheless very mainstream Satmar.
And this is not the first time this kind of thing has happened in Williamsburg:
Old-timers remember the first kosher pizza place that opened, to loud protest, in the religious part of Williamsburg some 40 years ago. And more recently, a billboard for Oorah, a children's charity that wanted to encourage car donations, was spray-painted because the featured boy did not have the shaved head and long sidelocks common in Williamsburg.
So far there hasn’t been the kind of violence perpetrated by their Israeli counterparts in similar situations. But I am starting to believe that there isn’t that much difference between the two. The attitude is the same and their behavior seems to be a common way of handling things by certain types of Chasidim... amomg them Satmar.
As the statement from the Central Rabbinic Conference indicates the problem is in how ‘married’ they are to their exclusionary religious views. Views that motivate some of them to respond violently if their lifestyles are even only slightly challenged. Fast food restaurants seem to be an example of that. "Being like the goyim." cannot be tolerated in any way. Of course the leadership isn’t going to do the dirty work. But those who do can be confident that they are supported... or at least excused for their behavior.
What a shame it is that Satmar, which has so much to offer Klal Yisroel… whose acts of Chesed (exemplified by their Bikur Cholim Society) to other Jews irregardless of Hashkafos or level of observance are legendary... have to have this dark side to them.
