Cultural Interplay in 'Brooklyn': Shaping Society

Introduction

The cultures present in both Borough Park and Bay Ridge can drastically influence the way the society develops. However, the societies can also affect the culture present in the neighborhood. This can first be shown when the Norwegians immigrated to Bay Ridge during the early 1900’s. The Norwegians set up a multitude of stores and hosted parades around the neighborhood. In the article NORSE CODE IN BAY RIDGE, Forgotten New York stated “8th avenue was formerly the Main Street of “Little Norway” and was colloquially called Lapskaus Boulevard” (Forgotten New York, 3). Therefore, this quote shows that the culture of Bay Ridge changed which caused the neighborhood to become predominantly Norwegian. Afterwards, during the same time period, the Jewish immigrated to Borough Park followed by the Italians later on. Although there were different ethnic groups, in the article “From Suburb to Shtetl”-How Borough Park, Brooklyn Laid Claim to the Largest Population of Jews in America, Ann-Renee Rubia states “Boro Park’s atmosphere allows for both religious and cultural tradition and social assimilation to occur” (Rubia, 4). Therefore, this shows that based on past cultures, Borough Park is now accustomed to support the different ethnic groups living in the neighborhood.

Society and Norwegian Culture in Bay Ridge

The Norwegian culture in the 1900’s around Bay Ridge is based on the society. In the article Norwegians in New York, Christen T. Jonassen states “As long as the values of their heritage could be integrated…with conditions of the developing city, the community grew and flourished” (Hoover, 4).This shows that both the society and Norwegian culture are centered around each other. Jewish culture in Borough Park during the 1900’s was also similar to this. According to the article INSIDE THE COMMUNITY: A HOLY LIFE, PBS states “In space, the Hasidim’s daily life is largely bounded by the neighborhood and its institutions” (PBS, 2). This quote shows that the neighborhood around the Hasidim Orthodox Jews was structured to support both their religion and beliefs.

During the 1900’s, the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge impacted societies negatively. In the article Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (History), UrbanAreas.net states “The area of the neighborhood around Ovington Avenue (aka 70th street) was once known as “Ovington Village”; it was ultimately swallowed up as Bay Ridge” (UrbanAreas.net, 3). This quote shows that due to the construction of the Verrazano Bridge, many communities were destroyed forcing people to move to new neighborhoods. As a result of this, the cultures present in the neighborhoods disappeared.

The appearance of a new hospital in Borough Park during the 1900’s influenced the culture in the neighborhood positively. As stated in the article Our History And Future by Maimonides Medical Center, “In 1911, a group of concerned women opened a dispensary to serve the poor and needy residents of their Brooklyn neighborhood” (Maimonides Medical Center, 1). Therefore, the reasoning behind building this hospital was to help treat the residents in Borough Park. However, Maimonides also impacted the culture by helping the different ethnic groups present in the neighborhood. This is shown when Maimonides Medical Center stated “Maimonides will continue to reach for new levels of excellence…remaining committed to its mission of providing high-quality, compassionate health care to the diverse population in our Brooklyn community” (Maimonides Medical Center, 1). Overall, Maimonides Medical Center has helped the culture/society by providing a peaceful atmosphere where different ethnic groups can live together.

Jewish Culture: Borough Park's Boundaries

The culture in Borough Park has not changed much since the 1900’s. This is because mostly Hasidic Jews still live in the neighborhood although there are other ethnic groups as well. According to the article Borough Park, Brooklyn, Gregory Beyer states “Religious tradition and ritual touch nearly every aspect of neighborhood life” (Beyer, 1). This quote shows that similar to the past, there are facilities around the neighborhood based on a certain religion. Beyer also states “Although Orthodox Jews make up the majority of Borough Park’s residents, other groups are represented. Residents…have ended up acquiring an appreciation of Orthodox rituals” (Beyer, 2). Once again, it is shown through this quote that Bay Ridge supports all of the ethnic groups living in the neighborhood.

However, the culture of Bay Ridge has changed since the 1900’s. Back then, the neighborhood was mostly Norwegian while now it is very diverse. According to the article Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a ‘Small Town’ in a Big City, Pamela Gwyn Kripke states “Bay Ridge still has a strong population of Italian and Irish descent and has drawn Greek, Arabic, Russian and Chinese Immigrants” (Kripke, 3). This quote shows that overtime, many different ethnic groups moved to Bay Ridge which caused the neighborhood to become diverse.

The 1950’s culture differs from today in that many cities and neighborhoods are more diverse than back then. This is because many ethnic groups moved to different parts of Brooklyn. In the article About Brooklyn, One Brooklyn states “The diversity of our people is mirrored in the diversity of our neighborhoods, economy and ideas” (One Brooklyn, 1). This quote shows that along with having different races present in the neighborhood, there is also a variety of cultures too. Therefore, the diverse cultures can both impact the way the society is structured and developed.

Although the community is very diverse now, I believe that people still try to sell the authentic Brooklyn in order to talk/remember the past. This was because back in the 1900’s, there were still small amounts of different races present even though a majority of a particular ethnic group lived in the neighborhood. The Authentic Brooklyn can also be shown through the existing buildings present. They can showcase how the neighborhood was back then and how it developed over time based on the different races living there. One example can be shown through the article Fading Into History when Ms. Macfarlane states “But the store, whose name she cannot remember, is gone, as are most of the landmarks…that was for generations the traditional symbol of the American Jewish experience” (Salkin, 1). Due to these reasons, I believe that 1950’s Brooklyn is authentic since it helped make Brooklyn what it is today.

Evolution of Brooklyn's Culture: Eilis's Journey

I feel that Eilis fits into the 1950’s Brooklyn through the diverse races present. This is because when she emigrated from Ireland to Brooklyn, the community was big and diverse. This was shown during the book Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín when Miss Bartocci stated “New people arrive and they could be Jewish or Irish or Polish or even colored…We treat everyone the same” (Tóibín, 62). Based on this quote, it shows that the Brooklyn neighborhood is diverse since many people of different backgrounds immigrated/reside here.

The second reasoning behind Eilis fitting into 1950’s Brooklyn is that similar to the other immigrants who moved to America during this time period, they were all looking for a job. As shown in the book Father Flood states “In the United States, there would be plenty of work for someone like you and with good pay” (Tóibín, 24). This quote shows that there are many job opportunities for people looking for one that pays well. The Norwegians also immigrated to America for similar reasons. In the article Norwegian Immigration to America, Siteseen Limited states “However, the main reasons for the Norwegian immigration to America…were disasters such as crop failures, blights and poor harvests leading to poverty” (Siteseen Limited, 2). Therefore, this quote shows that agricultural problems resulted in many Scandinavian people immigrating to America.

I believe that Eilis would fit into the neighborhood where I chose my picture from over time. This is because the experience of living in America was overwhelming for her. As shown in the book Eilis stated “For each day, she thought, she needed a whole other day to contemplate what had happened and store it away, get it out of her system so that it did not keep her awake at night” (Tóibín, 60). Based on this quote, this shows that thinking about her day to day experiences at night caused her to become overwhelmed. Another reason that Eilis would be well adjusted into my neighborhood over time is how she gets used to the lifestyle that she lives in. According to the book, Eilis states “No matter what she dreamed about, no matter how bad she felt, she had no choice, she knew, but to put it all swiftly out of her mind. She would have to get on with her work” (Tóibín, 79). This quote shows that even if Eilis is overwhelmed with her lifestyle in America, she pushes herself to continue working.

Conclusion

The multitude of cultures present in both Bay Ridge and Borough Park can influence how the society develops. The societies can also affect the cultures in the neighborhood as well. An example was when the Norwegians immigrated to Bay Ridge and caused the neighborhood to become prominently Norwegian. This also led to Bay Ridge to focus on Norwegian culture. However, this was similar to Borough Park when the Jewish and the Italians moved into the neighborhood. New buildings built around both neighborhoods also affected culture. Building the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge caused many communities to be destroyed and forced people to move while building the Maimonides Medical Center aided in helping Borough Park become more diverse. However, I believe that people still try to sell authentic Brooklyn in order to remember the history/what represented their neighborhoods. Based on this, I feel that Eilis can become accustomed to both 1950’s Brooklyn and my community due to the diverse neighborhoods and how her actions influence her lifestyle.

Works Cited

1. Ellertsen, Stan, et al. “Websteward.” Forgotten New York, 2006, forgotten-ny.com/2006/06/norse-code-in-bay-ridge/.
2. Rubia, Ann-Renee. “‘From Suburb to Shtetl’—How Borough Park, Brooklyn Laid Claim to the Largest Population of Jews in America.” Homelessness Affordable Housing NYC, The Arts in New York City, 2017, eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/reelneighborhoods/2017/05/23/from-suburb-to-shtetl-how-borough-park-brooklyn-laid-claim-to-the-largest-population-of-jews-in-america/.
3. Hoover, Knight. “Norwegians in New York.” Welcome to NAHA!, naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume24/vol24_9.html.
4. “INSIDE THE COMMUNITY: A HOLY LIFE.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/alifeapart/intro_2.html.
5. “Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (History).” UrbanAreas.net, urbanareas.net/info/resources/neighborhoods-brooklyn/bay-ridge-brooklyn-history/#sidr-nav.
6. “Our History and Future.” Maimonides Medical Center, www.maimonidesmed.org/about-us/history-future/past-present-future.
7. Beyer, Gregory. “Borough Park, Brooklyn.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/realestate/10living.html.
8. Kripke, Pamela Gwyn. “Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a 'Small Town' in a Big City.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/realestate/living-in-bay-ridge-brooklyn.html.
9. “ABOUT BROOKLYN.” Brooklyn Borough Hall Official Site, www.brooklyn-usa.org/about-brooklyn/.
10. Salkin, Allen. “Fading Into History.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2002, www.nytimes.com/2002/10/20/nyregion/fading-into-history.html.
11. Tóibín, Colm. Brooklyn. United States of America: 2009.Print
12. Norwegian Immigration to America. 2014, www.emmigration.info/norwegian-immigration-to-america.htm.