Coney Island, NY – It’s going to be awfully quiet in Brooklyn’s Asser Levy Park across the street from two synagogues, this summer. After a 20-year run, the Seaside Summer Concert Series that filled the nine-acre park every Thursday night from mid-July through August is moving on.
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The concrete band shell in the park between Coney Island and Brighton Beach, mere steps from the boardwalk, once boasted music legends including the Beach Boys and Blondie. It drew fans from as far away as Suffolk County and the Bronx.
No more. A bitter fight between area residents and city officials over a proposed $64 million amphitheater for the park has finally put an end to all of that. When the series kicks off on July 14, with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, it will do so in a vacant lot 16 blocks west, and some people—including one borough president—are really unhappy about that.
“Unfortunately, we’re up against selfish, spiteful people,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who in 2004 first floated the idea of erecting a glitzy grandstand eight times the size of the 8,000-square-foot band shell at Asser Levy. “It would be a shame if an opportunity like this is lost.”
Maybe, but the concerts’ fate now appears to be sealed.
I agree with the two Synagogues. It is very disturbing and annoying doing services to be distracted by outside noise. Once, during a July 4th parade on Shabbos, a parade went right by our Shul. The route could have been changed one block or two blocks to the west, so as not to have disturbed the services. However, the promoters of the parade could have cared less.
there is no money for cops and fire houses but there is 64 miiion for this garbage
Marty Markowitz you are selfish- do it across the street from your house- you bum!!
It’s a hollow victory. No where, but no where does it say that the plans to build the $64 million amphitheater have been halted. As a matter of fact construction is planned to start shortly.
The lot where the concerts are to be held is in the midst of dangereous projects with broken sidewalks. I can imagine what the Italians and Irish concert goers will be saying about the Yidden when they leave that crime ridden area after the concerts finish.
These concerts brought much pleasure to many people, including many members of these two synagogues. That is a fact. What the community people are really afraid of is the project to build an 8,000 seat theater there. This is a small patch of land with no surrounding parking and located in the midst of 23 story high rises, not the right spot for a place for rap concerts and the type of concert goers it would attract.
Instead of moving these concerts to a bad area, they should move them back to Midwood Field where they were originally located.
yes, there is a law prohibiting noise within 50 feet of a religious building. If the synagogue in brighton beach dares to have a siyum sefer torah outdoors I will call the police and force them to stop.
a bunch of crybabies.
the synagogue better make sure they have no building code violations because many people are going to call 311 to report every single event
What a laugh! These two shuls can barely put together minyans and sometimes don’t. They should have been happy to have the concerts where they could have pulled in a couple of people to make a minyan.
“Unfortunately, we’re up against selfish, spiteful people,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz”
He means JEWS. He just doesn’t have the guts to openly project his self-hating status onto the public. He’ll make a great follow-on to that other self hating Jew Bloomberg, when Snarky Marky runs for Mayor.
Remember that.
Moshe4753, another self hater as evidenced by his thinly veiled threats to report the shul for building violations &/Or if they ever have a siyum sefer Torah. where does this hatred of Frumkeit come from?
I was in Coney Island this afternoon and barely missed being hit by a rock. Let me tell you folks I saw maybe a handful of Yidden. 90% of the people there were minorities and the police presence was minimal.
No one was against the Thursday night concerts, those of us that live there were against a theatre being built! There is jut not enough room for it there and the only way to have opposed it in court was by invoking the houses of worship rule. All of you making snide comments about yiddishkeit in Brighton should maybe help make a minyan instead of just acting like we don’t exist because we choose not to live in Williasburgh or boro park.
Once again, it never ceases to amaze me, the bandshell has been having concerts for 30+ years. I lived in the Warbasse/Trump area and ALL types of people attended the shows! Being there are 2 Shuls right there, and quite a few nearby, the neighborhood had many Jews when I lived there most considered themselves frum! Maybe not by YOUR standards, but every bit as dedicated to Torah. No one seemed to complain for 3 decades…why now? What was wrong with compromising on days of the concerts…they are only during summer months?