By Simcha Baez
This coming Sunday, April 25th, Repair the World Brooklyn, The Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, The Office of Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, One Crown Heights, Brooklyn Community Board 9, Neighbors in Action/SOS, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, The UJA Federation of New York, and Clean Up Crown Heights are co-hosting a community-wide project named “#MakeCrownheightsShine – A Community Clean Up”. We are putting out the call to inspire all Crown Heights residents, organizations and businesses to participate in cleaning our neighborhood.
This project is an opportunity to show unity that is focused on the common goals we all have of taking pride in Crown Heights, making the community more beautiful, more inviting and curtailing rodents such as rats, possums and raccoons.
At the beginning of the pandemic, city funding for sanitation was cut, but it was recently restored after a year of garbage piling up and an increase in 311 rodent complaints. While the city is increasing its efforts, we as residents need to work on it as well.
Here’s how to participate on April 25th:
Choose a location to collect garbage in Crown Heights, in front of your home or business, an alley, or a whole block, together with your block association if you have one.
Invite family, friends, or community to join you – post on social media about what you are doing and encourage others using the tag #MakeCrownHeightsShine.
Take “before” and “after” pictures of your area! Add a selfie, so we can see all of our neighbors working together
When we take care of our community, we take care of each other. Small positive acts like this can make a big difference in fostering positive neighbor relationships. When we all work together at the same time, we can transform all of Crown Heights for the better.
We all know the Rebbe loved and encouraged any effort to build up and improve Crown Heights. The following is an interesting story which was published in A Chassidisher Derher (Cheshvan 5777); Here the Rebbe spoke of the necessity of fixing up, and keeping a local Mikvah clean:
“We are addressing the mikveh that is closest to the shul of nesi doreinu, and in fact the entire neighborhood is one that nesi doreinu has chosen to reside in, and gave brachos to it— which have already been fulfilled, and these above mentioned individuals are beneficiaries of these brachos. So how could it be that they have not ‘dipped a finger in cold water’ to make this neighborhood how it should be?”
Join us and grab your rubber gloves or a broom, trash bags, include your kids, and don’t forget to post your work! If you would like to borrow a trash picking-up tool you can email [email protected]
lets get rid of FERAL cats that are being fed by our neighbors and now reside everywhere!!!!!
Is that the worst hygiene problem in CH? Then how about the homeless on Easter Parkway and their trash, all the dog poop, the shattered glass, the cigarette butts, and TRASH in general? Talk to me when you’re done. Meow
at least they help with the rats and mice
On my block, for a long time there were cats, and there was scarcely a mouse to be found. The neighborhood kids scared them away, and our houses were overrun with mice. So we started putting out food for the cats; at least they stay outdoors, and indeed the mouse problem has diminished.
We can start on Kingston ave. Here are a few areas I have seriously considered just taking a broom too. The hut by 770 side on Kingston and eastern parkway , in front of tambourines on Kingston . Around all these outdoor dining areas. In front of Bais Gershon New York ave . I have personally cleaned there as it’s a bushah to the shul.
Not To Mention The Tree Pits On Kingston Ave Which are Dangerous Pits People Fall in
Love this idea!
I will do it if I were there I completely support the idea
Great idea!
IT’S ABOUT TIME!!! Let’s all get involved. After all it’s the Rebbe’s shechunah.
Amazing idea, so important for education of our kids treating Hashems world with respect and dignity,
Love it! I will certainly be helping. Time to drop our pride, and be proud of where we live. I hope people will all join in. Especially important for kids to participate
There was this thing in Soviet Russia called “subbotnik”, where all citizens were required to do menial jobs for the sake of it. Cause people who do menial jobs somehow superior to others, they are real proletariat, salt of the earth etc. Not surprisingly idea is now taking root in America, where despite astronomical taxes and insane union salaries sanitation department needs citizenry to clean up streets. Eastern Parkway service road has not been clean up once since last summer. Rotting leaves are now just black muck. Sanitation sweeping trucks no longer use water spray, so biblical size dust columns… Read more »
This is something that generates an endless mess to the streets: All types of signs and posters continuously being hung on lampposts, trees, and everywhere else! No need for it. Whoever needs to know what they’re advertising will find out anyway.
We all greatly appreciate all the wonderful efforts to keep the shcuna clean, Yasher Koach!
Imagine we all paid money to a fund or agency to keep the streets clean!
…oh it’s called Taxes, and the government instead of all the pointless spending they should spend our money on what they are supposed to do in the first place.
A good way to keep crown heights clean would be to stop voting in the Bafoons that take our money and not spend it on one of the basic expectations of a city government.