BLAME THE JEWS: The Anti-Flea Meeting at Queen of All Saints Church, July 24, 2008

As a Brooklyn Flea supporter and sometime-seller, I attended the meeting on Thursday evening July 24 at Queen of All Saints with an open mind. I wanted to understand the church member's and local resident's' concerns about the new Brooklyn Flea - and to possibly help work out some compromises. Instead I walked out – deeply troubled by anti-semitic comments made by the parishioners.

At first the atmosphere seemed mutually respectful. The parishioner's main concerns were about the increased Sunday traffic and noise caused by the Flea Market during their previously quiet and tranquil holy day. They also complained about the lack of parking for themselves, bathroom requests, the numerous bicycles, congestion and crowds, among other grievances.

All of a sudden, one of the featured speakers, Kathleen Walsh, who is a parishioner at Queen of All Saints and "a resident of the neighborhood since 1942," stated: "Would such an entity be allowed across from a synagogue on the Sabaath?" Her declaration stung me like an electric shock; it was an updated version of the same anti-semitic rhetoric that was prevalent in pre-Holocaust Germany: the Jews have too much power. Why in the first place did the politically connected, upscale, hipster Brooklyn Flea (and it's rag-tag collection of "peddlers") choose to park itself right across from our church on a Sunday – rather than across from a synagogue on a Saturday? Her theory: blame the Jews.

Being a “Jewish peddler-of-sorts” myself, and a relative of Holocaust survivors (my Great Uncle Eliah survived three years in Auschwitz and lost most of his/my family during the war), I was stunned by Ms. Walsh's casual expression of hatred. As the evening wore on other church supporters in attendance eerily expressed similar viewpoints. Taken in direct context to the Brooklyn Flea issue, these statements seemed frighteningly reminiscent of one of Hitler's early campaign points - that the Jewish peddlers have too much money and influence - and are victimizing us.

The church's "we're the ones being persecuted here" congregation even tried to blame the Flea for their own dwindling attendance. (Reality check: the Flea has only been open for three months - and the Catholic Church in the U.S. has been slowly losing members since the 1960s.) Imagine the attendees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue complaining about the traffic, shoppers, sirens, trucks, and hoards of tourists on Sundays? And when is street parking guaranteed in NYC for anyone? And why can't the parishioners take the subway like the 7,000 or so Flea attendees do every Sunday ? Get real.

What happened to "love thy neighbor?" or "turn the other cheek?" I am not even going to go into the numerous economic and social benefits that the Flea provides to the local community and beyond. Instead of trying to ban the Flea the parishioners should instead be thinking "how can we benefit from this exciting new enterprise right across the street?" Like the Queen of All Saints Church doesn't need additional funding themselves? At this hot summer meeting it was obvious they are hurting; they do not have any air conditioning to speak of, nor was there a single microphone or basic sound system in sight. The evening's participants could barely be heard above the loud roar of antiquated fans. One speaker, longtime-Fort Greene resident Howard Pitsch made the most sense of all when he suggested that instead of being adversarial, the church should embrace the Flea and open their doors to the newcomers. Perhaps even some of the new visitors would stay and help rejuvenate the parish.

The Flea haters even brought up the same tired argument long-overused by Atlantic Yards’ supporters: (paraphrased) "I lived in Brooklyn for blah blah number of years and you newcomers have no right to express your opinion about my neighborhood." Wait a minute. Exactly how long does one have to live in Brooklyn in order to be considered a real Brooklynite? Those precise residency requirements should be posted somewhere so we can clear up this matter once and for all. The bottom line is, whether one lives in Brooklyn for 5 weeks or 50 years they should have a right to express an opinion about their neighborhood. Perhaps we should all just abide by our own government's residency requirements to vote, and decide public policy, and get a driver's license – 30 days.

In towns and cities across the world, from Thailand to Venezuela, the local houses of worship are the centerpieces of the community, and an open-air market meets every weekend in the town square, across the street. Just like on Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene.

To tell the truth, I have never personally felt comfortable in any Catholic Church. Based upon their World War Two track record I used to believe that if I ever ran inside one saying "please hide me" they would immediately make a phone call. Last night it seemed to me that they still might make that call.


My references:
Born in Brooklyn.
Both parents born and lived in Brooklyn.
Both sets of grandparents lived in Brooklyn.
Graduate of Pratt Institute, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
Permanent resident of Brooklyn since 1992.
Homeowner in Fort Greene since 1998.