Reid Forgrave: By 9:30 a.m., the streets and cul-de-sacs and perfectly manicured lawns in the Bartlett Farms subdivision were – finally, mercifully, eerily – quiet. American flags blew in the breeze. Brown garbage cans and green recycling bins punctuated each driveway. For the first time in nearly three months, this neighborhood of young families off Jordan Creek Parkway was a ghost town, bereft of the elementary-age children who had regularly ridden bicycles in the streets, played basketball in the driveways and roamed the backyards.
American flags blew in the breeze. Brown garbage cans and green recycling bins punctuated each driveway.
For the first time in nearly three months, this neighborhood of young families off Jordan Creek Parkway was a ghost town, bereft of the elementary-age children who had regularly ridden bicycles in the streets, played basketball in the driveways and roamed the backyards.
And Adam Bosch: The Orthodox Jewish community was jolted into action when some of its elders and rabbis walked into a party off Broadway recently where young Orthodox men and women were drinking booze, doing drugs and mingling romantically. The late-night gathering July 28 and 29 highlights a 10-year trend in which young Orthodox Jews, in their teens and early 20s, have begun dabbling in drugs, many in the Jewish community said. Leaving tighter supervision in Brooklyn and elsewhere, the youngsters find relative freedom — and trouble — while spending summer in the Catskills. That night’s get-together in Monticello was also worrisome to elders of this religious community because their children were dressed casually, drinking to the point of intoxication, and kissing — all of which violate their religious laws. About 200 Orthodox youngsters were hanging out in parking lots around Hi-Cue Billiards on East Broadway. The popular gathering spot for religious summer residents includes a darkened lounge that turns into a disco-style dance club by night. This week, the village shut down the business, citing fire code violations.
The late-night gathering July 28 and 29 highlights a 10-year trend in which young Orthodox Jews, in their teens and early 20s, have begun dabbling in drugs, many in the Jewish community said. Leaving tighter supervision in Brooklyn and elsewhere, the youngsters find relative freedom — and trouble — while spending summer in the Catskills.
That night’s get-together in Monticello was also worrisome to elders of this religious community because their children were dressed casually, drinking to the point of intoxication, and kissing — all of which violate their religious laws.
About 200 Orthodox youngsters were hanging out in parking lots around Hi-Cue Billiards on East Broadway. The popular gathering spot for religious summer residents includes a darkened lounge that turns into a disco-style dance club by night. This week, the village shut down the business, citing fire code violations.
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