א׳ מרחשון ה׳תשפ״ז | October 12, 2026
After Tishrei Thoughts: Can We Host Better?
“Tishrei in Crown Heights is like nowhere else. Thousands come to be with the Rebbe, our shuls overflow, and the streets are alive with simcha. But now that Yom Tov is behind us, it’s worth stepping back and asking: are we doing this the right way?”
By E.G. – a long-standing community member
Tishrei in Crown Heights is like nowhere else. Thousands come to be with the Rebbe, our shuls overflow, and the streets are alive with simcha. We should be proud of it. But now that Yom Tov is behind us, it’s worth stepping back and asking: are we doing this the right way, for our guests, for our own community members, and for our neighbors? And are we making a kiddush Hashem?
1. The Rubashkin Sukkah/home
The Rubashkin Sukkah is an incredible chessed. Reb Moshe Rubashkin gives his time, his home, and so much more, and he deserves real credit, including for taking it down quickly this year. But the location burdens the whole block. President Street from Nostrand to Troy deals with congestion and loses its parking for weeks, and the constant flow of people leaves a mess behind: plates of food dropped on the sidewalk, garbage piling up, and rats. It creates chaos for our own shchuna members, who also deserve an enjoyable Yom Tov. Teaming up with a school and using its parking lot would let the same chessed happen without burdening an entire street.
On a side note: while the home is filled with chessed, it also draws many people struggling with addiction and homelessness, which leaves our community members vulnerable to serious safety risks.
2. Simchas Beis Hashoeva
The joy is the point, but the setup isn’t working. Music running until 6 a.m. reaches every family from Union Street to Empire, and late nights on the street draw kids from the wrong crowds. Even when it’s over, it isn’t really over: it takes the police a good hour to clear the street, with constant sirens and announcements, because people simply don’t listen. That is a real chillul Hashem. In Israel, Simchas Beis Hashoeva is over at 1 or 2 a.m. We could do the same, or move it to a more confined, secluded space, like Oholei Torah or Lefferts Park. That would ease the burden on the police and on our volunteers at Shmira and Shomrim, and let people dance without traffic chaos or keeping a neighborhood awake. Yes, guests come for Tishrei, but life goes on for the locals, and for many of them it is extremely hard.
3. The Ohel buses on Eastern Parkway
This isn’t only a Tishrei issue. It happens every Rosh Chodesh and on every special Chassidic Yom Tov, but especially throughout Tishrei. Eastern Parkway is congested as it is, even more so with the new traffic patterns. When the Ohel buses take up a full lane on top of that, it creates long backups for everyone driving through, and a chillul Hashem. The service road, or a side street, would keep traffic moving and keep the frustration off our name.
A word to our guests
Can we ask our guests to be more mentchlich and respectful? Can our yeshivos around the world, and parents, encourage this kind of behavior? The basics go a long way: garbage goes in the trash bins, no urinating in the street or on private property, and no shouting, especially late at night on residential blocks. If you’re a guest reading this article, please take it to heart. We love when you come, but help us help and continue to want you to come.
Looking out for each other
We, Anash, are constantly there for our guests: the Tishrei guests, the Kinus Hashluchim, the Kinus Hashluchos, the CTeen and Campus Pegisha Shabbatons, the JLI Retreat, the constant flow of guests for simchos, baruch Hashem, and so many other occasions. It’s time we also look out for each other, and think about the good of our very own kids, community members of all ages, the gentile neighbors we live with throughout the year, and Hatzalah and Shmira/Shomrim.
A call to our leaders
I’m calling on the organizers of these programs, our community askanim, and the Crown Heights Community Council board to plan ahead. Let’s keep everything that makes Crown Heights special in Tishrei and throughout the year, and do it in a way where no one gets hurt. That is a real kiddush Hashem.
And a big shout-out to Mr. Sam Stern, who year after year arranges cleaners along Kingston Avenue to keep up with the crowds. That’s exactly the kind of planning we need more of.
COMMENTS
YES EG YOU ARE RIGHT 💯💯💯Enough now with buses on eastern parkway
Hillul Hashm ! And we need our streets clean right away, rats and mouses are dancing and have feast 3 x à day !
STOP THOSE COMMERCIAL BOOTHS ON ANY STREETS OF CROWN HEIGHTS … no coming to make money here 💰💰💰sorry
The buses to the Ohel have not just made enabled me personally to go more often to the Rebbe, but thousands of others. With every good thing there may be a slight issue, and if the price to pay for this incredible service is part of a lane being blocked, then so be it, that is the minimal cost. Shoutout Yossi Rosenberg and co for the incredible service! Thank you!
Re. #1: We locals should definitely join in & divide+conquer split up the burden more spread all around town! Reduce the burden on that particular household and corner and block by sharing it along with all of us!
Re. #2: We should educate & prepare the crowds more, maybe additional task-forces assigned, by men and by women, video instructionals (just like they seem to show ads etc…) etc – to help with making things work smoother at the big grand SBH. The Rebbe seems to always describe things to be more bigger grander, not smaller/shorter/lesser. Solve & increase – don’t decrease!
I’m very surprised (putting it mildly) that Anash published an article suggesting shortening Simchas Beis Hashoeiva or moving it off the street. Both of those (all night dancing and *specifically* on the street) were clear horaos from the Rebbe, reiterated time after time at the Sukkos sichos from 5741-2 on. It was clear how dear it was to the Rebbe, and even if there are issues, shutting it down is NOT the solution.
I was also quite shocked!
Is this the beginning of another website starting to post views that are contrary to the Torah, since it’s only an individual opinion etc . . .
And to claim amaratzus, is ain ladovor sof!
The streets are always dirty. 770 is too crowded, haven’t been to 770 tishrei in years because of it.
Now that the service lane in front of 770 is closed, why can’t the Ohel busses get permission to pick up and drop off people there?
For the SBH yes in eretz finishing at 1 am so
go somewhere else, plenty spot to make without making people living here CRAZY! Also for the buses on eastern parkway got to go asap, big CHUZPA parked on the parkway!!
BH
This article is the ultimate chutzpah. You live in CH, where chaos and every form of vulgarity is seconds away, and you are davka pinpointing on things that are essentially good, but can perhaps have some improvements. It’s all negativity and biased, and sounds like you’re personally going through difficulties and emptying it out in a venting article.
Positivity, solutions and speaking to the right people is how changes are made.
Hatzlacha
Maybe you’re the one who is negative by criticizing the writer. Maybe she did reach out to the people in charge, but they didn’t listen. Unfortunately, nice words are often ignored and the only way to get their attention is by going public.
Do you live in Crown Heights? Perhaps if you would suffer what we do, you would be less judgemental.
It would be nice if the same mashpiim who discussed how important it is to go to the Rebbe, discuss how proper behavior is meant to look like in front of the Rebbe.
A little bit of Live and Let Live should be taught to these Hooligans. We live in a time where there are different opinions about how to look at the Rebbe and signs shouldn’t be torn down with violence just because someone has a different opinion as The Hooligans.
Respect for a rav should be enforced. I personally saw one of these teenagers saying shut up to the rav of crown heights.
They should be taught that they do not make the seder in Lubavitch. That’s the job of rabbonim, gabboim, and vaad hamesader.
They should be taught that the Rebbe doesn’t want drinking more than 4. Drinking more than 4 in 770 is spitting in the Rebbe’s face.
Thank you very much for speaking up. Although overall it’s a beautiful thing, it’s not without issues. And you can’t ignore the issues and overrun the residents for the sake of the greater good.
The problem is that you can’t say anything or they say that you’re not being nice… The funny thing is that often those people are preaching from the comfort of their homes outside of Crown Heights.
There is nothing wrong with honest discussion about both the good and what needs improvement. Together we will find a solution!
yes, although there are amazing things going on here, like mass hachnosas orchim, and simcha on the streets – there is always room to make things better,
its important that people speak up
– as for the major apparatus of rubashkin sukka, i think that if someone has a better way of doing things, let them approach reb moishe rubashkin and discuss it.
i think he is a one man understaking who is doing the work of an entire hekdesh of hachnosas orchim – and in shanim ketikunom it should of been a communal undertaking