Hasidic Community Research Paper

Walking within the ‘bubble’ of a Hasidic community one of which is situated no less than several blocks from your average urban community is a surreal experience. A visitor is met with differences that are obvious and so unlike what is commonplace in mainstream America despite the many culture difference that makes up our great country. American has long been considered a ‘melting pot’, a place where many different types of people can coexist and assimilate. The tell-tale differences, however, in a Hasidic community are that they have not assimilated as their strong religious practices instructs them to hold on to principles from ancient doctrines.
The high degree of modesty, ritual and religious observance which exists in this small but growing Brooklyn community and which dictates their daily lives is witnessed in their retail stores. One is greeted with signage in front of the store written in either Yiddish or Hebrew. But, first, before entering a store one has to observe entry into the store by touching the ‘Mezuzah’. For every Jewish person anytime time you enter or leave, a doorway the mezuzah reminds you that you have a covenant with God. secondly, it serves to symbolizes that this particular dwelling is constituted as Jewish, operating by a special set of rules, rituals, and beliefs. …show more content…
food, clothing, and household furnishing. The stores were dimly lit, no loud music, mannequins, promotions or slick signage. The outside store signage on most stores look decayed and preserved and it’s as if you have taken a step back in time, unlike irreligious retail stores where signage is meant you bring in consumers for current sales or a seasonal promotion. These type of marketing devices are non-existent in the Hasidic retail stores as their stores are stocked merely with the paraphernalia for ritual and religious