Greenpoint Gazette

& BUSHWICK

Since 1974

GREENPOINT | WILLIAMSBURG

VOLUME 44 | NUMBER 19

MAY 18, 2017

Two Sections

(718) 422-7400

25¢

Four Elegant and Resilient B’klyn Spaces Receive NYC’s Excellence in Design Awards

By Mary Frost

Greenpoint Gazette

Four Brooklyn spaces have been honored as outstanding examples of design in the city’s 35th Annual Awards for Excellence in Design.

Brooklyn’s winners include the Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center, the archway “Double Sun” at the McCarren Park Play Center, the Waterfront Nature Walk at the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant and Dock 72 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Projects across the city, such as the reconstruction of Downtown Far Rockaway in Queens, the NYPD’s Bomb Squad Building and the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s new Woodside Facility, were also recognized.

The awards are given by the city’s Public Design Commission. The winning designs were announced last Thursday

by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, Commission President Signe Nielsen, and Commission Executive Director Justin Moore.

The awards are part of the annual NYCxDESIGN event.

The Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Design Commission

see inside back page

There Are Only 17 Places in Brooklyn Where You Can Legally Dance North Brooklyn Holds 36 Percent Of Licenses for Borough

By Scott Enman

Greenpoint Gazette

ABOVE: Dance Liberation Network and NYC Artist Coalition held an event on March 30 at the Market Hotel to introduce their “Let NYC Dance” campaign.

INSET: Using data from the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, NYC Artist Coali‐ tion created a map identifying all active cabaret licenses in New York City’s Council District.

Images courtesy of NYC Artist Coalition

When Friday arrives, there’s only one thing on everyone’s mind: the weekend.

Like many people worldwide, Brooklynites choose to celebrate their two-day vacation at their favorite watering hole with a cool beverage in hand, moving and grooving to a thumping bassline.

Dancing, after all, is an expression; it’s a way to bring people together and a reminder of the power that music has to unite in the wake of chaos.

On sweaty dancefloors across the borough, people dance to forget, dance to celebrate and dance to remind themselves of what is important in life.

See inside cover

2

/ Williamsburg / Bushwick

Thursday, May 18, April 20176, 2016 Wednesday,

There are Only 17 Places in Brooklyn Where You Can Legally Dance establishments and was used to halt interracial dancing.

“In the ’90s, it was redeployed by Mayor [Rudy] Giuliani against New York City’s thriving nightlife culture and to target gay and lesbian bars. It is nearly impossible to receive a Cabaret License due to a combination of constraints and onerous zoning requirements.”

But as it turns out, dancing is illegal in the majority of New York City venues.

Yes, you read that right — if one chooses to let loose in all but 17 Brooklyn venues, the establishment could theoretically be shut down or fined, as has been the case on numerous occasions.

And for the City That Never Sleeps, New York has a surprisingly low number of legal dancefloors — 88 to be exact — thanks to an archaic rule called the “Cabaret Law.” The law says that people can only dance in venues that possess a Cabaret License, but these certificates are extremely difficult to obtain.

The law, which was created in 1926, prohibits dancing by three or more people in any “room, place or space in the city,” to which the public may gain admission and includes “musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other form[s] of amusement.”

According to NYC Artist Coalition, an organization that "[protects] community spaces," the law was created and used to break up underground black institutions at the height of the Harlem Renaissance.

“Created in 1926 with racist and discriminatory intent, the Cabaret Law has been systematically used as a conservative strategy to decimate cultural life,” the group writes on its website.

“During the 1920s and ’30s, it targeted African-American jazz

licenses for Brooklyn. The only venues where one can legally dance in that portion of the borough are at Rough Trade, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Studio 299 and Mama Bella Restaurant.

The diagram reveals that there is not a single venue where one can dance legally in the entire neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Photo by Mark Cole

continued from p. 1

New York City has only 88 venues where people can legally dance, thanks to an antiquated and draconian New York City law known as the “Cabaret Law.” Several groups and local councilmembers are fighting for New Yorkers’ right to dance, calling for the law to be repealed.

Using data from the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, NYC Artist Coalition created a map identifying every venue in the entire city that possesses a cabaret license.

So the question remains, where is it legal to dance in Brooklyn? Practically nowhere.

In fact, the map shows that only 17 Brooklyn venues can legally have people dancing inside. Only 88 establishments in the five boroughs have the license.

North Brooklyn holds 36 percent, or six out of the 17

Even venues that advertise as nightclubs and routinely host DJs do not have cabaret licenses, which is why patrons often find tables strewn about the room as a way of discouraging dancing.

“From the cobblestoned streets of the Meatpacking District to the warehouses of Bushwick, NYC’s nightlife scene should be accessible, fun, and safe for everyone,” city Councilmember Rafael Espinal told the Greenpoint Gazette.

“When I was in my early 20s, I remember stumbling upon a DIY venue and having a memo-

rable time enjoying live music and art displays alongside many Brooklynites. I'm pretty sure they didn't have a cabaret license, but all of the building safety codes were being followed. Later that night, it was shut down.”

Several institutions have surfaced to help fight this law. One group called the Dance Liberation Network has created a petition asking for the repeal of the law.

"We believe the Cabaret Law criminalizes the act of dancing without providing meaningful additional safety or quality of life measures," the petition states. "This law doesn't belong in our city and we are asking our government to repeal it immediately."

At press time the petition had 3,675 supporters.

Dance Liberation Network and NYC Artist Coalition held an event on March 30 at the Market Hotel in Bushwick to introduce their "Let NYC Dance" campaign.

Attendees at the meeting included Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Councilmembers Antonio Reynoso and Espinal and more than 300 residents.

On May 11, Dance Liberation Network and Boiler Room — a company that routinely hosts the world’s top DJs and live-streams its events — hosted a party at House of Yes in Bushwick.

New York’s homegrown DJs performed all-night as a way to celebrate the city’s dance heritage and to raise awareness about the Let NYC Dance movement.

“Looking back, I don't see why the law should get in the way of similar artistic entertainment venues,” Espinal told the Gazette “It's a shame that event spaces similar to that one have to

undergo so much scrutiny and cut through so much red tape to exist.

“We are losing great recreational spaces like Bushwick's Shea Stadium because of it. It is time NYC rethink the archaic and broad Cabaret Law and bring our regulations into the 21st century so that all businesses are treated equally and all communities are safe to express themselves.”

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Wednesday, March / Williamsburg / Bushwick

Thursday, May 18, 2017 Wednesday, April 6, 2016

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Four Elegant and Resilient Brooklyn Spaces Receive NYC’s Excellence in Design Awards Located along Newtown Creek and Whale Creek, the Waterfront Nature Walk revives a long-inaccessible industrial shoreline for public use as a waterfront promenade and kayak launch, right at the city’s largest wastewater treatment plant.

Features include a 170foot-long “Vessel” passage, trash receptacles designed to look like barrels, carefully selected plants and more.

continued from p. 1

“The best public projects are purposeful and use design to build a sense of community and civic pride,” de Blasio said in a release. He said this year’s winning projects emphasize resiliency and “will help build a stronger, more equitable city and improve services and recreational activities.”

The winners The Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center at 107 Norman Ave., a project of the Brooklyn Public Library, was designed by Marble Fairbanks Architects and SCAPE Landscape Architecture.

The new structure replaces an outdated, smaller one-story library, providing space for the exploration of the environment.

An outdoor plaza offers a public space that includes native plants, glaciated rock outcroppings and two rooftop gardens.

The subtle and elegant Double Sun by Mary Temple, at McCarren Park Play Center.

Double Sun by Mary Temple, at McCarren Park Play Center, 776 Lorimer Street, is a project of the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art Program and the Department of Parks & Recreation.

Part of McCarren Park Pool’s dramatic archway entrance, Mary Temple’s paintings appear to be bright shards of light with shadows of nearby trees. However, the shadows are actually translations of Juneberry, Hawthorn, and other local trees.

The title, Double Sun, is a reference to the dual passages of light, an impossibility, and also alludes to “the childlike wish for never-ending summer days.”

Waterfront Nature Walk

by George Trakas (Quennell Rothschild & Partners), at the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant, 329 Greenpoint Ave. is a project of the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art Program, the Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Environmental Protection.

Dock 72 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Market Street between 6th Street and Assembly Road. This is a project of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Boston Properties, Rudin Development, and WeWork, designed by S9 Architecture and MPFP. Dock 72’s design celebrates the maritime and industrial history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard while providing 21st-century shared work spaces that allow tenants to contribute to the yard’s renewed life as a growing industrial hub.

Columns lift the ship-like structure above and away from Wallabout Bay, creating terraces with views of the surrounding Navy Yard, the East River and Manhattan.

Dock 72 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard preserves his‐ tory and provides shared work spaces.

Renderings courtesy of the NYC Design Commission

Detail from Double Sun by Mary Temple, at McCarren Park Play Center.

Waterfront Nature Walk by George Trakas.

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Thursday, May 18, 201730, Wednesday, March Wednesday, March 16, 2016 2016

/ Williamsburg / Bushwick

“

I was thin nking about my son going too p pre-school and was trying to figure out where the next freel eelance job was coming from. Rig Right at that time, I got the calll fr from Industry City’s Innovatio t on Lab: I got the job.

DA ARRYLE LE HAW H WES Bed-Stuy R Ressident Machine Ex Exp pert, Modo

Opportun nity in the neigh hborhood Bus and train or friends and fam mily? Half the people who work here at Indusstry City live nearby, and they’re looking g for neighbors. Industry City boasts three tim mes more jobs than n in 2013. Yo our prospeccts for work / life balance just went up. Industry City: Develop your story here.

Visit Indu ustryCity.com for job opportunities, business development service es, and community events.

BROOKLYN EAGLE 20th Annual Brooklyn Film Fest Announces Lineup of 122 Films

YOUNG MUSLIM BOYS PLAY ON PILES OF CHROMIUM-TAINTED LEATHER SCRAPS OUTSIDE THEIR MADRASA IN KANPUR IN A SCENE FROM “HOLY (UN) HOLY RIVER.” Muslims do the majority of the tanning in India and live among the tanneries — and their chemical wastes. See page 12.

Photo © Jake Norton

Volume 17, No. 38

Two Sections

THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017

$1.00

A Special Section of BROOKLYN EAGLE Publications

May 18-24, 2017

Make Like a Tourist on the New Sunset Park Ferry

THE NEW SUNSET PARK FERRY — SEEN AT RIGHT as it heads towards its dock near the Brooklyn Army Terminal — is meant primarily to serve commuters. But it also gives Brooklynites a fresh opportunity to make like a tourist close to home.

Instagram-worthy sights on the new ferry route include the World Trade Center and Governors Island, above. Find out more in EYE ON REAL ESTATE, pages 7-9INB. INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

HIGHLIGHTS FROM

MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Week of May 18-24, 2017

Calendar Events May 18-24 Arts Brooklyn Arts Council — Alive with Art An event honoring Thomas F. Schutte, president of Pratt Institute; legendary graffiti artist and graphic designer Leonard McGurr (Futura), whose work continues to influence the way we experience art and life in our borough; and Alloy Development, an award-winning Brooklyn-based architectural and development company. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

When: Thursday, May 18, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Where: Williamsburg/The William Vale Hotel (111 N. 12th St.) Francesco Simeti: Swell Francesco Simeti presents “Swell,” a theatrical installation that explores human impact on the environment.

When: Thursday through Saturday, through May 27, 2-6 p.m.

Where: Park Slope/Open Source Gallery (306 17th St.)

Triad: Yevgueniya Baras, Mike Cloud and Zachary Wollard “Triad” brings together the work of Yevgueniya Baras, Mike Cloud and Zachary Wollard, all 2015-16 residents of the SharpeWalentas Studio Program. In the painting practices of each, notions of iconography, history, language and material coalesce in startlingly personal ways, offering a refreshing take on discourses surrounding contemporary painting, community and inner worlds.

When: Thursday through Saturday, through May 28, 1-6 p.m.

Where: Fort Greene/Five Myles (558 St. Johns Place) The Battle Days/Alex Sewell The exploration and representation of cultural identities, the attachment to childhood totems and the use of semiotics are at the core of some of Sewell’s recent works, exhibited in the PlusSpace.

When: Thursday through Sunday, through May 29, 1-6 p.m.

Where: Crown Heights/Five Myles (558 St. Johns Place) Sounds Unseen Between December 2015 and May 2016, Sarah Hickson photographed “The Calais Sessions,” a live music project among musicians living in the UK, the “Jungle” camp in Calais and La Grande Synthe in Dunkirk. For the refugees she met, “The Calais Sessions” provided a welcome opportunity to tell their stories, to play and share the music from their homelands, or to pick up an instrument and join with other musicians. “Sounds Unseen” chronicles the evolution of this remarkable collaboration and celebrates a vital human connection forged through the common voice of music.

When: Tuesday through Sunday, through May 28; Tuesday through Friday, 1-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

Where: DUMBO/St. Ann’s Warehouse (29 Jay St.) 27 Years in the Alps A series of new paintings by Peter Gergely in a solo exhibition.

The landscapes of “27 Years in the Alps” are the result of 27 years of a love affair with the Alps of northern Italy.

Continued on page 10INB

2INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

Photo courtesy of Kings Beer Hall

Kings Beer Hall to Host Evening Of Beer and Food Pairing May 22

Enjoy a Memorable Meal Paired with Perfect Beer

By John Alexander INBrooklyn

Beer and food pairing is an art, and the Kings Beer Hall (KBH) has mastered it. The expoerts there have found the secret to matching any meal with just the right beer that will best enhance your dining experience.

On Monday, May 22, KBH will host an evening of beer and food pairing.

“This dinner is about introducing Brooklyn foodies to our brand new menu,” said bar manager and “Beer Maestro” Kenneth Jimenez. “We’ve expanded our selection and have added awesome new items like our beef on weck (roast beef dipped in au jus with horseradish served on a salted caraway seed bun) and the chicken and waffle tenders served with a spicy maple dip. We want to show off our new menu alongside our expansive draft beer selection.”

“The perfect beer for a main course depends on the course you’re having,” he added. “Easily, as with wine, red or darker cuts of meat go with darker beers — a porter with steak or a white with fish — which can become far more complex depending on the preparation of the dinner. Even the preparation of the dinner will alter one’s choice for its finest pairing, as a coffee stout will suit a dinner with mole sauce, or an IPA with citra hops instead of mosaic hops for fish and chips.”

Jimenez has been at KBH for a year and a half and admits that he has not seen an establishment grow as fast as this one. This will be the hall’s first food and beer pairing event, and KBH hopes to soon be introducing regular tasting nights at the beer hall.

Jimenez offered some specific examples of some foods he would pair with a particular kind of beer: Continued on page 4INB

Week of May 18-24, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 3INB

ings Beer Hall to Host ening Of Beer and Food Pairing May Continued from page 3INB • Steak, lamb, or dry rubbed ribs — Founders Porter • Fried fish or fried shrimp — Sierra Nevada Torpedo • Sweet and savory wings — Abita Wrought Iron IPA • Jerk rubs — Montauk Wave Chaser IPA or Watermelon Session Ale • Savannah Smiles Girl Scout Cookies — Abita Purple Haze • Thin Mints — Sam Smith Chocolate Stout When asked whether beer pairing would work with all meals, Jimenez responded, “Absolutely!

There are indeed breakfast, coffee and espresso stouts, best served room temperature or slightly chilled and sipped over the course of a full breakfast. These tend to have rather high ABV, but with the inclusion of coffee roasts, it does tame it a bit of the booziness. Nonetheless, [it is] a wonderful way to start a very comfortable Sunday to stay in.”

As for lunch, Jimenez said he would “highly recommend seeking a sessionable beer (usually labeled ‘Session’) for its

low-ABV, but still very flavorful.”

Session ales [go well] with a salad, he explained, while session pale ales and IPAs pair nicely with heartier lunches such as sandwiches or a burger.

After dinner becomes interesting, according to Jimenez, because of the many available choices in dessert beers.

“They aren’t very well recognized to the palate of most beer drinkers, with strong flavors of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, sometimes peanut butter or tiramisu. [They are] the type of beer to enjoy over an extended period of time and as a nightcap.”

You can rest assured that the “Beer Maestro” has something memorable planned KBH’s first food and beer pairing event. So mark your calendar for Monday, May 22 at 7 p.m., when for just $40, you can enjoy the finest food matched with the perfect beer.

INSET: Cheers!

Photo courtesy of Kings Beer Hall

4INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

GREAT PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE CITY — AND AROUND THE WORLD — APPEAR EVERY BUSINESS DAY IN THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE.

Our World In Photos: MANOLI KATSANEVAS, THE CHEF AND OWNER OF GREEK EATERY

Manoli’s sits in his dining room, with its Zion Curtain, in Salt Lake City. Some Utah restaurants are counting down the days until a new liquor law takes effect this summer, allowing eateries to stop using walls and partitions that prevent customers from seeing their alcoholic drink being mixed and poured. But Katsanevas said he doesn’t know yet if state officials will measure the 5-foot zone from the area where drinks are actually prepared, or if they will measure from the entire length of the bar. If it's the latter, he’ll have to keep up his Zion Curtain.

AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Week of May 18-24, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 5INB

--- CROSSWORD ---

(See answers on page 14.)

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every colmn, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started.

Remember: You must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column, or 3x3 box.

See answers on page 14.

6INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

Make Like a Tourist on the Sunset Park Ferry to Wall Street

Lower Manhattan looks pretty dazzling as we sail up from Sunset Park on the NYC Ferry.

By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn

INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan

Factory Buildings and Brooklyn Heights’ Fine Skyline

But back to the subject of the new Sunset Park service.

For real estate-obsessed Brooklynites, ferry boats are like The boats sail in and out of Pier 4, which is near the Brooklyn amusement-park rides — fun, fun, fun.

And the new Sunset Park ferry service, in particular, gets high Army Terminal.

To get to the ferry dock, head to the corner of First Avenue and marks for the fresh glimpses it gives us of terrific shoreline 58th Street, then continue west towards the water and then follow buildings and scenery. So what if we get mistaken for tourists?

The primary purpose of the ferry service, which began on a curving road through picturesque old industrial buildings.

We walked there the other day when we tried out the new May 1, is to serve commuters. It enables residents of the Rockaways to travel to Sunset Park’s Brooklyn Army ferry service.

But you can drive if you wish — there is an enormous parking lot Terminal in 45 minutes and get to Wall Street’s office towers on the pier. There is one caveat, though. Seagulls sit on some of the in one hour. parked cars and cover them with bird droppings.

Boat trips are priced like subway and bus Anyway. fares — $2.75 per ride and $121 for a There are so many fine sights to monthly pass. admire on the ferry ride from The Sunset Park service is part Sunset Park to Wall Street’s of the citywide ferry network a Pier 11.

San Francisco-based comFirst, Sunset Park’s pany, Hornblower, is now waterside industrial running. buildings loom into In its first week of view. The Brooklyn operations, NYC Army Terminal is Ferry carried nearly very stately when 50,000 passengers, seen from the wata spokesman for the er. There’s a flash city Economic Devof greenery along elopment Corporathe shoreline where tion told the Daily Bush Terminal Piers News.

Park is located.

The commuter We didn’t bring a thing is very importelephoto lens, so Red tant. But we real-estate Here’s the NYC Ferry on the Hook was a little too far nerds also benefit greatly shoreline of Sunset Park, on a away for us to take good phofrom the creation of new recently inaugurated route. tographs of it. But 1860s-vintage Brooklyn ferry routes.

Red Hook Stores, which is the buildWe can snap photos to our hearts’ ing where Fairway Market is located, is content on the ferries’ wind-whipped decks beautiful to look at.

— while people on their way to work must worry The gantry cranes at Red Hook Container Terminal are greatthat they’ll arrive with snarled hair if they sit outside.

Speaking of new routes, we’re looking forward to this sum- looking too.

Across from Brooklyn’s shoreline, the Statue of Liberty is mer’s inauguration of service from Bay Ridge to Wall Street’s Pier 11 with these intermediate stops: Sunset Park, Red Hook, lovely but just a smidge too far away to photograph. Governors Governors Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 and Island is closer.

Continued on page 8INB DUMBO.

Week of May 18-24, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 7INB

Nifty Buildings Near the Sunset Park Ferry Dock

This Brooklyn Army Terminal building is one of many eye-catching industrial properties near the new Sunset Park ferry dock.

By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn

People with jobs at the Brooklyn Army Terminal know their way around this terrain. For the rest of us, it’s uncharted territory.

We know Sunset Park’s landmark-worthy brownstone blocks well, and we go to Industry City to shop for Li-Lac Chocolates.

Even so, we were unfamiliar with the streets near the new Sunset Park ferry dock until we walked around the area the other day.

We saw lots of interesting buildings. Here are some of them:

• The Brooklyn Army Terminal is a 55-acre industrial complex at First Avenue and 58th Street. It was designed by Cass Gilbert, the Woolworth Building’s architect.

BAT is operated by the EDC (namely the New York City Economic Development Corporation). Twice a month, public tours are offered.

• From Pier 4, where the Sunset Park ferry dock is located, you can see a former industrial building with a whale’s tail painted on it. This is the Brooklyn Whale Building, whose address is 14 53rd St. Hunt Slonem, one of the coolest artists on the planet, has a studio in the building. He keeps 30 to 100 birds of various species — including parrots — in an aviary in his studio, and often paints with a bird or two perched on his shoulder.

The Brooklyn Whale Building’s owner, Madison Realty

INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan

Capital, bought the property for $82.5 million in 2015, city Finance Department records indicate.

• Lutheran Halal Café is in a classic red-brick building with horizontal bands of yellow brick and a green cornice. The concept behind the café is not a melding of religions. Zabihah.com, a guide to Halal restaurants and markets, says a hospital located nearby inspired the inclusion of the word “Lutheran” in the café’s name.

The eye-catching residential building where the restaurant is located, 5121 Second Ave., has belonged for the past two decades to Spencer Operating Corp., whose secretary is Bukurije Marke, Finance Department records indicate.

• The hospital that inspired Lutheran Halal Café’s name is NYU Lutheran Medical Center at 150 55th St. It takes up an entire block between 55th and 56th streets and First and Second avenues.

Make Like a Tourist on the Sunset Park Ferry to Wall Street Continued from page 7INB Seen from the vantage point of the ferry deck, the island appears to have skyscrapers sprouting out of it, though of course they’re really in Lower Manhattan.

Then, back on the Brooklyn shoreline, there’s 360 Furman St., which formerly belonged to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and is now the condo building known as One Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Next, there’s the skyline of Brooklyn Heights — a mix of low-rise brownstones and taller apartment houses — with Downtown Brooklyn high-rises in the background and Brooklyn

Bridge Park along the water’s edge.

Right before the ferry docks at Wall Street’s Pier 11, we get a good look at the Pierhouse condo complex and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Behind Pierhouse, just a snippet of the former headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is visible. The complex with the red neon “Watchtower” sign on it now belongs to the company that Jared Kushner headed until he stepped aside to be senior adviser to his father-in-law, President Trump.

The Brooklyn Bridge, and the Manhattan Bridge behind it, both look pretty great from the deck of the ferry.

INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan

It’s busy today at the Red Hook Container Terminal, which we see from the deck of a Sunset Park ferry.

8INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

Make Like a Tourist On the Sunset Park Ferry to the Rockaways

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This is Bay Ridge’s 69th Street Pier as seen from the deck of Sunset Park’s new ferry. BTW, a dock is being built at the end of the pier so that Bay Ridge can be included in the citywide ferry system.

INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan

By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn

Such a ferry fine shoreline.

The new Sunset Park ferry allows us to see beloved Bay Ridge from the waters of New York Harbor.

We know that the principal purpose of the recently inaugurated Rockaway-Sunset Park-Wall Street route is to serve commuters. See related story on page 7. But for real-estate nerds, it’s great fun to ride the ferry and look at buildings and other scenery, just like the tourists do.

Moments after the boat leaves Sunset Park’s Pier 4, we see the leafy greenery of Owl’s Head Park and then the 69th Street Pier — where Bay Ridge’s NYC Ferry dock is being constructed. Service is scheduled to start there this summer.

Shore Road’s fine houses and Fort Hamilton High School, with its distinctive tower and columns, draw the eye. Though we’ve taken lots of pictures of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, it’s a new experience to photograph it from a boat.

After sailing along the shoreline of Bath Beach, suddenly we can see the beachfront homes in Sea Gate, the private community on the western end of Coney Island. Then we see amusementpark rides including the iconic Parachute Jump and Wonder Wheel, with sober-looking Coney Island apartment buildings serving as a backdrop.

We spot the distinctive architecture of the Kingsborough Community College building at the tip of Manhattan Beach.

Later, we sail beneath the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, which connects Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field and the Rockaways’ Jacob Riis Park.

The Rockaway ferry dock is at Beach 108th Street and Beach Channel Drive.

The ferry from Sunset Park approaches the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, which connects Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field and the Rockaways’ Jacob Riis Park.

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Here’s the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as seen from the deck of a Sunset Park ferry.

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Week of May 18-24, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 9INB

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM

MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Continued from page 2INB When: Thursday through Saturday, through June 2, 6-8:30 p.m.

Where: Sunset Park/Tabla Rosa Gallery (224 48th St.) Doubled A sculpture exhibition of work by Jennie Nichols and Daniel Wiener. Both artists use mold-making as their medium. Nichols’ works are more or less precise and true to the cast object, while Wiener uses molds as tools to create disparate forms in an improvised intuitive process.

When: Thursday through Sunday, through June 11, 1-6 p.m.

Where: Bushwick/Studio 10 (56 Bogart St.) Afterglow A solo exhibition of paintings by Emily Roz. When: Thursday through Sunday, through June 11, 1-6 p.m.

Where: Williamsburg/Front Room Gallery (147 Roebling St.) Sights in the City During the summer of 1980, under the direction of his photographer father, Jamel Shabazz armed himself with a Canon AE1 SLR camera and began to photograph the landscape of his native New York City. Composed of color and black-and-white photographs taken between 1980 and 2016, many of which have never been published, “Sights in the City” is the testament of Shabazz’s visual journey.

When: Tuesday through Saturday, through June 17, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Where: DUMBO/United Photo Industries Gallery (111 Front St.)

This Land Is ...

This show features work by 800 Brooklyn students and offers youthful artistic commentary on modern socio-economic and political issues, from immigration and health care to gun violence.

When: Tuesday through Sunday, through June 18 (Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday, 12-6 p.m.)

Where: Fort Greene/BRIC Arts (647 Fulton St.) Kajahl: Obscure Origins This exhibition presents a focused survey of Kajahl’s portraits, which combine iconography from African, Asian, European and PreColumbian traditions. The fusion of these symbols results in the creation of enigmatic artworks that bring the forgotten past into the foreground and reanimate minor artifacts of history into transformative assemblages.

When: Thursday through Saturday, through June 18, 12-5 p.m.

Where: Clinton Hill/Tillou Fine Art (59 Cambridge Place) S.B. Walker: Walden Walker’s photographs illustrate the way this once pristine landscape is now viewed and used. Using a large format camera, Walker captures both the grandeur and the cotidian 100 years after Thoreau.

When: Tuesday through Saturday, through June 23, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Where: DUMBO/Janet Borden, Inc (91 Water St.) Multilocational See multilocational artworks by Natalia Nakazawa and Cecile Chong. Multilocational is defined as

“Sights in the City” will be on exhibit through June 7 at the United Photo Industries Gallery in DUMBO. Image courtesy of the artist and United Photo Industries Gallery “of, pertaining to, or being present in more than one location.” It subtly plays on the words multicultural or multinational, or “of mixed ancestry or residence.”

When: Fridays, through June 25, 3-6 p.m.

Where: Park Slope/Old Stone House (336 Third St.) Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern This exhibit takes a new look at how the renowned modernist artist proclaimed her progressive, independent lifestyle through a self-crafted public persona, including her clothing and the way she posed for the camera. The exhibition expands our understanding of O’Keeffe by focusing on her wardrobe, shown for the first time alongside key paintings and photographs. It confirms and explores her determination to be in charge of how the world understood her identity and artistic values.

When: Wednesday through Sunday, through July 23, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.)

Where: Prospect Heights/Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) Forged Worlds This outdoor photography exhibition showcases work by seven artists whose photographic practices revolve around the physical construction of fictional landscapes. Installed on a fence beneath the Manhattan Bridge, this photo installation invites viewers to take a closer look and perhaps allow themselves to be carried away — if even for a moment — in thoughts and lands so strange, yet so familiar, so close to home.

When: Daily, through July 31, 2017 Where: DUMBO/Manhattan Bridge (Adams Street, Plymouth Street and Anchorage Place)

Truman Capote’s Brooklyn: The Lost Photographs of David Attie In the spring of 1958, a young photographer named David Attie was led through the streets of Brooklyn Heights and to the Brooklyn waterfront by an unexpected guide: 33-year-old Truman Capote. The images Attie took that day were to illustrate Capote’s essay for Holiday magazine about his life in Brooklyn. Decades later, these largely unseen photographs are being exhibited for the first time.

When: Wednesday through Sunday, through July 31, 12-5 p.m.

Where: Brooklyn Heights/Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St.) Next Stop: Second Avenue Subway Tracing nearly 100 years of history, the New York Transit Museum’s newest exhibit explores how the Second Avenue line fits into New York’s past, present and future transportation landscapes.

When: Tuesday through Sunday, through Sept.

3, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday hours, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

Where: Downtown Brooklyn/New York Transit Museum (Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street) Infinite Blue The works of art in “Infinite Blue” feature blue in all its variety — a fascinating strand of visual poetry running from ancient times to the present day. In cultures dating back thousands of years, blue — the color of the skies — has often been associated with the spiritual, but also signifies power, status and beauty. The spiritual and material aspects of blue combine to tell us stories about global history, cultural values, technological innovation and international commerce.

Continued on page 11INB

10INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM

MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM

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Continued from page 10INB When: Wednesday through Sunday, through Nov. 5, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Where: Prospect Heights/Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway)

Books & Readings Chris Raschka Celebrate the launch of “The Doorman’s Repose” with Chris Raschka, who will be reading, drawing and signing books.

When: Friday, May 19, 6-7 p.m.

Where: Prospect Heights/Stories Bookshop & Telling Lab (458 Bergen St.) Book Launch — Melodie Winawer: “The Scribe of Siena” Melodie Winawer will discuss her debut novel. The book follows a time-traveling neurosurgeon from the 21st century who discovers love and a plot to destroy Siena in medieval Italy.

When: Wednesday, May 17, 7 p.m.

Where: DUMBO/Power House Arena (28 Adams St.)

Educational Voices.com Presents “LevelUp New York — Get Beyond the Booth” An exciting day of learning and connecting. LevelUp will bring voice talent, coaches and clients together like never before for a fast-paced day of workshops and networking. Covering business, technical and artistic skill tracks for both beginner and professional voice actors, LevelUp is your opportunity to get out of the booth to explore new opportunities for success, engage with the community and level up to the next stage of your career.

When: Saturday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Where: Downtown Brooklyn/Brooklyn Bridge

Marriot Hotel (333 Adams St.) Dance with MMDG Fun for the whole family, the class is taught by Mark Morris Dance Group dancers and accompanied by live music. You’ll learn choreography in conjunction with the dance group’s performances. No experience is necessary. All ages and abilities are welcome to attend.

When: Saturday, May 20, 3-4 p.m.

Where: Fort Greene/Mark Morris Dance Group (3 Lafayette Ave.) The Crisis is Over, Now What? Helping Your Child Thrive After Medical Treatment Many children experience after-effects of even relatively minor medical intervention. Nightmares, anxiety and stress can persist long after the event is over. Learn how to recognize signs of trauma in your child, and where to get help.

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When: Tuesday, May 23, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Where: Grand Army Plaza/Central Library (10 Grand Army Plaza) NYCxDesign: Redesigning Citizenship As part of NYCxDesign, the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator is inviting five panelists to each share their “citizen journey” from the perspectives of art, design, activism and fashion. After listening to these unique stories, the panelists and audience will participate in a workshop to co-create a design strategy for the 21st-century citizen.

When: Tuesday, May 23, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Bushwick/Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator (630 Flushing Ave.) NYTM Train Operators Workshop Drop by the computer lab to take control of a New York City subway car and operate it over virtual miles of track, using some incredibly realistic software. Limited capacity.

When: Saturday and Sunday, May 13-14, 3:304:30 p.m.

Where: Brooklyn Heights/New York Transit Museum (99 Schermerhorn St.)

Image courtesy of On Stage at Kingsborough

On Stage at Kingsborough presents The Stepcrew on Saturday, May 20.

Week of May 18-24, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 11INB

12INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

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14INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

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Week of May 18-24, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 15INB

16INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 18-24, 2017

2 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, May 18, 2017

Wendy Shomer commands a ceremony to open Miramar Yacht Club for the 2017 season.

Eagle photos by Paul Frangipane

Sheepshead Bay Sailing Club Rings in New Season

Some of the longest standing members of the club, Gilbert and Bernice Cigal, in the ballroom of the Miramar Yacht Club.

By Paul Frangipane Special to Brooklyn Eagle

As Brooklyn in the new century rediscovers and develops its waterfront from Newtown Creek in Greenpoint through Brooklyn Bridge Park and Gowanus to Coney Island, a dedicated group of Brooklynites in Sheepshead Bay have cherished a connection to the water since 1932.

Miramar Yacht Club sits across from Kingsborough Community College in Sheepshead Bay, showcasing roughly 60 sailboats for the inhabitants of Southern Brooklyn to see.

The sailing club that was founded in 1932 rang in the sailing season on Sunday, foreshadowing summer days of sailing and community events open to members and non-members of the club.

“Think of it as a grown-up tree house,” said Wendy Shomer, one of the longest standing members of the club. “I think the club means camaraderie. I think the club means a place where you always have friends and can always depend on someone helping you.”

Shomer, 69, sails every day in the summer. She was introduced to sailing by her father and was associated with the club as young as 10 years old. For her, sailing was and continues to be a bonding experience.

“Sailing is a timeless mix of aesthetics and purposeful skills, dependence on wind and tides and the beauty of a sailboat’s motion when she is trimmed just right,” she said in a statement. “I had a passion for it. I was absolutely completely engaged and still am.”

A crowd of members applauds as the bell is rung to open Miramar Yacht Club on Sunday. Seen from left to right, starting with the man in the baseball cap: Commodore Michael Friedman, Rear Commodore Pattie Cunningham and Vice Commodore Joe Vega.

The 81-member club began at 3128 Emmons Ave. by a group of young men that brought common hobbies together to form the Miramar Boat and Canoe Club. Miramar was reorganized as a cooperative yacht club in 1944 and made “substantial contributions” to the war effort when used by the U.S. Coast Guard.

With 39 commodores coming before him, current Commodore Michael Friedman addressed a full room of members to discuss business before they kicked off the season.

“The one thing we all agree on is our love of boating,” he said in a statement. “Our refuge from tumult and stress is Miramar and our boats. We all enjoy the beauty and serenity of being out on the water and a majestic sunset from our grounds.”

When Superstorm Sandy ravished the shores of New York, it left Miramar and much of the surrounding coast looking like a war zone and carried away the club’s ceremonial cannon that traditionally brought the seasons in with a bang. On Sunday, a bell chased the triangular red, white and blue club flag up the flagpole.

Age does not stop members like one of the oldest sailors in Brooklyn, Gilbert Cigal, in his 90s, who still sails and owns a boat. Cigal stays on the water and stays connected to his community by using electric controls to steer his sails.

“I think the club also … it extends to social network and the interdependency that all people look for in clubs,” Shomer said.

“The way Facebook keeps you glued to your screen, well, we used to be glued to each other.”

Wendy Shomer and her siblings in 1958 bonding at the original Miramar Yacht Club where their father taught them to sail as a family. From left: Nikki, 3; Tighe, 11; and Wendy, 10.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Shomer Thursday, May 18, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 3

BRIC Wins 2 NY Emmys for Outstanding Achievement in Television

By Scott Enman Brooklyn Eagle

Since its inception last year, award-winning cable TV and digital network BRIC TV has strived to publicize and expose the lesser-known issues affecting Brooklyn.

From breaking segregation in schools to LGBTQ civil rights to the effects of gentrification, BRIC TV has provided a voice for those who often cannot be heard.

And on May 6, the nonprofit cable channel was recognized for its groundbreaking work when it received two New York Emmys at the 60th Annual New York Emmy Awards.

BRIC is a nonprofit arts and media organization that was founded in 1979 and is located next to the BAM Harvey Theater in Fort Greene. BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn and one of the largest in New York City.

The organization received a total of 19 nominations this year. BRIC TV received 13 nominations, while BRIC’s Brooklyn Free Speech Public Access initiative garnered six.

With the 13 nominations, BRIC TV is tied with Thirteen/WNET as the top-nominated nonprofit organization, and BRIC is now the 10th most-nominated organization overall, tied with WNYW–FOX 5.

This year, BRIC received awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Television Industry for content produced in both BRIC TV and Brooklyn Free Speech.

It was the second time in the organization’s history that it has won the illustrious award.

“BRIC is committed to telling compelling Brooklyn stories, and to amplifying the voices of those that often remain unheard,” said BRIC President Leslie Schultz.

“We are thankful for these honors and the critical acclaim of our video coverage as exemplified through BRIC TV’s focus on important stories that exist beyond mainstream media and Brooklyn Free Speech TV’s dedication to celebrating creative expression by marginalized populations.”

BRIC TV won for its “Holding on to Sea Gate after Hurricane

4 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, May 18, 2017

Sandy,” a segment part of BRIC’s #BHeard series. Created in November 2015 by BRIC TV Senior Producer Charlie Hoxie, the piece takes a deeper look at coastal communities in Brooklyn and throughout the tri-state area facing serious challenges due to rising sea levels.

The piece details the struggles of how Sal From Sea Gate, a year after Superstorm Sandy destroyed his home, is still struggling to rebuild his life against a backdrop of insurance company red tape.

As part of the #BHeard series, BRIC hosts “#BHeard Town Halls,” where the network hosts local politicians, activists, journalists and community members to discuss important, often contentious, issues facing the borough.

During these meetings, “no topic is offlimits, and no viewpoint is ignored.”

“Holding on to Sea Gate after Hurricane Sandy” was part of a town hall dubbed “The Cost of an Urban Climate Crisis.”

“It is gratifying to see that media professionals in the media capital of the world have begun to recognize the quality of the work coming out of BRIC’s Community Media programs,” said BRIC Community Media Director Anthony Riddle.

“At BRIC we strive to give voice to the dreams of our community — this award emboldens those dreams as well.”

BRIC’s Brooklyn Free Speech won an award in the category of Lifestyle Program: Feature/Segment.

The piece, which was produced by Welly Lai in August 2016, was called “5 Boro Taste: World Cuisine in NYC.” The show explores how New York City’s many dining experiences are blended into a flavorful metaphor for a city of cultures thriving side-by-side.

In 2014, BRIC’s original television production team, formerly known as Brooklyn Independent Media, won an New York Emmy for Best Arts Feature/Segment for the segment “Neighborhood Beat: Carlos Pinto.”

Hoxie, who also produced that piece, articulated the honor of winning the award twice.

“I’m proud to bring this home to BRIC TV, and fortunate to work with such a great team,” Hoxie told the Brooklyn Eagle.

“The win feels as important as it did three years ago. Winning in the Environment category felt particularly significant this year, as it is an issue that is very important to me.”

“BRIC TV won its first NY Emmy in 2014 for a piece that underscored the work of Carlos Pinto, a Flatbush artist and community member,” added BRIC TV Executive Producer Aziz Isham. “Since then, we have continued to fulfill BRIC’s mission of representing the artists, activists and community members within neighborhoods all around us.

“This year, we are proud to be recognized with another NY Emmy Award, re-affirming BRIC’s position within New York City’s thriving media ecosystem. BRIC will continue to illuminate these distinct Brooklyn-based stories. From long-time residents to the borough’s most recent immigrants — we share these awards with them.”

To watch BRIC’s programs, including the two winning segments, go to bricartsmedia.org.

INSET: Welly Lai won an award for BRIC’s Brooklyn Free Speech in the category of Lifestyle Program: Feature/Segment for her segment “5 Boro Taste: World Cuisine in NYC.” Photo courtesy of BRIC

Our World In Pictures NEW YORK — Company Uses Social Media for Promotion: In this Thursday, May 11 photo, Jacob Fisher, co-owner of studioSPACEnyc, poses for a photo in the company’s basement workshop in Manhattan. Fisher’s company, which creates art installations using nylon string, lights, images and videos, posts about its work on social media and gauges the reaction, in effect, test-marketing the art it sells to companies and organizations. Prospective customers are more likely to see the company’s work on social media, according to Fisher.

AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

ITALY — Players Face Off: Spain’s Rafael Nadal prepares to serve the ball during his match against fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome on Wednesday.

AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Thursday, May 18, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 5

Brooklyn Public Library Brings Drag Queens, Kids Together for Story Hour

By Deepti Hajela The Associated Press

Lil Miss Hot Mess poses for a photo with a child after reading to a group of children.

It takes a certain something to be a good storyteller: enthusiasm, timing and a flair for the dramatic. Performers at a children’s story hour at a New York City library have all that and then some — they’re drag queens.

About once a month since last fall, the Brooklyn Public Library has been presenting Drag Queen Story Hour, where performers with names such as Lil Miss Hot Mess and Ona Louise regale an audience of young children and their parents. There’s even a drag-queen version of “Wheels on the Bus” in which Lil Miss Hot Mess sings of hips that go “swish, swish, swish” and heels that go “higher, higher, higher.”

“Drag queens and children don’t usually get together, which I think is a shame and one of the benefits of a program like this,” Lil Miss Hot Mess said while putting on an outfit that included a silver sequin dress with rainbows,

blue and silver glitter eyeshadow and an enormous wig of curly blond hair. The Associated Press agreed not to use the performer’s legal name because of fears of harassment.

“It’s great that it teaches them selfacceptance in a very general way,” she said of the program, which got its start in San Francisco.

At the most recent story hour, children ranging from infants to preschoolers heard about Penelope the hippo, the main character in “You’re Wearing THAT to School?!” by Lynn Plourde, which explores ideas of fitting in versus standing out.

The children got up and danced and ended the session wearing paper crowns.

Kesa Huey and Sarah Baratti were among the parents who brought their children to the event, and they were glad they did.

“I think we’re just looking for exposure to positive role models in as many forms as possible,” Huey said.

Continued on page 7

ABOVE: A performer applies makeup at home while transforming into his drag queen persona Lil Miss Hot Mess prior to reading to children during the Feminist Press’ presentation of Drag Queen Story Hour at the Park Slope Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. AT RIGHT: In this Saturday, May 13, photo, Lil Miss Hot Mess reads to children during the Feminist Press’ presentation of Drag Queen Story Hour at the Park Slope Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. About once a month since last fall, the Brooklyn Public Library has been presenting Drag Queen Story Hour, where performers with names such as Lil Miss Hot Mess and Ona Louise regale an audience of young children and their parents. INSET: Lil Miss Hot Mess put on the final touches of an outfit at home before reading to children.

Children watch Lil Miss Hot Mess read to them during an event.

6 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, May 18, 2017

AP Photos/Mary Altaffer

Lil Miss Hot Mess sings a song with the children during the event. There’s even a drag-queen version of “Wheels on the Bus,” in which Lil Miss Hot Mess sings of hips that go “swish, swish, swish” and heels that go “higher, higher, higher.”

AP Photos/Mary Altaffer Continued from page 6 Baratti said she had taken her daughter to a previous drag queen story hour, and when she asked the girl if she wanted to go again, it “didn’t take a lot of convincing.”

Something like this program “could be a

really positive model for kids,” especially since kids in the preschool age range are open to the idea of dressing up and fantasy, said Christia Spears Brown, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Kentucky.

It “ultimately provides children with a really

flexible model of gender,” Spears Brown said.

“And that mental flexibility about gender will benefit all kids, regardless of how gendertypical they themselves are,” she said.

The response has been largely positive, said Kat Savage, a children’s librarian with the Brooklyn

Public Library. She said the readers select the books they want to read, though the library does maintain lists of suggested books for a range of topics.

And for those who don’t approve?

“We just tell people: ‘If it’s not for you, you don’t have to come,’” she said.

ABOVE: Lil Miss Hot Mess, right, compares outfits with 2-year-old Eva McInnes after reading to a group of children. AT RIGHT: A performer applies makeup at home before transforming into his drag queen persona Lil Miss Hot Mess. The performer declined to provide his legal name.

Thursday, May 18, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 7

Our World In Pictures GREECE — Protesting Austerity Measures: Protesters chant slogans during a nationwide general strike in central Athens on Wednesday. Workers walked off the job across the country for an anti-austerity general strike that disrupted public and private sector services across the country.

AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

MEXICO — Family and Friends Mourn: Friends and relatives say their last goodbyes during the funeral Mass of slain journalist Javier Valdez in Culiacan on Tuesday. Valdez, a veteran reporter who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime, was slain Monday in Sinaloa, which was the latest in a wave of journalist killings in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media AP Photo/Rashide Frias workers.

8 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, May 18, 2017

By Jenny Powers Special to Brooklyn Eagle

Welcoming Shabbat, the free weekly sing-along for toddlers hosted by Brooklyn Heights Synagogue was recently named one of the Top 5 “Absolute Best Kids Music Classes in New York” by New York magazine, making it the only faithbased class to receive the honor and even ranking above popular mainstream offerings like Music Together.

Oprah Winfrey hosted a televised tour of Congregation B’Nai Avraham’s ritual immersion bath known as a Mikvah, which Orthodox Jewish women use each month to spiritually cleanse themselves after their menstrual cycle.

Congregation Mount Sinai opens its doors to the entire community one Wednesday each month and hosts a film series chronicling Jewish life and history.

And Kane Street Synagogue, often referred to as “The Mother Synagogue of Brooklyn” for being oldest Jewish congregation still serving the neighborhood in which it was founded, has brought Shabbat services to the residents of the Cobble Hill Health Center for the past 25 years.

The irony that all of this robust Jewish culture is thriving in a borough historically known as “The City of Churches” and in neighborhoods whose quaint little streets still bear the names of prominent Christian men of yesteryear is not lost. It is a solid reflection of the gentrifying changes happening in some of Brooklyn’s oldest neighborhoods.

Both Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, communities firmly rooted in Christian faith, are now also home to a total of four thriving synagogues, a testament to the Brooklyn renaissance in the new century.

But none of this happened overnight.

It began at the turn of the 20th century, when Jewish immigrants moved from Eastern Europe to Manhattan’s Lower East Side and took up residence between Borough Hall and Fulton Ferry. Initially, all prayer, learning and meetings took place in private homes or rented facilities but as the community itself increased, the need for a place of their own did too.

As many Lower Manhattan synagogues began to relocate uptown, both downtowners and Brooklyn residents saw the need for a place closer to where they lived.

In 1862, the first building in Brooklyn to be built as a synagogue was known as Congregation Baith Israel. In 1905, it was renamed Kane Street Synagogue as we know it today.

Since 1996, the conservative congregation has been led by Rabbi Sam Weintraub and is now home to more than 300 member families. Like all their synagogue counterparts, the synagogue’s pre-school, drop in classes, religious school and adult education courses are all open to both Jews and non-Jews alike.

It also offers a variety of civic-minded programming, much of it focused on social activism such as the current nationwide “Refugee Welcome” campaign supported by over 200 congregations and launched by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to welcome and advocate for refugees.

INSET (LEFT): Marina Pinkhasik, Head of School of the Brooklyn Heights Jewish Academy. INSET (RIGHT): Rabbi Serge Lippe, who enters his third decade as senior rabbi at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue.

Left: Photo courtesy of Marina Pinkhasik; Right: Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue

Photo courtesy of Rabbi Serge Lippe/Brooklyn Heights Synagogue

Keeping the Faith Weintraub said, “Jewish law codes teach that a synagogue has to have windows. A lot of people don’t know that and the reason it has to have them is so we can be aware of the world around us.

We are a synagogue who not only keeps our doors open to welcome people but our windows open to be sensitive to what we see outside of our own walls.”

Rabbi Serge Lippe, who has led the Reform congregation at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue for 20 years, says of his own congregation, “We aren’t just welcoming, we are inviting. Rather than take a passive approach, we are proactively finding ways to invite people inside.” Some of those ways include hosting a sample Seder for people unfamiliar with the Passover tradition, establishing a parenting center for new moms and dads and offering a monthly Shabbat service for millennials called “The Other Friday Night.” They have also operated a seasonal homeless shelter five days a week for the past thirty years that is solely run by members of the overall community, including a variety of different houses of worship.

The synagogue opened in 1960 after Heights residents Rubin and Belle Huffman invited neighbors into their living room to discuss starting their own synagogue. They now live-stream their weekly Shabbat services to the entire community and have more than 470 member families. They purchased the brownstone next door to accommodate their growing numbers. Lippe, who was recruited by a national placement service while serving as an associate rabbi in Paradise Valley, Arizona, says he is a “familiar face to many non-Jews in the community.” In fact, it was Lippe that led much of the Anti-Hate Rally in Adam Yauch Park when it was vandalized with spraypainted swastikas last year.

Every summer, Lippe hosts an afternoon barbecue in his backyard and invites members of the Rabbinic Clergy Association to, as he puts it, “break bread without agenda.”

He also encourages jointly sponsored and interfaith programming with other synagogues in the area as well as the local mosque and churches. “We aren’t particularly territorial, everyone is taxed and maxed with our own congregations and when we can do things together and support one another, well, that’s great,” Lippe says. “We all try and help one another out whenever we can, with whatever he can,” he adds. A perfect example is now that Brooklyn Heights Synagogue’s congregation is too big to fit in its own sanctuary for High Holiday services, Plymouth Church graciously allows them to host services in its parish every year; and Our Lady of Lebanon and Grace Church have hosted its Women’s Seder.

Just a few doors down from Brooklyn Heights Synagogue sits Congregation B’nai Avraham, which opened in 1988 and has been led by Rabbi Aaron Raskin since its inception. It is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and is also affiliated with Kiddie Corner, the largest established Jewish preschool in Downtown Brooklyn known for the little red buggies it carries its youngest students in. The rabbi’s wife, Shternie Raskin, runs the school, which welcomes children of all religions from all over the community.

The challenge was that once children aged out of Kiddie Corner, there was nowhere in the neighborhood for them to con-

tinue their Jewish education. That all changed when the neighborhood restaurant The Moxie Spot closed and The Brooklyn Heights Jewish Academy opened in its place. The school is an Orthodox, co-educational facility, and Rabbi Raskin serves as the dean.

This fall, the academy welcomed their inaugural kindergarten and first-grade classes. “Every single year we’ll grow by a grade level and our goal is to go up to 12th grade,” says the Head of the School Marina Pinkhasik.

According to Pinkhasik, whose own children currently attend Kiddie Corner, the academy abides by New York state’s standards and educators work to holistically integrate Judaism into the overall curriculum in a variety of creative ways, such using matzos to count during math class and learning about budgets by figuring out how much to spend at the Court Street Farmers Market for Seder supplies. Students also learn to read and write simultaneously in Hebrew and English, and this month they have invited Israeli soldiers for a class visit as part of their social studies on citizenship.

Congregation Mount Sinai, located at Cadman Plaza, has long been considered a central meeting place for not just Jews, but also Christians and Muslims. Rabbi Seth Wax, who has led the congregation since 2013 and who will be stepping down this summer when he moves, has served as the co-president of the Brooklyn Heights Interfaith Clergy Association and for the past two years has co-led an Interfaith Scripture study group, which he describes as “a powerful and deep look into multicultural texts.” One of the many of interfaith programs will take place Monday, May 22 and will be hosted at the Brooklyn Friends Meeting House (110 Schermerhorn St.). Titled “Faith and Justice: Misogyny and Religion,” this forum is the first in a series that will tackle the problem of religions being complicit in oppression of various peoples, such as women, ethnic and racial minorities, and the environment, in order to maintain power. The forum begins at 11 a.m.

On Sunday mornings, Mount Sinai opens its doors and hosts “Resurrection Brooklyn,” a mobile church that holds worship services in a variety of different locations.

In 2012, it was revealed that one in four residents in Brooklyn were Jewish according to the UJA-Federation of New York’s Jewish Community Study of New York.

Rabbi Aaron Raskin, pictured at a breakfast at Junior's Restaurant.

Eagle file photo by Kate Attardo

Rabbi Samuel Weintraub of the Kane St. Synagogue.

Rubin and Belle Huffman, founding members of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue.

Eagle photo by Francesca N. Tate

Photo courtesy of the Kane Street Synagogue

Rabbi Seth Wax of Congregation Mount Sinai.

Thursday, May 18, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 9

Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball Player Mel Zupnick Delivered The Brooklyn Eagle in East Flatbush in the Early 1950s

By Palmer Hasty

Special to Brooklyn Eagle

Mel Zupnick was born in 1940 at Beth El Hospital in East Flatbush. His family lived at 1050 Wilmohr St. until he was 6 years old when they moved in with his grandparents at 101 New Port St. in Brownsville. Zupnick lived there until he was 21.

After a successful career in the furniture business in New Jersey, he retired to Wycliffe Golf and Country Club in Wellington, Florida, where he plays golf with his wife of 55 years and stickball every week with his retired friends, many of whom are also from Brooklyn.

His grandparents on his father’s side were Russian and his grandparents on his mother’s side were Austrian. Zupnick has a distinct, deep voice, with a heavy classic Jewish-Brooklyn accent. When talking about something that includes a two-way conversation, he will frequently use the phrases, “So I says to him” or “So he says to me.”

Zupnick is the second Brookyn native in Florida we have interviewed who delivered the Brooklyn Eagle during his childhood to earn extra money.

In a recent interview with the Eagle, Zupnick spoke about why he retired to Florida, how he got involved in the Wycliffe Stickball league and about some of his Brooklyn past.

Brooklyn Eagle: When did you deliver the Eagle?

MZ: In the mid-’50s. I had my route in East Flatbush when I was 14. I had a four-block area. I think it was 93rd and 94th streets between Church Avenue and Ditmars. I would start up one way and turn around and come back the other way. It was a lot of houses, a lot of papers.

BE: What do you remember about the paper route?

MZ: I can’t remember the name of the candy store where I picked up the paper. There was a storefront and the truck would come by and throw down the bundles of papers and they would distribute them to the delivery boys. Depending on how many houses we had, if we had 60 houses we’d get 60 papers. We’d put them on our bikes and take off.

The Brooklyn Eagle was a popular paper back then. Of course, it was the Brooklyn paper, I mean, compared to the New York Post, the Daily News and the Daily Mirror. They weren’t national so much as they were New York, Manhattan papers.

BE: Did you throw the papers at the doorsteps from the bikes like you see some of the old movies?

MZ: (Laughing) Yes, exactly. Except on Friday’s when we collected money for the subscriptions. Anything over what we collected was ours. And we turned in the money each week in front of the candy store where we had picked up the papers.

We would make, I don’t know, $7, $8, maybe $9 a week, something like that. The paper was around $3 or $4 a week and if you got a quarter or a half-a-dollar tip, you were doing great. We didn’t get paid directly from the Eagle. We had to pick up the money from each stop, and anything over what we would pick up would be our tip. So, we wound up making, like I said, on average about $8. If we made $10 or $12 in a week we were making a lot.

BE: What did a kid your age do with that kind of money in the 1950s?

MZ: To be honest with you, I lived with my grandparents.

When we moved out of Wilmohr Street we moved into my grandparents’ house. They had a two-story house where they lived on the first floor and we lived up on the second floor. I would give my grandfather about $3 a week to put in his pocket. My grandmother would take whatever he earned and she would hold on to it. So, what I did, I would give a few bucks to my grandfather so he could have money in his pocket. So, I would end up with about $5 or $6

for whatever I wanted; comic books, the movies, whatever.

BE: Did you play stickball back then?

MZ: I did. We played in the schoolyard and we played in the streets. We played ball where ever we could. Since there was a lot of traffic on our street, most of the time we went to the schoolyard.

BE: What schools did you go to?

MZ: From one through six I think it was P.S. 183 and middle school was P.S. 219.

Then I went to Tilden High School.

BE: Did you know that another one of our other Wycliffe Stiffs interview subjects, Harry Klaff, taught history at Tilden high school for a long time?

MZ: At the time, I didn’t. I didn’t know Harry Klaff until I moved here.

The first weekend I moved in, my wife and I decided to go play golf and who did they hook us up with?

It was Harry and his wife.

The first thing he says to me on the first hole was, “When was the last time you played stickball?” I looked at him, I was 65 at the time, and I says to him, “Fifty years ago.”

And he says to me, “Would you like to play?” And I’ve been playing ever since, for 12 years now.”

BE: You’ve been married 55 years. Sounds like a good marriage. Where is your wife from?

MZ: Yes, it is. She’s from Jersey. I was working as a draftsman for Bendix. We were contracted by Grumman to work on the schematics for the B-2 bomber. I was in my early 20s. The family was going to New Jersey to visit relatives. I met her there.

BE: How did you get into the furniture business?

MZ: After we got married, my father-in-law convinced me to try my hand at sales and join the family furniture business. At Bendix I felt like a tiny cog in a giant wheel, so I made the move and I worked for Grant Furniture 44 years until I retired.

BE: When did you retire and decide to move to Florida?

MZ: It was 2006. In 2005 we closed on the house down here.

I went back up to New York to close out all the stores and sell everything off and move down here. We chose Wycliffe because I had a cousin who had already lived here for 25 years.

One day he told me to check out a house that was part of a new development across the street from him. They were closing out and they were including the golf and everything. We took a look at the

spec house and my wife said that was just what she was looking for.

BE: Sounds like you didn’t have to think much about the decision?

MZ: Hell no. By then I was tired of going back a forth like a snow bird. (Laughing) I wanted one house, that’s it. I said to my wife, I don’t want two houses. I want one place I know where I got everything. Cause I had things down here and things up there. Every time I wanted the mustard, it always seemed to be in the other house. I thought my closet was on this side, no, it’s on that side. I thought I had that shirt here, no, it’s at the other house. Forget that, I wanted one place.

BE: You were a Dodgers Fan, right?

MZ: I was a big Dodgers fan. It was the mid-’50s. My friends and I used to walk to the games from Brownsville. Always up Utica Avenue toward Crown Heights. It was about an eight-mile walk. I was 13 and none of us thought twice about walking eight miles to see the Dodgers play. We had G.O. cards that [costed] 50 cents. We could get into the bleachers for $2. My mother would make me a salami sandwich wrapped in wax paper. She put it in the brown paper bag. By the time I got to Ebbets Field, the salami oil would have seeped through and the bottom of the bag was soaked with oil. We’d eat our lunches in the bleachers and wait until game time. During the warm ups, if we yelled loud enough, Duke Snyder would turn and wave to us from center field.

BE: So, you fell in love with a Jersey girl?

MZ: I did. After I met my wife, I fell head over heels in love.

I couldn’t wait until the weekends when I would travel to Jersey and see her. I would take the train to the Port Authority…take the bus out to Rockaway, New Jersey, which took about an hour. That was on Friday night. On Sunday, I would come into the Port Authority, take a subway, walk four or five blocks to the house at about one in the morning and I never worried about where I was.

That was 1960. I was 20 years old. It shows you the difference in the times. You would probably never do that now.

Brooklyn native Mel Zupnick at bat during a Wycliffe Stiffs stickball game.

Photos courtesy of Wycliffe Stiffs 10 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, May 18, 2017

BE: Are you enjoying retirement in Florida?

MZ: I am. I’m 76 and I play golf four times a week and play in the stickball league. By the way, what Marty and Harry do with this league is amazing. And you know what else is amazing? (Laughing) I’m recalling all this stuff, these details going back 50 or 60 years ago, and half the time I can’t even remember, I mean, like we went to the movies the other night and I can’t even remember what movie we saw.

Why the BQX Steetcar Will Bring a Better City

The proposed trolley runs through Williamsburg.

Renderings courtesy of Friends of BQX

While a $1.7 Billion Project Deserves to Be Scrutinized, Let’s Not Forget the Bigger Picture: An Economic Boost for All

By Tucker Reed

Special to Brooklyn Eagle

Does the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront region need its own streetcar? The announcement of the Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2016 has trigged passionate debate on the merits of the 17-mile, $1.7 billion project. Rightly so: an undertaking this complicated — and a vision this grand — are worthy of thorough discussion. However, I want to highlight three things that could help put this initiative in perspective, since I fear at times the block-by-block wrangling over the details of this project is eclipsing the bigger picture.

First, the BQX is not just some shiny new toy. The larger purpose is economic development, the biggest such proposal for Brooklyn and Queens in a generation. A valid historical comparison is the construction of the East River bridges in the 19th and 20th centuries, which unlocked opportunity for millions of New Yorkers by providing East-West connections that helped to solidify the economic ties between the city’s population centers. The BQX would be the comprehensive transit solution we need to unite the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront, creating a north-south spine that will lay the foundation for a future with more jobs, affordable housing and office space.

Second, we are in the midst of unprecedented growth in Brooklyn and Queens. If you look at demographic data, as well as employment and residential growth trends, what emerges is all the makings of a labor force and creative-talent pool that no longer needs to commute to Manhattan to pursue their enterprises. These drivers of the new economy are already feeling at home in neighborhoods like the Brooklyn Tech Triangle and Long Island City. Just wait until the BQX unites these employment hubs and makes them accessible for the residents of Red Hook and Ravenswood.

Finally, an idea of this magnitude inevitably runs into all manner of obstacles and competing agendas. Navigating them takes courage and vision. De Blasio and Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen should be applauded for having the guts to undertake this effort. Vocal detractors will tell you this project cannot and should not be done.

They fail to point to the positive effects of the streetcar and light-rail renaissance around this country and all over the world.

Critics cite a single leaked internal memo — in draft-form — about cost projections. OK, that’s part of the discussion too, but critics neg-

lect to mention that these figures do not take into account the myriad solutions that may be explored, which range from streamlining construction methods to lining up more sources of capital. Contrary to the innuendo this memo launched, what the document actually demonstrates is the presence of due diligence being undertaken by city officials. This should provide all of us with comfort that the project is getting the scrutiny it deserves.

The argument of detractors that transit dollars are better spent elsewhere is sleight of hand.

Some say that new bus lines would be less glamorous and more effective, but the point of a streetcar is having a dedicated route and getting you faster from borough to borough. Some say there are more pressing projects that could use an immediate cash infusion, like long-called-for proposals for the Utica Avenue subway extension in Brooklyn. Yes, that’s a worthy project too. But what’s compelling about the northsouth corridor connecting Brooklyn and Queens is that it’s one of the few routes where potential

growth is sure to cover the cost of construction.

This is what will allow it to be financed, without state or federal funding. These projects don’t need to impose either/or decisions on us.

We should use capital spending to address pressing transit needs and we should look for opportunities to use creative financing tools on innovative projects like the BQX. In the early 20th century, when the 7 subway line was first built to connect Queens to Manhattan, it was surrounded by largely vacant land. Today, it is one of the busiest subways in New York City and its presence paved the way for countless job and housing growth in areas like Flushing, Queens. While today’s Brooklyn-Queens waterfront is not in danger of neglect, it is plausible that left to market forces, the future of waterfront development in Brooklyn and Queens will be almost exclusively luxury housing, a terrible urban condition.

The streetscape would be dominated by cars, taxis, Ubers and private shuttles — and haunted by missed opportunities for job growth in

industrial business zones like the booming southwest Brooklyn region.

With this proposal, the city has the opportunity to help create a more equitable community. Infrastructure like the BQX can connect long-isolated residents to job and housing opportunities. This is a big idea that should be applauded, one that lays the groundwork for growth for decades to come. Mayor de Blasio may face some heat for it today, but our children and grandchildren will thank him for it in the 22nd century.

Editor’s note: The writer is on the board of directors of the Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector. Tucker Reed is a co-founder and principal at the real-estate firm Totem. He previously served as the president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, worked for the State Department on reconstruction efforts in Baghdad and at Two Trees Management. He began his career in New York City working in the Bloomberg administration. (Printed with permission from The Bridge.)

A rendering of the BQX running through Downtown Brooklyn near the Jay Street-MetroTech subway station.

Thursday, May 18, 2017 • Brooklyn Eagle • 11

20th Annual Brooklyn Film Festival Announces Lineup of 122 Films

Abby Abinanti surveys Yurok traditional lands in a scene from “Tribal Justice.”

Brooklyn Eagle

The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), presented this year by Stella Artois, announced on Monday the film lineup for the 2017 edition. The festival will open on Friday, June 2 at returning BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. BFF is proud to present its opening night film, the east coast premiere of award-winning director Jason James’ comedy-drama-romance “Entanglement,” starring Jess Weixler and Thomas Middleditch.

This year’s festival is comprised of 122 features and shorts from 32 countries spread over six continents. The lineup includes 24 world premieres, 19 U.S. bows, 33 East Coast debuts and 41 first-time screenings in New York.

In addition to the feature narratives and documentary films highlighted in this release, the festival will present 37 short narrative films, 17 short documentary films, 26 animated films and 20 experimental films.

Director Marco Ursino said about the 2017 festival: “The 20th anniversary is for us a spectacular opportunity to celebrate our experience and make plans for the future. In the past 20 years, we have been able to shape a platform here in Brooklyn

that fuels every year a new generation of talented filmmakers.

Something to be very proud to be part of.”

BFF has also lined up several special events during the festival.

They include the 13th annual KidsFilmFest on Saturday, June 3 at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP; the Filmmakers Party on June 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the new G-Star Raw store in Williamsburg; the BFF Exchange series of panels on June 10 at Kickstarter Headquarters and party at Williamsburg Music Center; and the June 11 Awards Ceremony followed by the closing-night party at Windmill Studios NYC. Throughout the duration of the festival, Stella Artois and BFF will provide a Filmmaker Lounge at Windmill Studios. Guests will be able to relax between screenings with a Stella while networking with fellow filmmakers.

Main BFF venues are the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios NYC in Greenpoint. Satellite locations include Syndicated in Bushwick, Made in New York Media Center by IFP in DUMBO, UnionDocs in Williamsburg; and Kickstarter in Greenpoint.

Feature narratives that will be presented include “Entanglement” (East Coast premiere), “Kate Can’t Swim”

Photo by Anne Makepeacee

(East Coast premiere), “El Revenge” (U.S. premier), “Shut Up Anthony” (New York premiere), “The Sounding” (East Coast premiere) and “Sweet Parents” (world premiere).

Feature documentaries will include “A Cambodian Spring” (U.S. premiere), “Disco’d” (world premiere), “Goodbye Darling, I’m Off to Fight” (New York premiere), “Holy (un) Holy River” (New York premiere) and “Tribal Justice” (New York premiere).

To view the full film line up, visit http://www.brooklynfilmfestival.org/films/2017/index.asp.

The organizers of BFF have been staging international, competitive film events since 1998. BFF’s mission is to provide a public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest in films and the independent production of films, to draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a center for cinema, to encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure. BFF, inc. is a not-for-profit organization.

For more info about the festival please visit www.brooklynfilmfestival.org.

At Parmarth Nikketan Ashram in Rishikesh India, people gather on the banks of the Ganges every evening at sunset for aarti the Hindu nightly ritual with song and fire, sometimes called Hindu “happy hour.” The scene is from “Holy (un) Holy River.”

Photo © Pete McBride.

12 • Brooklyn Eagle • Thursday, May 18, 2017