Neighborhood Profile | Houses of Worship | Sources
About Us:
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As I get off the B train at the last stop, I enter Russia. Many of you may wonder, “Whoa whoa whoa wait! How’d you get off the B train and end up in Russia? That’s CRAZY talk!” Believe it or not, my friends, that’s exactly how skeptical I was at first. The first feeling that I got as landed in Brighton was, “Where am I?” I was lost in a sea of Russian people, fruit-stands, restaurants, and stores. Immediately I had to call my group partner, Adam, and ask frantically, “How do I get to your house?! I think the signs are in Russian!!! Oh wait… never mind!” One of the most interesting aspects of researching Brighton Beach is the fact that at one point in my life, I lived here. However I lived in the Brighton Beach area from birth to age six. Despite the fact that I no longer live there, I pass by the Brighton Beach area from time to time. Coming back to this neighborhood, I realize that this is the first semblance of “home” that I had. As I continue researching this magnificent community, I realize that I am not only looking at the past of the immigrants and the people that live here, but I’m also looking into my own past. Enjoy and thank you for your patronage, Benny Wong |
 Benny Wong |
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I have been living in Brighton Beach all of my life. In fact, I have always resided in the same building, located at 1311 Brightwater Avenue. Looking out from the balcony window, one sees the waves calmly glide against the sand, and gets a sense that this a special place. Both tourists and residents have come to enjoy our waters over the years, and for good reason. The ocean has always had a symbolic resonance with me, and I feel that it adequately represents the culture of our neighborhood. Often serene, sometimes unpredictably stormy, but always a formidable presence, Brighton Beach enveloped me with wonder since I was a small child, and it hasn’t let go since. It is the backbone of Jewish society, epicenter of Russian cuisine and nightlife, and source of burgeoning population changes. In a word, Brighton Beach is unique precisely because it is New York City.
As each of you survey our portion of the website, I hope you come to appreciate the exceptionalism of Brighton Beach that we have laid out. As for me, I can only encapsulate my feelings with a short but lasting sentiment: “Home is where the heart is.” Happy reading, Adam Dikker |
 Adam Dikker |
