So for my project I want to explore to Sephardic Jewish Community of Brooklyn New York. Specifically those that have migrated from Syria, and that live in the same general area (between ave I and ave w going from E 23rd to W 5th). This community is considered to be one of the most cohesive Jewish communities in the world. The community has sought to bring all of its culture and maintain its tradition since arriving in America. I’m not sure what I want to focus on more specifically, I am thinking about two things: exploring what defines a “member” of this community, or the acculturation that the community has gone through since coming to America and how it has reacted and evolved to protect the communal cohesion.
Category Archives: Project Ideas
Neighborhood Project Ideas
For my neighborhood presentation, I have decided that I will either study my neighborhood, Sheepshead Bay/Emmons Ave, or Coney Island.
1) Sheepshead Bay/Emmons Ave: After living here and growing up in Sheepshead Bay for 18 years, I’ve been able to see how to neighborhood grew and changed. I’ve seen local shops turn into commercial stores, houses turn into new offices, and neighbors come and into the houses next door. I’d love to study how all the different ways Sheepshead Bay has transformed into what it is today.
2) Coney Island: Coney Island is a classic landmark that definitely has a large, unknown history to it.
Nicholas Arniotes, Project Idea
I have narrowed my ideas of neighborhoods to make a presentation about with the following:
1. Bensonhurst, Brooklyn: I am hoping to focus on the demographic changes in the neighborhood, the surge of immigration into the area, and tensions between ethnic and or racial groups.
2. Upper West Side, Manhattan: I am considering researching and discussing the following: the impact of the construction of Lincoln Center; the disparities in wealth and resources in the neighborhood; and how the neighborhood shaped up the way it is now structurally.
3. Coney Island, Brooklyn: Coney Island has changed a lot since its rise in popularity in the early 1900s. Topics I may want to explore are the rise of commercialism and development in Coney Island (which gets rid of older businesses), the reasons why housing projects are widespread in the area, and the impact of Hurricane Sandy on businesses and residents.
