Religion

The Irish and Italians did not get along too well. The Irish thought the Italians weren’t orthodox enough religiously, while the Italians thought the Irish were too puritanical and cold.[i] The two groups grew up learning to dislike the other. In 1953 Mary Collins, an Irish girl from Flatbush, was upset about the idea of walking down the aisle to accept an academic award with an Italian boy, Frank Macchiarola, from the same the neighborhood. However, as she got to know Frank years later, her dislike turned into love, which led to marriage. Mary’s father, didn’t approve initially, “stubborn Irishman” that he was, as Mary recalled. Frank’s parents were more accepting of the marriage. Eventually Mary’s father came to accept the marriage and accept Frank, who would later become New York City’s schools chancellor.[ii]

Tensions between the Irish and Italians were partly due to the fact that the Italians were the newer immigrants who took jobs away from the Irish because they were more willing to work for lower wages.[iii] Still, marriage between the Italians and the Irish became more common after World War II in Flatbush and in other neighborhoods where the two mixed. A couple with the same ethnic background was still more common than a diverse couple, however.[iv]

Although the Italians and the Jews generally lived in peace, they did not always get along. There were times when they would get into fights and the Italians would call the Jews “Christ-killers.”[v] In one instance, a Jewish grandmother recalls from her childhood occasional rifts between her brothers and Italian boys. The Italians would tell her brothers, “You Jews killed my God.” Her brothers would answer back, “Well if he’s a God he shouldn’t be dead… How could you kill a God?”[vi]

The Jews of Flatbush also encountered divisions and problems within their own religious group. During the time that Hitler came to power, the Jews needed reassurance that it was important to practice their traditions and religion. Jewish leaders promoted the teaching of the Hebrew language to the children so the heritage will not be forgotten, and encouraged all to conduct themselves properly in order to avoid hate and possible attack.[vii][viii] The fear of Hitler and the Nazis was not contained within the borders of Germany; it was felt all over the world. This fear caused different views on how a Jew should conduct himself or herself, and how much they should integrate into the community. Nevertheless, maintaining tradition and heritage was still highly encouraged.

The Italians in Flatbush felt the need to preserve their identity within the growing American culture, as well. They proposed a resolution that polls should be closed on Columbus Day, October 12, 1934, which was passed, according to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, on March 23, 1934 at the Italian-American Democratic Club. On the same night, another resolution was passed calling for the Italian language to be taught in all the high schools in the city.[ix] These two efforts show that the Italians were pushing for their culture to be represented in the city. They felt that they, too, had a presence that could contribute to the neighborhood.

Although there were tensions between Christians and Jews, there were also efforts to bring people together. In The New York Times in February 1945, an article was written about the announcement of Reverend Karl M. Chworowsky of the Flatbush Unitarian Church that sent the church’s condolences to its Jewish “friends” regarding the loss of a great community leader and “humanitarian,” Henrietta Szold, a Jewish Zionist woman.[x] She was seen as a leader for all the different groups within the Flatbush area, regardless of religion.

Even as tension rose during the Depression years of the 1930s, there were also serious efforts in Flatbush to encourage religious and ethnic tolerance. In 1934, President Roosevelt created an initiative to encourage intergroup understanding called “Brotherhood Week.”This annual weeklong program was mentioned in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper many times with regard to Flatbush, which shows that it was practiced in the neighborhood and taken seriously.[xi] [xii] It demonstrates the efforts of the neighborhood to have a greater sense of equality and to become more accepting of all religions.

[i] Golenbock, In the Country of Brooklyn: Inspiration to the World, 278.

[ii] Paul Moses, An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians (New York: New York University Press, 2015), 285-286.

[iii] Frederick M. Binder and David M. Reimers, All the Nations Under Heaven: An Ethnic and Racial History of New York City (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995), 140.

[iv] Moses, An Unlikely Union, 287.

[v] Golenbock, In the Country of Brooklyn: Inspiration to the World, 42.

[vi] Anonymous, interview by Norma Sutton, March 10, 2015.

[vii] “Hebrew Teaching Neglect Ignored,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 24, 1934. http://bklyn.newspapers.com/.

[viii] “Urges Exemplary Conduct on Part Of Jewish People,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 24, 1934. http://bklyn.newspapers.com/.

[ix] “Flatbush Italians Ask Poll Closing On Columbus Day,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 24, 1934. http://bklyn.newspapers.com/.

[x] “Children Mourn Henrietta Szold,” New York Times, February 16, 1945. http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser.

[xi] “Steinbrink Hits Religious Hatred,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 17, 1940. http://bklyn.newspapers.com/.

[xii] “Sunday Sermons: Congregation B’nai Jacob of Flatbush,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 26, 1945. http://bklyn.newspapers.com/.