Rego Park: Evolution

From Decoding New York

Rego Park: Rego Pita, a kosher restaurant with an Israeli owner, caters to many different ethnicities, not just to the Jewish population for which it was initially opened. Photo by KF.

Because Rego Park is predominantly Bukharian Jewish, this ethnic group will be focused on, but other cultures and nationalities, which are present in the neighborhood, also contribute to the changes and “evolution” of the neighborhood as shop workers, owners, and residents. For example, a popular Israeli Falafel restaurant in the neighborhood, "Rego Pita,” which is "glatt kosher," is owned by Moti, an Israeli man who opened his restaurant and has been thriving for many years. Moti points out that even though his restaurant caters to Kosher residents, various ethnic groups, including Korean and Hispanic, enjoy dining at his restaurant. There is a significant population of Mexican residents and there are a number of Mexican workers in the grocery store and pizzeria businesses of Rego Park. “I see the neighborhood changing in the languages spoken and stores that are put up,” said one Mexican resident Jocelyn, 16. Furthermore, there were Bangladeshi/Indian workers in some of the delis. Hence, the "face" of the neighborhood gradually changes as various ethnic groups move out leaving “community niches” for other ethnic groups to fill as they move into the neighborhood.

Rego Park: The ornate synagogue is an integral part of this community because it symbolizes the spirit of the Jewish people. Photo by KF.

The more a neighborhood’s population holds on to its past the more “authentic” a neighborhood is in relation to a group’s mother country. Although holding on to one’s “authenticity” may seem to hinder the evolution and change in a neighborhood, in actuality this is not the case since as ethnic groups move in they can contribute a piece of their “authentic heritage.” Slowly but surely the accumulation of various heritages makes a neighborhood evolve into something different. The authenticity of the Jewish culture is largely retained in the neighborhood through the large and beautiful synagogue located centrally in Rego Park. “We try to retain the teachings of our Judaic heritage so that the future generations can experience it in its actual form, not as something that gets changed around as the years go by,” explained the Rabbi of the synagogue. The synagogue is not just a place of religious worship but also a facilitator of community gatherings. For example, the "Jewish Sisterhood" sponsored by the synagogue, unites Jewish women of the community and teaches them about their faith. There are even singles dances and tutoring services for children sponsored by the synagogue.

This section on Washington Heights and Rego Park developed by Irina Mullokandova, Karina Fatova, Quinn Marston.