Manhattan is an incredibly popular destination for tourists, which is likely an indication that people generally feel safe in the city, despite how crowded it is. In fact, on a list of the Most Dangerous Cities in America Manhattan wasn't on the list. Not everyone agrees, though. There are some residents of New York City that see Manhattan as a place where dangers abound.
According to the Times of Israel website, some Jewish individuals in the Haredi sect want other ultra-Orthodox people to be aware of the secular dangers of Manhattan, and they rented a billboard along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to make their point. The billboard is bright red and says, in Hebrew, "Dear Jew: You are entering a dangerous place. Shield your eyes." The phrase "Shield your eyes" also appears in English at the bottom of the billboard.
TimesofIsrael.com hypothesizes that "[the] dear Jews being addressed by the sign are likely the ones who commute to Manhattan from Brooklyn for work." The site is not alone in thinking this. According to a an article in the Jewish Daily Forward, Josh Nathan-Kazis says that it is part of an attack by religious Jewish population of Brooklyn against secular Jewish individuals in Manhattan. "While Brooklyn’s Jewish community is exploding, Manhattan’s is shrinking," Nathan-Kazis wrote. "And judging in part by the highway billboard, the ascendant Brooklynites have little regard for the declining Manhattanites. Hoping to preserve its massive growth, the ultra-Orthodox community has been... striking back against web access in its homes and yeshivas by holding a massive anti-Internet rally and promulgating new bans against web use."
The sign was sponsored by an organization called the Congregation of Yad Moshe, and it has gained plenty of attention. The story was even picked up by the popular New York blog Gothamist. When the billobard was posted as a "Picture of the Day" on a Chabad community news site, readers' comments showed the community to be split in their views on the sign. Some thought it funny, some were in favor of its message, and some were deeply opposed to what the sign said.
One person called the billboard "a waste of money," saying that the funds would have done more good if spent on charity. That individual believes that those who put up the billboard are a "bunch of self centered egotistical extremist narrow-minded people." Another commenter, however, posted, "Way to go! Someone realized that you’ve got to combat fire with fire. If you have spiritually dangerous billboards, you’ve got to have one that warns you of the danger ahead!"
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