Musician Moves to Red Hook

By COLlive reporter

There will be learning and there will be singing.

Rabbi Moshe and Mimi Hecht, along with their two sons Shney and Dovi are venturing into Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood to plant the seeds for a Jewish community revolving around the arts.

The charming waterfront area, just 15 minutes from Crown Heights where the Hechts live now, was most recently in the headlines for its rebirth after the devastating Hurricane Sandy.

Thousands of Shluchim got a glimpse of Red Hook when the gala banquet of the International Kinus Hashluchim convention was held there, at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal of Pier 12, in 2010 and 2011.

Red Hook is also known for its community of artists who flock to the area for its somewhat secluded respite. Whine being home to big box stores and an increasingly active boutique shopping scene, there is no train stop—giving the area a rural–urban vibe.

“Our activities will definitely be incorporating my music as a uniting force,” says Hecht, a chassidic indie folk singer and songwriter working on his
second album.

With their eye on the arts, the Hechts have already met with many local Jewish artists and other Red Hook residents who are excited about the move.

They said they plan to serve local artists and young families with Torah classes, Shabbos meals and eventually a thriving Jewish arts center– all geared towards the diverse inhabitants of a very intriguing “neighborhood on the verge.”

“What could be better than to use your own passions to bring Jews together,” says Mimi Hecht, a popular blogger who co-owns her own fashion line. “We feel incredibly lucky to have found a neighborhood so well suited to our calling and we’re excited to get started!”

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