Business Not as Usual in Midtown

By Brocha Chana Metzger
Chabad of Midtown Manhattan

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Midtown Manhattan resembles itself only somewhat. There are still many thousands of tourists flocking to the streets, but today they are wandering around aimlessly – looking for something to do.

The shops are shuttered, as are most of the tourist attractions. Close to a million people are milling about in Times Square this afternoon. College students are out and about with classes canceled, power down, and no place to go. A handful of local businesses opened this afternoon – mostly by owners who either live on the isle of Manhattan – or who braved the bridge openings this morning and arrived by car.

Contrary to news reports stating that power outages affected Manhattan streets below 34th Street, electricity is actually off from 40th Street and most points south. This grid leaves our home in the dark. Our children, initially alarmed, are now viewing this experience as an adventure.

Luckily, our Chabad house is on Fifth Avenue just North of 42nd. With full electrical power, Chabad of Midtown has become a bit of a refuge today for local residents like us, as well as for many Jewish tourists and the occasional intrepid businessman/worker.

Saul Nebenhaus is one such refugee, a postal worker who had been trapped on Manhattan since Sunday – unable to return home to Brooklyn due to lack of transportation. He slept in the post office for two nights along with nine co-workers – none of whom were Jewish. This morning he showed up at Chabad of Midtown for services, a hot drink and a nice kosher sandwich. He remains here awaiting a ride home.

At Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, on 34th Street, there is neither electrical power nor water. A group of Stern students showed up here to charge their electronic devices, use their laptop computers, and have hot drinks.

This morning we packed the children and many bags of perishable foods into the car, heading the six blocks to our Chabad house. It was quite eerie to drive through intersections with no traffic lights at the street corners, drivers cautiously navigating the streets to avoid oncoming vehicles. It was heartening to see the chivalry amongst the ordinarily brusque city dwellers.

My husband Rabbi Yehoshua Metzger greeted us at Chabad of Midtown and helped us in just before the daily mincha minyan. We were heartened to see the 18 men gathered here as the storm ebbs – even though the crowd at our 1:45 work-day services usually numbers 100+ worshippers.

Hurricane Sandy reminded New York who is in charge. And this great city slowly begins to recover.