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BREAKING: Israeli Bomb Shelter In Washington Square Park Sparks Controversy
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 28, 2011
Modified Mar 28, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 28, 2011
Modified Mar 28, 2011
Share
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Ahh, the sun is shining, spring is set to arrive by 2017 (can't wait to drink $8 Brooklyn lagers whilst listening to the sound of local bands "emerging" on the Greenpoint waterfront!) so it was the perfect day for a quaint stroll inside a bonafide bomb shelter in Washington Square Park.
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., a bomb shelter decorated by top New York graffiti artists puzzled passersby, as they were asked to sprint inside the shelter from 20 yards away in under 15 seconds to simulate the experience as felt by those living in Israel who are subject to Palestinian rocket barrages and bombings.
Matt Mindell, Executive Director of the Jewish Enrichment center, explained that the shelter was there to encourage "empathy for those living in fear in Israel…to get people to relate to them on a human level, politics aside." Most of the graffiti artists weren't Jewish, they just wanted to add color and a human touch to the drabness of the shelters.
Brett Chamberlin, an NYU student and "vehement atheist," heard of the shelter exhibit during class and made a sign to "balance out what is a one-sided issue." Shockingly, people took umbrage to his claim that "Palestinian deaths outnumber Israeli deaths 6:1." A counter-sign was made, and before you knew it, a woman in a keffiyeh and an older man distributing pro-Israeli leaflets were screaming and chest-bumping before New York's finest could pull them apart.
The man, Michael Chenkin, noted that he was shouting at her because "simple slogans counteract the lies." Indeed, shouting is our official language. But Washington Square was largely unfazed: whiffs of marijuana smoke danced in the air, fat pigeons fought over bread crusts, and a couple from the UK stared into their Frommer's guide, remarking "we're not paying this any mind—we're just enjoying our time here."
Tagged
Bomb shelters
Graffiti artists
israel
NYU
palestine
washington square park
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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