A Fortress in Brooklyn

Race, Real Estate, and the Making of Hasidic Williamsburg

By: Nathaniel Deutsch, Michael Casper

Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen

The epic story of Hasidic Williamsburg, from the decline of New York to the gentrification of Brooklyn.

Hasidic Williamsburg is famous as one of the most separatist, intensely religious, and politically savvy communities in the entire United States. Less known is how the community survived in one of New York City's toughest neighborhoods during an era of steep decline, only to later oppose and also participate in the unprecedented gentrification of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Nathaniel Deutsch and Michael Casper unravel the fascinating history of how a community of determined Holocaust survivors encountered, shaped, and sometimes fiercely resisted the urban processes that transformed their gritty neighborhood, from white flight and the construction of public housing to rising crime, divestment of city services, and, ultimately, extreme gentrification. By showing how Williamsburg's Hasidim avoided assimilation, Deutsch and Casper present both a provocative counter-history of American Jewry and a novel look at how race, real estate, and religion intersected in the creation of a quintessential, and yet deeply misunderstood, New York neighborhood.

©2021 Nathaniel Deutsch and Michael Casper (P)2021 Tantor

Fascinating read, poor pronunciation

Book is really engagingly written and dwelt researched. Performance is overall good, however the narrator really struggled with the pronunciation of Yiddish and Hebrew words, including frustrating inconsistencies. But that shouldn’t dissuade from an overall great listen

Excellent

Detailed, very well researched history of Hasidic Williamsburg. I was attracted to this book because I live in the neighborhood, but likely of interest to anyone looking to learn more about NYC urban planning or Jewish history - though the deep analysis of some narrow topics (eg Williamsburg pool hours) might be excessive for some audiences.

Despite touching on many controversial political topics, I found the tone balanced and academic throughout. Thought the narrator was fine, no idea on Yiddish pronunciations though.

Highly recommend

זייער אינטערעסאנט

As a native Williamsburg resident, I found all details very interesting and pretty accurate. The narrator, though didn’t get most of the Yiddish words right

Great story TERRIBLE ORATORY SKILLS

This narrator should never ever narrate another book. Don’t buy the audio book rather buy the book because it’s a good true story

Problematic Narrator

The book is fascinating, however the narrator sounds like he's reading it for the first time, plowing his way through the material in a listless monotone. I can't finish listening to it; the narration is just too annoying.

Yiddish and Hebrew words butchered by narrator...

Research is solid, as is the writing. Deutsch and Casper clearly know their material.
Cohen's pronunciation of the many Hebrew and Yiddish words had me scratching my head at times trying to figure out what the word is. If you don't speak either language, it won't bother you. I speak both and was baffled at many of them....
Other than that, narration is fine.