Entering Midwood
Growing up in Midwood, Brooklyn has probably been one of the most worthwhile experiences of my life. Although it isn’t anything like Williamsburg or Dumbo, it is somewhere I can be proud to call my home. My father was the one who decided to move here when wanting to relocate from his house in Flushing, Queens, mostly for it’s safe environment and good reputation. I didn’t see many individuals that looked like myself in Midwood, but I did see many people that did look very much of the same background and shared a common culture. Midwood is well known for its Jewish community as proven by the linguistic landscape of the area. I often found myself being surrounded with words in Hebrew as well as saw it being incorporated into everyday life. Whether it be from flyers, to restaurant signs, or any other display of the language, it wouldn’t be difficult for one to see some sort of Jewish influence on the linguistic landscape of Midwood. However, over the years I’ve seen a sprinkle of numerous cultures make their way into the neighborhood. Through observing my linguistic landscape I was able to further magnify Midwood beyond its surface level and find numerous cultures within it, varying from Hispanic, Chinese, and Russian. The presence of these different backgrounds became apparent to me when looking at street signs, restaurants, flyers, and etc. My findings proved that Midwood wasn’t as homogenous as I thought it was, and was a small melting pot of its own being stirred in a far larger kettle, with that kettle being New York City.
Where is Midwood?
Midwood, Brooklyn is located “by East 12th Street to the west; Flatbush Avenue to the east; the railroad tracks between Avenue H and Avenue I to the north; and Kings Highway to the south,” according to the New York Times. The neighborhoods surrounding this part of the borough are Bensonhurst, the Flatlands, Borough Park, Kensington, and Marine Park. As mentioned the majority of the population is home to “one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities outside of Israel,” with many of the facilities in the area appealing to the community of Jews that live here. Many of the restaurants within Midwood are actually kosher certified as they are Jewish owned eateries.
A Taste of Jewish Culture
Figure 1: “Falafel off the Korner” Taken by Laiba Hussain
“Falafel off the Korner” is located on 1675 E 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11223 and is a kosher restaurant that is well received in the greater Midwood area. The name of the eatery is a play on the word “corner” switching the “c” to a “k” to signify that it is a kosher restaurant on the “korner” instead. Additionally, there are phrases written in hebrew at the entrance of the door, “מרקם שניצל שךךארמ פאלאפל,” with its English translation listing out the types of food you can get here, such as falafel or shawarma. 
Figure 2: “My Grill Bar” Taken by Laiba Hussain
Another kosher certified restaurant is situated a few blocks away on 1022 Avenue P, Brooklyn, NY 11230 called “My Grill Bar.” Similar to “Falafel off the Korner,” this restaurant also has English, as well as some Hebrew scripture on the upper left side of it’s banner. The direct translation of the sentence is Kosher Glatt derived from the words “גלאט כשר,” and serves the purpose of letting their projected audience (the Jewish community of Midwood) know that this establishment is somewhere they can come to eat with their families. As many Orthodox Jews follow the dietary practice of only consuming kosher meat, it is up to these restaurants to adhere to the needs of the population. Consuming a kosher diet comes with following a list of foods that are permissible and impermissible, in which “kosher foods are divided into three categories: meat, dairy and pareve,” meaning that these restaurants have to specialize in not just kosher meat, but utilize kosher eggs and even milk in their recipes. Although a piece of steak may be kosher, that doesn’t necessarily mean something like a drink or a baked good is as well.
Figure 3: “Chiffon’s Kosher Cake Center” Taken by Laiba Hussain
This leads to the creation of places like “Chiffon’s Kosher Cake Center,” in which only kosher dairy and eggs are used in their cakes, cookies, and etc. The banner of the bakery includes the same Hebrew writing shown prior, to notify their Jewish customers that they are in fact kosher. I, myself, have had my fair share of delicious treats from Chiffon’s, as the store has been one of my sweet tooth go-to’s for the past 18 years. However, throughout the years I’ve noticed that despite specializing in everyday American cakes and pastries, the bakery has remained very true to its Jewish roots as well. One may not find challah bread, hamantash, or knishes in any old dessert shop, but a step into a place like Chiffon’s can prove otherwise. Jewish bakeries are also accredited for New York’s most iconic foods such as a good ol’ cream cheese bagel with lox and the historically famous black and white cookie. With the dessert being so crazed that it was featured on an episode of “Seinfeld,” with “even President Obama using it as a metaphor for race relations during his 2008 run for president, calling them ‘Unity Cookies.’” The perfect combination of chocolate and vanilla icing, this delicious treat has been known to bring the masses together and has received it’s well- deserved stardom of becoming a pop-culture reference. This is one delectable celebrity that you can find at Chiffon’s bakery, as well as all over New York City itself.
The Appearance of Russian
Figure 4: “A verse from Isaiah 53 written in both English & Russian” Taken by Laiba Hussain
As proven through the previous locations, Midwood is obviously a neighborhood in which the Jewish religion is extremely prevalent, in which it is approximated to be about “50 percent of the area’s population.” There are around three main Jewish centers dispersed in different locations of the neighborhood, with there also being a good number of synagogues placed throughout numerous parts of Midwood. It isn’t unusual to see posters or flyers revolving around Judaism as shown in the image below. This flyer specifically is written in both Russian and English and focuses on Isaiah 53, otherwise known as the the fifty-third chapter in the torah. According to Ned Berke at the Bklyner, “New York is populated by more Russian Jews than any other place in the world,” showing as to why a flyer written in Russian is appealing towards the Jewish community. Unlike the examples of the presence of the Hebrew language in Midwood shown prior, this display of Russian further expands the various backgrounds Jewish people may come from while still sharing the same religion. It also points out a cultural discrepancy within the neighborhood as it somewhat shifts away from the norm of the population through a change of dialect, while still remaining similar, adding some sort of a variety within this part of Brooklyn.
Figure 5: “Pharmacy/ANTEKA”
The only other time I encountered the Russian language in the neighborhood was in the sign of a pharmacy, in which the word for it was written in both Russian and English. Although not having any ties to Jewish culture, one can assume that this is owned by a Russian medical practitioner in which it features the language outside of it. Although pharmacies are areas that essentially cater to everyone, the appearance of Russian is one that extends to a certain group of people, possibly aiming to attract Russian consumers to come to this pharmacy, rather than anywhere else in the area, as a shared commonality is observed.
Hebrew in Other Aspects of Life
Figure 6: “Car Service” Taken by Laiba Hussain
To return back to the use of Hebrew within Midwood, one can observe it being used in the means of an everyday business such as this car service company. The words “Shomer Shabbos” are featured in order to tell customers that they’re company is one that practices the Jewish Sabbath which takes place from sunrise on Friday to sunset on Saturday. One can expect for the car service business to be closed during this time period due to religious reasoning. During this holy time of the week, it is expected that the followers of Judaism abstain from everyday luxuries such as electricity, driving, as well as many other activities that are restricted during this period. In that, customers will be served all times of the week, with the exception for Shomer Shabbos.
Figure 7: “Flowers: Rose Garden” Taken by Laiba Hussain
The flower shop seen above is another display of a Jewish owned business within Midwood. It has Hebrews word feature under it’s English title catering to general as well as a specific population. It is also noted that words “Rose Garden,” are featured on the banner, with it also having a rich maroon color, indicating that roses are the main product at this store. As mentioned previously for other establishments, although this is an area open to all individuals, the Hebrew scripture is an indicator for Jewish people to go about their business here when it comes to shopping for bouquets, corsages, and so on. Again showing an example of another facility aiming to target towards a specific audience to invest in their product. This not only guarantees a committed circle of customers, but allows merchants to make revenue off of both it’s Hebrew speaking population, as well as any walk-ins that may come by.
The Use of Language in Public Spaces
Figure 8: “Colonel David Marcus Playground” Taken by Laiba Hussain
The Colonel David Marcus Playground is known to be most active in the summertime, bringing children, and even sometimes adults and teens from various cultures into this neighborhood. The sign features a language other than Hebrew and English, with this being one of the few locations to include Spanish. This is most likely due to the fact that Spanish is the second most spoken language within New York City, in that it is used as a default language in many public areas in the tristate area. Most of the time this is done in the sense that it accommodates a greater number of people, rather than just establishing signs for the English-speaking people here.
Figure 9: “MTA Ticket Machine” Taken by Laiba Hussain
Next to this, to the right is a ticket machine again displaying another language other than the ones common in the neighborhood that is known as Midwood, with that language being Mandarin. Since this machine is used for transportation and gives out express bus tickets, it makes sense to appeal to a wider population due to the many different types of people that take public transportation. The feature of Mandarin, next to Spanish and English, is a nice addition because of the amount of different people that use the MTA, with a good handful of them being of Chinese descent. The use of this language makes all the difference, ensuring guided travels, as well as acquiring a ticket without any sense of confusion that non-English speakers may face in the city.
Figure 10: “Phone Booth” Taken by Laiba Hussain
Last but not least we have an iconic phone booth featured on the bottom, with it saying “Call the World!” in both English and Spanish. As said before, Spanish is commonly spoken throughout the city, and although different from the traditional Hebrew shown throughout Midwood, this display of another language puts a wider lens on the linguistic landscape of this neighborhood. These small little discrepancies may be slid in through city efforts, but it allows for little pockets of culture to be present, in an otherwise very close knit ethnic enclave. Whether it be a playground, ticket machine, or telephone stand, the existence of these public spaces and their use of numerous languages truly diversifies and adds on to the linguistic landscape of Midwood.
Conclusion
All in all, the presence of Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, and Mandarin, through the signs displayed in the neighborhood of Midwood allowed for the image of it’s linguistic landscape to fully appear to the blind eye. Giving Midwood the edge that other parts of Brooklyn just don’t, a sense of identity. Midwood’s linguistic landscape is one of its own, just as the linguistic landscape of the very metropolis that birthed this neighborhood is, with that being New York City. It is unique in its own sense, and there may be places similar to it, but never exactly like it. Just as Chicago will never be “The Big Apple,” Borough Park, will never be Midwood. There is no place in the world that can replicate its rich sense of Jewish community, small patches of Russian businesses, or even mock the public areas that all contribute to not only the linguistic landscape, but the pure essence of what Midwood is.