Call it beachfront diplomacy.
City Councilmember Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest, Midwood), for the second year in a row, brought religious Jews and Muslims together for two gender-specific days at the beach – one for the men and one for the women.
The two beach days were held at the Kingsborough Community College ((KCC) Beach, located on the southeastern tip of Manhattan Beach, which in turn is the eastern end of the Coney Island peninsula, just south of Sheepshead Bay.
KCC, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, independently owns the beach and rents it out for private functions on Fridays during the summer when the school is closed.
It is the second year in a row that Deutsch held the event at this beach using private donor funds and not taxpayer money to rent it out. However, after receiving some community and political pushback on holding a gender-specific event last year, both Deutsch and KCC put in for and received a waiver from the city’s Human Rights Commission to hold the events.
Both events had more than 500 attendees, including large representation from the Jewish and Muslim communities. Among the institutions that bussed people to the event was the Muslim Community Center, 5218 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge.
While participants interviewed refused to give their names, because of religious modesty standards that are similar in both the Muslim and Jewish orthodox faiths, the consensus was a great day was held by all.
“My sons have never experienced a day at the beach before, and I never believed that they would. We can’t afford to go away for the summer, and it’s hard for the kids to be cooped up in the city all summer long. Today was like a vacation for us – it was hard to believe we were still in Brooklyn,” said one father of six who attended the event.
One female attendee remarked it was really amazing to see Jewish and Muslim women sitting side by side on the beach, with their children playing in the sand together.
“We never had this opportunity to bring our kids to the beach. We live just 20 minutes from Coney Island beach, but it’s a world away for us. We are eternally thankful to Councilman Deutsch for offering us the chance to enjoy Brooklyn’s waterfront,” said the female attendee.
Both events were staffed by lifeguards, security, and staff of the appropriate gender, so participants were comfortable to relax and enjoy a calm day at the beach.
Deutsch said besides offering a day at the beach, it is crucial in the melting pot of New York City to celebrate diversity together in a positive way.
“These beach days are a chance for so many New Yorkers to take advantage of New York City’s beauty without compromising their religious standards. I’m grateful to Kingsborough Community College President Claudia V. Schrader and Vice President Ed Rios for accommodating diversity and opening their doors to the community,” said Deutsch.
