There's been a bit of an uproar among commuters who use the Staten Island Ferry, which has been stripped of the holiday decorations that formerly livened up the terminals in Manhattan and Staten Island. The DOT has taken away the "holiday" tree and the big electric Hanukkah menorahs, which Rabbi Moshe Katzman has provided every year for decades. DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow issued a statement explaining the new policy, suggesting that the change is mainly about "keeping the passenger terminal clear" to "allow staff and crew to focus on their primary mission: Getting the system’s 65,000 daily commuters where they need to go safely and on schedule." But could there possibly be more than a desire for "clear" terminals at work here? more ›

Hanukkah, the chosen people's answer to Christmas, kicks off tonight at sundown. Which means its time to grab your gelt, keep your candles dry, try to remember how to play with your dreidel and, if you are lucky, eat a whole lot of fried food in the next eight days. Don't want to celebrate the holiday alone? You've got options. Many options. more ›

A Windsor Terrace grocery store manager came under fire from customers for installing and promptly removing a menorah and a Christmas tree he had placed in front of his store. For the second year in a row, Key Food manager Mike Jordings allowed Rabbi Moshe Hecht to put a 10-foot tall menorah in front of his Prospect Avenue store during Hanukkah. But by the third night of the Festival of Lights, complaints about the Jewish icon were getting intense. "I was trying to be festive, but my everyday customers didn't feel that way," he told the Daily News. "They felt uncomfortable." more ›

The first ever "professional" dreidel league will host its debut matches in Williamsburg on Dec. 12 — the second day of Hanukkah. In an article laden with Borscht Belt-style puns, the Brooklyn Paper reports on Major League Dreidel, which is expected to draw 100 participants to the Knitting Factory on Metropolitan Avenue to compete in the classic top-spinning game. League founder Eric Harris Pavony tells the paper: “MLD validates the dreidel as a bona-fide sport — and its elite are recognized and respected like professional athletes. However, they are paid in chocolate money.” more ›

To celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, you may have noticed that the Empire State Building's lights have been split: Two sides are blue and white (for Hanukkah) while the other two are red and green (for Christmas). The lights remain split through January 6, 2009. more ›

Hassan Askari, the Muslim college student who intervened in a violent subway attack against a group of Jewish riders, was honored at City Hall yesterday. The fight allegedly started when some thugs boarded a Q train yelling "Merry Christmas", prompting one of the Jewish riders to respond with a "Happy Hanukkah." Fisticuffs ensued, with one of the non-Jewish attackers shouting, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus!" One of the goons is also said to have exposed his tattoo of Jesus before the fight, because you know how Jesus was all about beating Jews. more ›

One of the ten suspects arrested in the Q train beating of a Jewish man during Hanukkah is saying that hate crime charges are completely uncalled for because he himself is Jewish. Joseph Jirovec Jr. was arrested two weeks ago after a group of Hanukkah revelers was beaten while on a the Q train after wishing happy holidays to other riders. Members of a crowd on the train took objection to the Jewish greetings and a beatdown ensued. In an encouraging twist, it was a young Muslim man who came to Walter Adler's aid. Hassan Askari was recently honored for his interfaith Good Samaritanism. more ›

Oops! WNBC's Mistake Causes Problems for St. Louis TV Station more ›

The story around the possible hate crime attack on a Q train the other night seems to be made for the season. Not only does it come while subway violence is a big topic, it also involves a group of Jewish subway riders being called "dirty Jews" and "Jew bitches" and attacked by people who cried, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus." And here's the kicker: The only person who stepped in... more ›

Police are investigating an attack on a Brooklyn-bound Q train as a possible hate crime. A group of people (WNBC says they were on their way home from Hanukkah celebrations) were called anti-Semitic phrases and then beaten up by another group of ten people at Canal Street. The Post has some more details: Apparently one of the attackers "made anti-Semitic remarks about Jews killing Jesus, saying, 'This is a Christian country.'" But the father of... more ›

ART: Last night the works of ex-Guided By Voices frontman Robbert Pollard were unveiled at an invite-only opening, and today it's a free-for-all. Come by and check out his debut art exhibit, which "will consist of more than 50 collages that date from 1990 through 2007. Using elements from 1950's -70's era magazines, pamphlets and obscure pictoral paperbacks as his primary tools, he portrays allegorical personas and hallucinogenic-type environments to create small, almost random synapses... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shots fired on Soundview Ave. in the Bronx, a gas leak on Snyder Ave. and East 34th St. in Brooklyn, and a bank robbery on West 4th and 6th Ave. in Manhattan.
• High school girls (including a pair from Long Island) swept the top prizes in both team and individual categories for the first time in the history of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology.
• Houston St. now sports south-side sidewalks that have doubled in width and feature trees planted in the middle, after a renovation of the street between Broadway and West 6th.
• Silicon Alley Insider names the 100 most influential people in the New York world of digital business. Mayor Bloomberg captured the top spot.
• A New Jersey task force recommended that Drug Free School Zones are too large and the mandatory harsher penalties against non-violent drug offenders crowd actual violent criminals out of prison and back onto the street.
• Gov. Spitzer raised $1.5 million at a fund-raising dinner last night in an effort to refill a diminished campaign war chest. Voters are indicating they've got buyers' remorse after electing the once-popular Spitzer.
• Police recruits studying for their pre-graduation (Dec. 27) exams will receive an early Christmas present in the form of iPods loaded with study material. They will have to return the devices after graduation.
• And a judge has cleared the way for Washington Square Park's renovations. City Councilman Alan Gerson who previously opposed the renovations but is fine with concessions the city has made: "We have secured unprecedented protections against the commercialization of the park."

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

You know you’ve finally arrived when your name appears in an Onion headline. The satirical paper of record paid that respect to the decades-spanning indie-rock phenomenon Yo La Tengo some years back with an article titled “37 Record-Store Clerks Feared Dead In Yo La Tengo Concert Disaster.” Since 1984 the band, started by husband and wife duo Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan, has been blazing an independent trail of restlessly inventive guitar rock. Their most... more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

THEATER: Sentimental hogwash! Following in the tradition of the one-man theatrical renditions of Star Wars and The Godfather Trilogy, comic actor/impressionist Jason Grossman presents his It’s a Wonderful (One Man Show) Life! tonight. Time Out NY called it “a guaranteed laugh riot.” We’re just excited to see how he handles the Charleston contest! - John Del Signore more ›

On Wednesday, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standard, which guides the Conservative Judaism movement, voted to allow gay rabbis and gay unions. While the move was hailed by some and denounced by others, the other mechanics of how this ruling will work. From the NY Times:

But in a reflection of the divisions in the movement, the 25 rabbis on the law committee passed three conflicting legal opinions — one in favor of gay rabbis and unions, and two against. more ›

While they mark the holiday shopping season, does anyone even notice department store window displays anymore? In front of both Lord & Taylor and Saks, there were velvet ropes positioned for lines, and security present for 'crowd control'...but it seemed as if very few had even a passing interest in the windows. more ›

The department stores have decorated their windows with holiday cheer, a tradtion that has been going on since the 1860's (Macy's first was in 1862)! Here's what you'll see this year: more ›

Whether you're ready or not, the holidays are fast approaching. Thanksgiving is just around the corner with Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa just a hop, skip and a jump behind. For many of us that brings happy thoughts of turkey, bourbon and pie but for others, it brings anxiety about all those gifts we have to buy. Now, save the “It’s not about the gift, but rather being with the people you love” speech. Whether we like it or not, if we don’t give the super who took three weeks to fix our garbage disposal a present, we better forget about getting that clogged drain snaked. So, we are going to tighten our belts (at least until the pie comes, then nothing but elastic) and spend the next two months dining BYOB (bring your own bottle). more ›

in the cases, surfaced last year in the NYC area. The city's Health Department has been trying to step in, even considering banning the practice, to uproar from both those in the ultra-Orthdox community and those outside it. The Mayor has stepped in recently, having a conversation with rabbis and the health department. Since the issue is so complicated, as it begs the question whether religious rituals should continue at the expense of public health (especially when a baby is involved), some wonder if the Mayorsaved this controversial issue for after the election. Well, this topic certainly is as sexy as affordable housing or the public school system, but it's way way grosser. more ›

Holy moly, Fox 5 gave Penny Crone quite a Christmas/Hanukkah gift when it fired her from the morning show! Crone, who has been around, well, forever in Gothamist's mind, had returned to Fox 5 earlier this year, after getting fired from CBS 2's local newscast. Crone could always be counted on doing or saying something totally crazy - even though her voice kinda killed us, we're going to miss her. Maybe the WPIX 11 morning show will pick her up! more ›

Finally! It's as if our Christmas wish was answered early, for we must hail pandafix, the only website (that we know of) that aggregate all the insanely cute pictures of pandas DC, SF, China, and more in . Pictures of sixteen panda cubs from the breeding center in Wolong? Check! Somewhat embarassing photos of Bass's 25th birthday? Check! Side by side comparisons of Tai Shan and Su Lin climbing outside? Check! Thank you, Kris Kringle, Hanukkah Harry, Kwanzaa Kanye, et al for making it happen.
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If there's one week that folks might be at a loss for things to do in the city, this is the week. You might think not a creature was stirring, but how many times do we have to tell you? This is New York. The kids are definitely nestled all snug in their beds. What to your wondering eyes should appear this week? Take a look.... more ›

Now that the transit strike is over, the city is asking various businesses if they have contingency plans for the next potential catastrophe - the avian flu. The Post reports that the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are surveying various companies to see if they have a "pandemic-flu plan" or if they will allow telecommuting. Man, is this another thing Gothaimst has to ask our bosses about? The city wants to help out businesses to see, as the deputy Health Department comissioner Dr. Issac Weisfuse says, "For example, how would they deal with getting their critical functions done in the setting of a pandemic when there is a larger absentee rate above normal. How would they decrease transmission of flu in the workplace to protect their employees and their clients?" Yes, happy day-after-Christmas, happy second day of Hanukkah, and and happy Kwanzaa - it's time to think about the bird flu at work. more ›

Right about now, both Christians and Jews are each celebrating their respective holidays. Apparently, this is only the fourth time the two holiday have converged in 100 years. Gothamist's only question is what is this doing to the Chinese restaurant industry tonight? more ›