The Parks Department has reportedly removed colorful Yiddish street signs ordering women to stand aside and let men pass in the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of South Willimasburg. Earlier this week, Failed Messiah reported that the signs—which are roughly translated as "Precious Jewish Daughter: Please move to the side when a man approaches!"—were nailed to trees along Bedford Avenue. Today the Brooklyn Paper reports that Parks maintenance workers removed 16 signs because they were nailed to trees. more ›

Yom Kippur kicks off at sundown tonight, but first there's a lot of atoning to do today! On our way to work this morning, we passed by one of the controversial Kapparot rituals on Kent Avenue In Williamsburg, in the heart of the Orthodox Satmar community. The tradition, which dates back to the middle ages, involves swinging a chicken overhead and then slaughtering it—and has drawn protests from animal rights' activists. But there were no demonstrators this morning, just a police van, hundreds of Satmars, and a truckload of doomed chickens. more ›

After reading a NY Times story on Kiryas Joel, the Orange County town that's home base for the Ultra-Orthodox Satmar Hasidic Jews, a few non-Orthodox friends from Manhattan decided to pay the town a visit. Earlier this month they took a train to the nearest station and hiked five miles to the town, where they started snapping photos of some of the sights and attractions—like the air-conditioned bus stop! But it seems the locals don't take to kindly to Goy outsiders, and soon enough a private security force pulled up demanding identification. On Reddit, John Zwinck, a software engineer who lives in midtown Manhattan, describes how the situation quickly escalated: more ›

Demonstrators have promised to ride bikes down Bedford Avenue naked this evening to protest the recent removal of a bicycle lane amidst mounting pressure from South Williamsburg's Hasidic community. But will the so-called "Freedom Ride" actually happen? more ›

After a demonstration last weekend drew more police officers than protesters, cycling activists will rally again to show their support for the Bedford Avenue bike lane — but this time they'll do it in less clothing. more ›

Williamsburg cyclists got a new bike lane on Bedford Avenue yesterday morning, but they lost one last night when dozens of cars obstructed the cycling path on Kent Avenue. Just hours after biking activists repainted a cycling path on Bedford Avenue that was recently removed by the city, the equally controversial Kent Avenue bike lane was blocked by parked cars for a major Hasidic celebration. more ›

The biking activists responsible for repainting the Bedford Avenue bike lane have shared video of their actions with Gothamist. After the city controversially decided to remove the bike lane from a 14-block stretch of Bedford Avenue last week, the guerilla cyclists walked up and down the avenue with paint rollers and spray paint to recreate the cycling route. more ›