Almost 35 years in Staten Island. Interview with Eli Neiman.

We have here Eli Naiman. How are you? Baruch Hashem, okay. I'm good. Baruch Hashem. How many years do you live in Staten Island already? Close to 35 years. Close to 35, that's a long time. >> In Willowbrook, actually. Which school did you go to growing up? >> I went to RJJ. RJJ. And how do you find most of your classmates? What type of community was it then and what what way did they change? Um when I was a kid, it was a Modern Orthodox community. One of the things that was mentioned with the petirah of Rabbi Marcus Zatzal was he took it to focus on Modern Orthodox kiruv. And as my friends and cohort got older, many of them moved to the right. Many of my friends went to YTT and later down the line went to different places and became a lot more religious. Interesting. How do you like the Staten Island community? How do How's it living here? I like Staten Island very, very much. What What's so good about it? Um I think that Staten Island has very much a communal feel where everybody seems to know everybody. Um and uh everybody's just very connected. Everybody supports each other and I think it's a wonderful thing. What's a downside to that? A downside is is really um part of the same uh type of mentality that when everybody knows everybody, it could sometimes lead to a a little bit of uh people know each other's business and questions of lashon hara, but 95% that's not like that. Now, I'm sure the people talk lashon hara the little else. They want to help the other guy so they talk about his problem to see how they can help him. Yes, absolutely. I mean, there are there are different situations. You have to realize that look, it's like when you grow up in a house with your siblings, you're going to know what what your siblings are doing. That's how Staten Island feels. It feels like we're all in one house of siblings. When when you grow up in the same house, you know what your siblings are doing. That's how Staten Island feels. Very interesting point. How is it Is it changing now that a lot of more people are moving from Brooklyn? Uh yes, uh yes, it is. Um there is still that communal feel, uh but now we have a a brand new community, so to speak, in which we are all inclusive with the Chassidic community. Of course, there's always going to be um you know, an adjustment to change, but by and large, it is a great positive thing. Do you believe that Staten Island is is really the forgotten borough? Yes, I do. I do think so, but it should be noted that it is a broader concept within uh politics rather than directly affecting the Jewish community. Uh with taxes and things like that, this is not relevant to our Jewish community, which of course always helps each other no matter what. Okay, thank you so much, Eli. Have a great night. >> Thank you so much. Thank you.