With Whiskers in Common, Hasidim Court Hipsters

[rug]

May 22, 2013, 4:50 pm
By COREY KILGANNON

Is everyone trying to bring religion to Brooklyn hipsters?

First the Brooklyn Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church began running ads suggesting that Jesus was “the original hipster.” Now a group of Hasidic Jews have seized upon the beards – metaphorically, anyway – of the hip, young demographic as a way of reaching out to them.

The Lubavitcher movement has released a “Unite the Beards” video built around the hopeful premise that the two groups have more in common than just facial hair. And on Tuesday night, at Chabad of North Brooklyn, the Lubavitcher outpost on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, there was a forum, advertised on fliers up and down the boutique-lined strip, on the theme “Hasid and hipster, not as different as you think.”

But perhaps the difference is significant enough. Maybe it was the lack of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (or alcohol at all) or special brewed coffee (there was plenty of instant), but the attendance of bearded hipsters was sparse, and possibly nonexistent.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/with-beards-in-common-hasidim-court-hipsters/?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Can Duck Dynasty be far behind?

[TygrBright]

1. But only the male ones. n/t