Hasidic Brooklyn Walking Tour – In der Gemeinde mit einem Einheimischen

I went for the tour today with my mom (65y), sister, husband and 2 children (7,9). We all loved it! Best walking tour we've ever done. Would highly recommend it. Only about 1.5 hours is spent walking so it was very manageable for all. The guide was engaging, highly knowledgable and had a gentle disposition. We left feeling very privileged to have gotten such rare access to the Hasidic Jewish community and amazed by its members' commitment to the commandments in every facet of their lives. 10 stars! Thank you, Lisa.

Come ready to learn and also ask questions. Awesome tour guide and awesome insight to the community.

Great educational and informative walking tour to understand a bit of the Hasidic Jewish culture and religion. Mayer is a wonderful guide and very patient with all of our questions.

Wonderful guide and education. Mayer is fantastic. He is excellent with visitors of all faiths (or lack thrreof).

From education to the culture of clothing, you can learn the main part of this friendly community! The instructor is really patient and you can feel a strong connection between one another in this community. It’s amazing to see how those young man studying in school, where they built their personalities and values, debate the moral issues to explore their horizons. Surprisingly, they’ve been kept this way of studying for thousands years, this appears particularly precious. I’m the first person from northwest China to visit, people might have stereotype about this community who thought they’re fixed and traditional but when you truly feel the atmosphere here, you’ll find that their values to the world is welcoming everyone. I see the nature part of the community, honesty, faith and trust, people here are so close to each other, they hold the same beliefs and use their own hands to build it. They followed their 613 commandments, it’s like in their bones and blood, everything is that nature. In this crowd world, I truly appreciate their point of view to keep their principles from generation to generation.

Mayer was a great guide to Crown Heights! It starts in a library (be sure to read instructions on how to find the entrance/where to go), where he answers initial questions and explains how the tour works. I found that this set the group up for a respectful and engaging tour, where everyone felt comfortable asking/answering sincere questions. I felt the tour gave a relatively comprehensive overview of how the community lives and practices their faith. I think additional reading before or after the tour would help contextualize the community both within Brooklyn and within Judaism, plus help visitors ask questions and get more out of the tour. I was glad I had some familiarity with Hasidic Judaism before I came so that I could put what I read together with what I was seeing on the tour. My mother and I went on the tour together and spent the rest of her trip to New York talking about what we had learned, and it was the highlight of her visit!

Very informative tour, and learned a lot about the Jewish community. Rabbi Mayer is very friendly and welcoming, and he also invited us to his home. Would definitely recommend.

Very warm and welcoming host, knowledgeable and eager to share his culture and answer questions…( p.s. totally random - He looks like Calogero if the kid in the Bronx Tale had been Jewish 😄

A very educational experience in the life and culture of the community. Rabi Mayer was an inspirational host who shared the long held traditions that continue sustain and feed the souls of generations.

This tour was one of the highlights of my trip! Mayer was a very charming, knowledgeable, and welcoming host. I learned a lot and met some really great and memorable people