The New "Zion" on the L.E.S.

Two years ago, Adam Sandler turned Orchard Street into a movie set for his film, Don't Mess with the Zohan. It was pretty amsuing walking into my local neighborhood bar that August to find two of the owners in shock about the new monstrosity that was "being built" a few doors down. After carefully studying the looks of genuine disappointment (towards the "impending" gentrification of our block and neighborhood) on their faces, I busted out laughing and said, "You've got to be kidding me! You guys really believe that thing is for real?"

"Well yeah LT, we're getting a roller coaster on our block! Did ya see the new construction illustrations hangin' on the side of the building there?"

Okay, well maybe that sentence was a little more excitement then disappointment, but when I reminded the guys of the obvious, that they had been filming all week on the block, (many nights right outside of their bar, blocking the entrance even), they were in hysterical disbelief that they had "fallen" for the over-the-top new development displays.

After I explained that the film PAID big bucks to "use the construction pit" (that had been a hole for over 3 years at that point) and bring in their own crews to lay the foundation for whatever building was going to go up there after the owners obtained the Air Rights, they suddenly realized that all the rest of the protest signs hanging from the (already gentrified and mock renovated) tenement apartments on the block were also part of the facade.

Sadly though, it now appears that the construction banners that I spotted today were the real McCoy.





The main reason I moved out of my former apartment, just across the street from this site, was because my building was owned by the ever so greedy Sion Misrahi who, inspite of the economy (when rents all over NYC and especially the L.E.S. are going down significantly), wanted to hold me to my two-year lease agreement that I had signed the year before.

This would have raised my rent after living there for 5 years, another $115 for my already over priced, "unstabilized" 400 sq foot, 4th floor walk-up apartment to $2,195. Finally after a $500 lawyer fee and few letters back and forth, Misrahi Realty agreed to let me out of my lease, with my $2,350 security deposit and interest as "penalty."

Incidentally, because of the recent economy and the large amount of vacancies that are popping up all over the neighborhood, my new apartment, for the same size, more sunlight and only two blocks further South in the cobblestone "Historic District" of Orchard Street is only $1,600. Don't get me wrong, I know that is still a lot to pay in general for a single apartment, but all things are relative. My neighbor below me and another neighbor across the street both pay between $1,900 - $2,095 for the exact same layout.

With all of the articles written about good 'ole Sion Misrahi I find it ironic that for what used to be a working class, predominantly Jewish neighborhood, that the Hebrew translation of "Sion" is ציון which in English translates to literally "moving up" or "highest point" i.e. "designates land" to the "Chosen Ones."



Apparantly, Misrahi, based on his own egotistical, money grubbing, heartless ways of "moving up", is truly leaving the heart of the old Lower East Side behind and creating his own and now soon to be ever dominant "yuppified, gentrified, non-ethnic, non-working class, non-cultural" newer, better, L.E.S. Zion.