By a mother

I sent my son, who grew up far from Crown Heights, to have the opportunity to experience what it means to live within the Daled amos of 770, in the Rebbe’s holy shechuna. And boy, was I in for a surprise!

I moved out of Crown Heights over 30 years ago, and although I come back frequently, I wasn’t prepared for the things my son would share with me as he experienced the community through his own eyes.

The warmth. The love. The achdus. The invitations for Shabbos meals. The “You look just like your father!” The feeling of being welcomed into a vibrant, incredible community that has so much to offer.

Yes, Crown Heights has all types of people. And we must thank the Aibishter for that! Hashem created a world filled with different kinds of people, personalities, styles, and ways of expressing ourselves. That’s part of what makes this world so beautiful.

For an out-of-town boy, my son was thrilled by the ease of kosher shopping, the variety of restaurants, and the crowds of fellow Yidden proudly walking around dressed as Yidden. He was amazed that he could buy a peeler and a knife for his dorm room and have them toiveled right in the store. A hat, tzitzis, a new suit — all within walking distance of his dorm!

He excitedly shared how many friends he bumped into, how many simchos there were, and how much life he felt around him. Things that might seem ordinary to someone who lives here were exciting and meaningful to a boy experiencing it all firsthand.

Why did he see so much good? Because I taught my son to look with an ayin tovah — a generous, positive eye.

Nothing in this world is perfect. Every community has its challenges, and Crown Heights is no exception. But we have a choice in what we focus on. We can look for what is wrong, or we can recognize what is beautiful. We can criticize, or we can appreciate.

The world is so much bigger than a short sleeve or a pair of shoes that might be a little too colorful for our taste. Hashem gave us a world full of colors, personalities, and choices. Perhaps there is room to appreciate that diversity, even when someone else’s choices aren’t the ones we would make.

If someone walks down Kingston Avenue and sees only negativity, perhaps it’s worth taking a step back and looking again. Not because there is nothing to improve, but because there is so much goodness that deserves to be seen, acknowledged, and celebrated.

And perhaps those of us who have lived here for years can sometimes use a reminder from the people who are seeing Crown Heights with fresh eyes.

To the residents of Crown Heights: Thank you for the warmth, the love, the invitations, the familiar faces, and the countless little acts of kindness that make visitors feel at home. You may not even realize how much these moments mean to someone who comes from out of town.

To the yeshivos: Thank you for giving our boys the opportunity to experience life in a large, vibrant frum community, surrounded by Yidden, chassidishkeit, simchos, and the unique atmosphere of the Rebbe’s shechuna.

And to Hashem: Thank You for giving us this beautiful community, for filling our world with so much goodness, and for giving us the opportunity to say thank you to one another.

May we all merit to see each other with an ayin tovah, to find the good, to spread warmth, and to remember that a little appreciation can go a very long way.

Because sometimes, the greatest lesson our children bring home from Crown Heights isn’t something they learned in shiur. It’s what they learned by simply being there.