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Weird siren, 7:15pm Sunday — Brooklynian

Weird siren, 7:15pm Sunday

emily
emily
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights

What's with the siren? It sounds like the old school fire siren where I grew up but I've never heard it before (although this the first time I've had my windows open in eons). Nothing on NYT or Gothamist...

Comments

  • roux42
    roux42

    It is back.. it stopped for a few minutes. Now it stopped again! Very weird.

  • mg
    mg

    No idea -- I thought it was a tornado siren, but the Natl Weather Service has no warnings. Oh, and there it goes again, although this one's not as loud/close by as the ones earlier.

  • paraderest
    paraderest

    It's to tell the jews that sunset is coming and get home quick. You should see the traffic on Bedford Ave in Williamsburg when that horn goes off.

  • brownie
    brownie

    Parade Rest: You can't be serious? Wouldn't we all have heard this before?

  • homeowner
    homeowner

    He's not kidding, that's what it is. I usually hear it on Fridays, but I confess that I don't notice it all the time and I'm only a couple of blocks away from the temple.

  • ltjbukem
    ltjbukem

    first time i've heard it today as well..

  • stacey
    stacey

    Usually they are on Fridays but considering this is Passover I assume they do it more. And there are two sirens the first is to let you know to get home and the next one is usually about 15-20 minutes later to signify sundown.

  • emily
    emily

    I wonder what made it audible today? Is there a new siren? Very interesting.

  • paraderest
    paraderest

    Emily said:

    I wonder what made it audible today? Is there a new siren? Very interesting.

    Low cloud cover.

  • dailyheights
    dailyheights

    NYJ writes in: "The sirens are to alert the Jews that it is almost sundown. On Fridays the first alert is for candle lighting and the 2nd time is to alert 5 or 10 minutes for the Sabbath to start. It happened on Sunday because it is the beginning of the 2nd portion of the holy days of Passover."

     

  • bricktop
    bricktop

    We live at the high point of the area and routinely hear the sirens from Williamsburgh and Boro Park....we love it....have been hearing them for years. And yes, last night began the "last days" of Pesach....the first two and the last two days of the holiday are "yom tovs," which require candle-lighting and no use of electricity etc....

  • boygabriel
    boygabriel

    That's so weird.

  • MOD
    MOD

    ParadeRest said:

    Low cloud cover.

    Yes, depending on the weather condition, sometime sounds travel further. It amazes me when I hear the fog horns from the East River on some nights.

  • homeowner
    homeowner

    Boygabriel said:

    That's so weird.

    Nah, it makes perfect sense. Since sundown is at a different time every day, having one way for everyone to know when they should be home and starting their religious oblgations means there's no debate.

  • doctorj
    doctorj

    homeowner said:

    Nah, it makes perfect sense. Since sundown is at a different time every day, having one way for everyone to know when they should be home and starting their religious oblgations means there's no debate.

    And it sounds like you couldn't even replace it with a smartphone app with rising/setting times, because presumably by the time of the first siren you're supposed to be turning off the power and the machines...

    I can see the making of a scifi novel here: Skynet becomes self-aware and malevolent on Pesach Sunday night, and the only post-apocalyptic survivors are the ultra-orthodox, young children, and small bands of hand-held refuseniks such as myself.

  • booklaw
    booklaw

    DoctorJ, before you enjoy your post-apocalyptic fantasy overly much, please read or reread "On the Beach".

    It won't be all that much fun, being one of the few survivors.

  • boygabriel
    boygabriel

    homeowner said:

    Nah, it makes perfect sense. Since sundown is at a different time every day, having one way for everyone to know when they should be home and starting their religious oblgations means there's no debate.

    I understand the "logic" of it.

  • inpixels
    inpixels

    I assume what you heard Was a Shofar --- a RAM!

    Tekiah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • inpixels
    inpixels


  • doctorj
    doctorj

    booklaw said:

    DoctorJ, before you enjoy your post-apocalyptic fantasy overly much, please read or reread "On the Beach".

    It won't be all that much fun, being one of the few survivors.

    To tell you the truth, I wasn't thinking of writing a romantic comedy around this theme of starving infants, orthodox jews, and nerdy smartphone avoiders.

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