Brightness and poverty Brighton Beach: how the legendary "Little Odessa" lives

In the area of ​​Brighton Beach today live from 50 to 70 thousands of Russian-speaking people. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Brighton Beach is perhaps the most famous Russian-speaking area in the USA. It is also called “Little Odessa”. According to various estimates, between 50 and 70 thousand Russian speakers live here today.

A ForumDaily journalist spent one day with local residents of Brighton Beach to find out how this small “Russian world” lives now.

Russian-Ukrainian symbiosis

Dozens of subway stations separate downtown New York and Brighton Beach. One hour - and you find yourself in an area where they speak either Russian or Ukrainian. And here you can often hear a symbiosis of English and Russian. The most popular words in everyday use have become “otchardzhit”, “slice” or, for example, “four find nain”.

Here everyone knows each other, just like in the village. All you have to do is live in Brighton for a couple of weeks and they will greet you like one of their own. Russian hits can be heard from the shops every now and then. Well, where else can you hear the words from Lyubov Uspenskaya’s song: “Today you are shining in Brighton, and tomorrow, maybe, you will go to Broadway.”

At Brighton Beach you can get any information in Russian. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

The first Russian-speaking wave of emigration brought Jews here in the 1970s. Then, in 1972, the Soviet Union allowed Jews to emigrate to Israel for “family reunification.” The second wave occurred in the 90s. Many natives of Odessa appeared here. At that time, almost half a million people moved from Ukraine to Brighton Beach. This is evidenced by archival documentswhich are still kept at the Brooklyn Central Library. Odessans are accustomed to the sea, and therefore rushed to Brighton, where there is a direct access to the Atlantic Ocean and the promenade for walks.

Elderly people sunbathe on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

The main thing is that the suit is sitting

One of the most prominent representatives of the first wave of emigration is Yakov Lyubarov. He came to Brighton Beach in 1978 from Moscow. Since childhood, Lyubarov loved to dress beautifully, so he almost immediately became a star in Brighton. Suits from Gaultier or Versace, shoes from Dolce & Gabbana - there are many stylish things in the wardrobe of the “Moscow mischievous reveler”.

Yakov Lyubarov is always dressed to the nines. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Jacob came to New York with his wife and little daughter. They fled from the USSR from the communist system. Green cards received right at the airport.

“When we arrived here, there were almost no Russians here. Maybe just a few families from Israel and Russia. We had $300. The Nayana organization helped us, then I got a job at an American air conditioning repair company,” says Lyubarov.

Life began to improve. Later, Jacob got a job in a taxi, then engaged in the jewelry business. Could move to Manhattan, but Brighton became a family. He still remembers how he received his long-awaited American passport and washed his citizenship like friends. They drank, of course, Russian vodka.

 

“I want to say that Brighton Beach had its heyday in the 80s and 90s. Then the intelligentsia arrived from Leningrad and Moscow. Of course, there were also emigrants from Odessa. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, other people already arrived. How should I put it? Not very good quality,” he shares his opinion.

Jacob long ago received an American passport and retired. He says he lives well.

“My pension is small: $700. But I also rent out taxi licenses. We have our own apartment in a cooperative. I never thought about returning to my homeland. I have lived in Brighton most of my life. If only to visit the capital,” Yakov says with a smile.

A few years ago, Jacob Lyubarov bought an apartment in Brighton Beach. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Yakov loves to travel with his wife. They usually go on a cruise around Europe. France and Italy are paradise for fashionista Lyubarov. Yakov never returns without something new. The Brighton resident also loves to tell jokes.

 

“One guy says to a girl: “Did you give it to Petka for love or for money?” And the girl says: “Well, of course, for love! “Is 3 rubles really money!?” Yakov laughs.

At the end of our meeting, Yakov Lyubarov turned to tourists who come to New York and asked them not to forget to visit his favorite attraction called Brighton Beach.

And life, and tears, and love

Everything in Brighton is Russian: restaurants, pharmacies, shops. Not far from the Brighton Beach metro station, both in winter and summer, you can see a native of Ukraine, Maria Chernenko. For the past five years, in rain and snow, she has been selling food directly on the street. Maria told ForumDaily about how she ended up in Brighton Beach.

Maria Chernenko has been selling sweets to locals for five years. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Maria Chernenko won the green card and arrived in New York in 2011. In her native Ternopil, she left children and grandchildren. Every year she visits them and returns to Brighton Beach with tears in her eyes.

“I miss them very much. I earn money and send it there. This helps them a lot. My dream is to quickly get an American passport so that my children have a choice. I don’t know if they will want to live here,” says Maria.

For a long time she got used to the local mentality. Immunity has already been developed for dissatisfaction of Russian-speaking pensioners.

“There are different types of buyers, they are capricious. Everyone needs to prove themselves. I'm used to it. At first I thought I would go deaf, but now the train is coming again. But a person gets used to everything,” Chernenko says about the working conditions.

Salary is fine with Maria, but, of course, the woman does not hide that she would like to receive not 10 dollars per hour.

“Our store owner is normal. In winter, he gives me a heater outside so that I don’t freeze. Do you know how cold it is here? Horror. But it’s okay, we’ll cope,” she says.

At that moment, a man approached Mary. He left the store and asked her what she was talking about. The woman, as if accusing herself of something, tried to answer him quickly: they say everything is fine, go.

But the man turned out to be very stubborn and made his own statement.

 

“Okay, let’s get out of here. This is my woman. My love. What’s bothering you?” he addressed the Forumdaily journalist with a menacing look.

 

So our conversation with Maria and ended. A second later, she was fond of selling chocolate bars, having only quickly waved her hand to us.

Brighton Beach residents choose free products that are about to expire. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Boris is also a seller. True, the man sells not chocolates, but books from his own library. Russian classics, the man complains, absolutely now does not go.

 

“Don't ask me how are you? Badly. There is no business. No money left. At least there’s a roof over your head!” he points to his head.

 

Books Boris sells already years 20. For him, this is the only income, the man complains. But as it turned out, Boris is clearly not ready for a heart-to-heart conversation.

"All. Let's. Enough about me. We will survive. Even so. I still won’t tell you my last name. Guys, don’t interfere with work,” Boris said, burying his face in a book.

Boris does not like to talk to journalists. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

At Brighton Beach you can always listen to Russian songs in live performance. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

As the locals say, “Brighton is so different.” Indeed, you can see expensive SUVs and luxury sports cars here. Among the people you will meet a man begging for alms, women in mink coats or girls in fashionable Italian brands and heels.

Brighton Beach resident. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

At Brighton Beach, women can always find stores that sell fur coats. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Business woman on Brighton Beach. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

By the way, some ladies, without hesitating, can leave a beauty salon with a chemical waving and hair curlers on the head.

Inga Sokolnikova has been doing everything possible for 13 years to make the fair sex from Brighton Beach look more beautiful. She is a cosmetologist. Together with her family, Inga came to the United States 13 years ago and immediately settled in the Russian region.

“I have a Soviet school in cosmetology, so my clients are mainly Russian-speaking. I received a license here and, of course, I can work with Americans. But I love ours more, they are dearer. Russians are always ready to help those, for example, who have recently arrived in America,” says Inga.

Cosmetician Inga adores Brighton Beach. Photos from the personal archive

Kiev was not easy to start a new life from scratch. Now Inga has her own beauty salon. Sokolnikova says that clients, of course, are different.

 

“Somehow capricious and harmful clients are eliminated on their own. I am a fan of my work and always treat everyone with understanding. But recently they managed to offend me. There was a woman in the salon, she did all the procedures and paid with a credit card. There was $700. And two weeks later I receive a letter from the bank that the amount has not gone through,” Inga is perplexed.

It turned out that the client decided to deceive Inga and blocked the credit card. Now the attorney helps to find the fraudster. Despite these unpleasant stories, Inga still loves Brighton Beach.

“My husband also works in Brighton. I didn’t think for a minute about leaving here. To another area or another state. I just love Brighton. What kind of people are here! It's a pleasure to look at them and listen to them. And there is a beach nearby. It’s beauty,” Inga admires her place of residence.

Many of Inga's fellow countrymen also love Brighton. True, local chess players, for example, don’t really want to communicate with journalists. As soon as the sun appears on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, they appear on the street - men from Odessa - lovers of board games.

“What are we going to tell you? We joke here, play, enjoy life. Everything is fine with us. Everything is like in Odessa,” one of the players said laughing.

Board game lovers on Brighton Beach. Photo by Pavel Terekhov

Brighton Beach Property

The Brighton Beach area isn't just home to retirees. Young people also settled in “Little Odessa”. The main part are young people who have recently arrived in New York and started a new life. It is in Brighton that you can find your first illegal job and rent housing without documents. The cost of renting square meters, on average, will cost $1000-$1200 for a studio or one-room apartment.

The first job and housing Russian-speaking girls can always find on Brighton. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

At the metro station "Brighton Beach". Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Some young families not only rent property on Brighton Beach, but also buy apartments here. This choice is primarily due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. According to realtor Sonya Ostrovskaya, Brighton is one of the best areas to buy a condominium apartment.

 

“This type of housing has its own characteristics, but, in any case, you become full owners of the apartment. And there is another plus - the opportunity to purchase a parking space, which you can use yourself, resell or rent out,” says the realtor.

Among the buyers are clients from Russia and Ukraine. Demand, says Sonya, is different for everyone. But today it is in Brighton that you can buy both inexpensive and luxury real estate.

“Prices here, on average, range from $550 thousand to $800. And expensive real estate can cost two million. For example, we are now selling three-room apartments in a condo for $1 million. The price also includes a parking space. This is all in the famous luxury complex Oceana Condominium & Club“,” Sonya Ostrovskaya shared with ForumDaily.

Proposals to sell real estate, too, abound. According to Sonia, the elderly leave for sunny Florida, where they buy houses.

Residents of the elite residential complex Oceana Condominium & Club. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

In summer, Brighton Beach turns into a real resort. Most often, at this time, Americans want to get closer to Russian culture and traditions. In stores you can buy a hat with earflaps or Cheburashka, and for lunch try Ukrainian borscht. You can do this in the legendary restaurants “Tatyana”, “Volna”, “Primorsky”. On the website of the Tatyana restaurant it is written that you will not regret if you visit this place where “vodka and cognac flows like a fountain.” Such establishments as “Chinar”, “Domes of Samarkand”, “Caucasus” and many others are popular.

Former journalist of the famous The Washington Post newspaper Robert Kayser often arrives in Brighton.

 

“Of course, I love Russians. And you have the most beautiful women in Russia. Brighton is such a small Russia. I even study Russian here. And your kitchen is simply a culinary masterpiece,” Kayser shared with ForumDaily.

Russian restaurants are waiting for an influx of customers. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Beach at Brighton Beach. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

On the waterfront of Brighton Beach you can always meet locals. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Brighton Beach Promenade. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Residents of the Russian area of ​​Brighton Beach. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

Brighton Beach residents are looking forward to summer. Photo: Pavel Terekhov

If you can’t try Russian cuisine in a restaurant, you can buy Olivier salad or Herring under a fur coat in grocery stores on Brighton Beach at any time. Regardless of the time of year.

So for Russian-speaking people, living in Brighton Beach is the same as living in their homeland without leaving the USA.

See also:

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Geography of the motherland: our cities on the map of the United States

Lady with a dog. How ex-Kharkiv wore dogs of all Hollywood stars

Billionaire Alexander Rovt: “I did everything I wanted. Now I just dream of having grandchildren. ”

Brighton Beach restaurateur arrested for $ 2,2 million fraud

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