We all know the internet is awash in misinformation, disinformation and lies.
But still, we watch videos filled with outlandish content, and nod along.
Yup, we say. Weird. Who knew?
But when that content hits close to home — say, our very own town — we sit up and say, Hey! That’s BS! What a crock!
Still, plenty of people outside, say, 06880 might believe it.
An Instagram Reel from the Sad Money podcast (tagline: “Money Never Weeps,” by Stephen Sihelnik and Alex Payne), is making the cyber rounds.
Alex Payne and Stephen Sihelnik.
It’s a mishmash of the fantastic and the bizarre, with just enough threads of reality to make it believable.
And because Stephen sounds so sure of himself — and Alex throws in a few affirming “Wow”s — you would think that:
- Westport only exists because up until the 1960s, the “constitution” in Greenwich — “the rich town you really want to live in” — said that “you could not sell your home to Jews.”
- But because so many New York Jews wanted to live in the suburbs, they bought a “farm town” and made their own “Jewish town.”
- Which is why Westport is now 90% Jewish.
- And how about our Chabad? The host — who has been there “a couple of times” — describes it: 4 stories, “palatial,” with a garden and a “mile-long driveway.”
The actual Chabad of Westport: the former 3 Bears Inn.
Posted 3 days ago, it’s already amassed over 21,000 “likes.”
The nearly 600 comments — about religion, economics, farmland and more — are just as fascinating.
One woman — calling herself a 4th generation Westporter — says that her great-grandmother was respoonsible for making sure an antisemitic “gentleman’s agreement” was not established here, during a secret real estate meeting.
Another writes: “A girl I went to elementary school with would have birthday parties at her grandparents huge house, with an amazing pool, tennis court, etc, and they were, in fact, Jewish!”
We all know not to go down internet rabbit holes. But if you insist, click here or below to see the Instagram reel.
Click here or below to see the YouTube version. (Hat tip: John Nathan)
