Lox sign makes New York bridge even more Jewish

ANT KATZ

A new sign that popped up on the heavily trafficked bridge in October, complete with a bagel image, reads “NO LOCKS YES LOX”. The sign is meant to discourage people from leaving so-called “love locks” on the bridge as a symbol of affection.

The practice is also common in European cities like Paris and Rome, but it can weigh down bridges and cause damage. Love locks on the Brooklyn Bridge caused a wire holding to snap in September leading to hours of repairs and traffic delays.

“Violators can be fined,” says a NYC spokesman. 

RIGHT: This is a real New York City Department of Transportation sign

Lox is a term used in the US for the popular Jewish delicacy of smoked salmon. In years gone by, it was widely known as”lax” by the South African Jewish community. This term, which like so many others, was unique to SA Jewry. It is fast dying out in common usage.

The “yes lox” sign features a photo of an everything bagel that the Department of Transportation bought from Leo’s Bagels in the Financial District, near their offices.

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ABOVE: The problem is clear… “love locks” can weigh down a bridge sufficiently to do some serious damage to it

If an official city sign with a bagel on it seems unexpected to you, you aren’t alone. The sign maker, John Jurgeleit, said that even he was surprised that the New York City Department of Transportation ate the idea up.

“We did regulatory signs and then https://www.sajr.co.za/images/default-source/places/world/lox-oy-vey.jpg” class=”sfImageWrapper”>But city officials should be careful what they wish for – there’s probably enough lox in Brooklyn to weigh down a bridge.

This isn’t the first time that officials showed a little chutzpah in picking Brooklyn street signs. In 2000, Borough President Marty Markowitz had the Department of Transport install a sign on the outbound Williamsburg Bridge reading “Leaving Brooklyn. Oy Vey!” – pictured at left.