Cheers erupt at packed restaurants and cafes. Flags whip from car windows. Horns blaring as fans spill onto streets, hugging, dancing and chanting.
Across New Jersey, the World Cup has turned neighborhoods into scenes of celebrations. For a few hours at a time, the weight many families carry — political turmoil, war, deportation fears — gives way to an entirely different feeling: collective joy.
For Palestinian and Haitian communities in particular, that joy has arrived in the midst of grief and uncertainty, offering a temporary reprieve from crises unfolding abroad and at home.
In South Paterson, where vigils and protests over Israel's attacks on Gaza are a common sight, the streets have taken on a different energy. Crowds have flocked to restaurants like Abu Rass and city-sponsored watch parties, cheering not only for the teams, but for countries they see as cultural allies.
“People went crazy for these games,” said Adnan Abu Rass, the chef-owner of the Palestinian restaurant, adding that Morocco, Egypt and Jordan drew the biggest crowds. “With the situation back home, people just want something to make them happy.”