New York —Washington Heights, a community in Upper Manhattan heavily populated by German Jews, including many Holocaust survivors, has recently become a hotbed of controversy due to a new Uber driver in the neighborhood whom residents accuse of being a Nazi.
The driver, Alice Deutschland, moved to the Heights last month after emigrating from Germany. She operates an Uber and advertises her business as “Deutschland Uber Alice.”
In recent weeks, many Jewish residents who used her service have grown suspicious of the new immigrant.
“I called the Uber driver to take me to JFK Airport,” said Izink Ufyoo, a Washington Heights resident for 50 years. “Along the way, she stopped at an Arby’s for a quick meal. I begged her to go straight to the airport so I wouldn’t miss my flight. But she just kept shouting, ‘Arby’s macht fries! Arby’s macht fries!’”
Another local resident, Fraidy Katz, alleges that Deutschland overcharged her for a trip to Long Island. Deutschland disagrees. “She called for an Uber, and that’s exactly what I gave her,” the driver explained. “I was only taking orders.”
Shayna Punim, a Washington Heights fixture for 60 years, mocks the way that Deutschland announces the route, block by block, while driving customers.
“The driver says, ‘First ve vill take Amsterdam, zen St. Nicholas, and zen ve vill take Poland und Czechoslovakia!’”
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
