Shooting Star, I think that quite a few of the "illegal" repainters were Jewish. But they are not Hasids, not even Orthodox, like the bridge person you mentioned.
There are many branches of Judaism, and there are divisions (schisms?) in each of these branches. There is a huge difference in observance and lifestyle between someone who is Modern Orthodox, like the person Shooting Star mentioned, and the Hasids. The comparison between Hasids and fundamentalist Muslims is quite apt. My cousin, who I was very close to, became involved with a Hasid group, after being totally unreligious. It caused a major break in my relationship with his whole family. I've heard he's moderated, to more of a mainstream Orthodox synagogue, but it was too much for me.
Trek, my take on the Hell thing is a little hazy. The concept of going to Hell certainly is not emphasized or talked about in the Reform liturgy. The emphasis is on doing good while you're here on Earth... so you actually make a difference in other's lives (i.e. repairing the world), not so you avoid going to Hell after death. Hence, most probably the reason there are so many Jewish people in helping professions. But, I am not actually sure that there is no concept of Hell.
Just my take on this. I asked my son, who spends a lot of time visiting friends in NYC, who live in Brooklyn, about this. He knew all about the issue and said it is really crazy just to drive through there.