Wednesday, July 22, 2020

JHS: Great American Jewish Cities - The Lower East Side

The cradle of civilization. The melting pot. The place where it all began. The ghetto, tenement buildings, overcrowded sweatshops. Romantic memories of a picturesque neighborhood, with beautiful shuls and a rich culture. Great rabbis, active socialists and the Jewish mob. The first Yeshivas, labor unions and delicatessens. Huddled masses pushcart sellers and the Yiddish Theatre.
The descriptions of this unforgettable neighborhood can go on forever, and we wouldn't even scratch the surface. When at its peak, the density was the highest in the entire world, with the largest Jewish population in the world. The constant stream of immigrants created a diversity of Jewish life that is unmatched anywhere else.

2 comments:

  1. Here comes the trolley

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  2. Another great yeshiva was shlomo kluger on Houston street. Many shuls on the other side of the Williamsburg bridge. The talmud Torah on Houston street while not a yeshiva was a great learning institution.

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