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The
Eldridge Street Project is fortunate to work with a talented group of volunteer
docents, who provide guided tours of the Synagogue to individuals, families and
senior, student, congregation and confirmation groups from New York City, across
the country and around the world.
George
Beckwith
Roberta Berken
Frances Berrick
Beulah Buchwald
Edward
Cheng
Martin Ewenstein
Clarice Feinman
Barry Feldman
Naomi Gat
Alan
Ginsberg
Lyla Glener
Rochelle Goldstein
Anita Graber
Anne Grezinsky
John Heller
Jane Herman
Gisa
Indenbaum
Linda Katz
Liz Marcovitz
Lisa Ochs
Pam
Rytsis
Xiao Situ
Debbie Soffer
Helene Walsey
Barry Wolborsky
George Beckwith decided to volunteer after attending
one of our public programs in September 2003. An Associate with Beyer Blinder
Belle Architects & Planners, Beckwith is involved in the rehabilitation, preservation
and re-use of some of New York City's most prominent historic buildings and sites,
including Hoboken Ferry Terminal, Governor's Island, Rockefeller Center and the
Chrysler Building.
What made you decide to
volunteer at Eldridge Street?
Two things: First,
the incredible inspiration of the building itself. The shape of the sanctuary
space and the way the light comes in and illuminates the surfaces. It is really
exceptional to come into a very architecturally significant 117 year old building
in New York that still has much of its original fabric intact. I usually travel
abroad to experience this kind of extraordinary architecture. Second, I was brought
up Jewish. I feel my history at Eldridge Street, that my heritage is there. It
pulls on my heart strings to go in there.
Describe
one of your favorite moments as a volunteer for the Eldridge Street Project.
The
first full-fledged tour I gave was bringing my son's third-grade class to the
Synagogue when they were studying immigration. I took two separate groups of third
graders through. They were all totally in awe of the space and really interested
in the architecture, the history of the place and the people who built it. That
was my high point capped off by the arrival in the mail of thoughtful thank-you
letters from all of the kids a few days later.
How
would you like to see the Synagogue restored?
My
biggest fear is that it would be over-restored into a slick caricature of itself.
There is a poignancy when you walk into the partially ruined sanctuary now. I
wouldn't want to see it overly cleaned up and sanitized. The physical signs of
the alterations and use of the building should not be completely erased in the
restoration.
How
would you like to see the building used once it's restored?
That
is a difficult question. The cultural programming is very important. The building
should be used to bring awareness to Jewish culture, current neighborhood culture
and the ongoing story of immigration in America. Also, I think the congregation
should have full use for its purposes. To elaborate, I would like to see the Synagogue
used as a site for civic, social and personal engagement. It could be a place
for dialogue on social issues, such as immigration based on the way the neighborhood
has changed but at the same time hasn't changed. Also, since Eldridge Street is
a Jewish house of worship, it would be interesting to foster dialogues exploring
Jewish spiritual and cultural identity versus Buddhist, Muslim or Christian identity.
There could be links with neighborhood sites.
What
would you most want to impart to an Eldridge Street visitor?
I
think we should encourage our tour guides to develop the skills to have people
reflect on their own lives in the midst of experiencing the Synagogue. You can
really see what was important to the people who commissioned and built this Synagogue
by interpreting its architecture. Many people who visit Eldridge Street are looking
for their roots. They have identity questions going into the building, and we
can bring that to the forefront. Who are we as individuals and as a society? We
can ask questions like "What is important to you in your own life?"
We can encourage people to think about their relationship to money and charity
or how to give back to society through compassionate action in the world. I think
Eldridge Street can be used as a self-reflective space; a place to grapple with
personal as well as overt social issues. Could be interesting.
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VOLUNTEER
PROFILE: LYLA GLENER
Lyla Glener, a retired
municipal defense lawyer and former teacher, began volunteering as a docent at
the Eldridge Street Project in 2002. She also volunteers as an HIV test counselor
at The Gay Men's Health Crisis. She enjoys collecting vintage jewelry, traveling,
reading, going to the theater, spending time with her grandchildren and having
lots of fun.
How did you find out about
the Eldridge Street Project?
I read about the
first Clean and Shine (an event where volunteers help clean and renew the synagogue)
in the New York Times in 1991 and thought it sounded uniquely interesting.
My husband and I had a wonderful day and the experience spoke to something in
my roots and tapped into many feelings. I fell in love with the synagogue and
was committed to its preservation.
What
made you decide to volunteer at Eldridge Street?
After
volunteering at the Clean and Shine, I stayed involved in a variety of ways and
supported the project for many years. With more time available for greater participation,
I reached out to the project and inquired about becoming a docent. As I went through
the training process, being at the Synagogue was always an emotional experience
and I loved interacting with visitors and staff.
Do
you have any personal or family connections to the Eldridge Street Synagogue and
the Lower East Side?
I always feel nostalgic
when I return to the area. My father emigrated from Poland and being at Eldridge
brings back wonderful feelings and memories of my childhood and going to Shul
with him. My grandfather had a monument store on Ludlow Street and as a little
girl I would visit when he was open for business on Sunday. The sounds, smells
and look of the area are very familiar to me on a visceral level and stored in
my mind and soul. They are always hovering around when I am at Eldridge.
Describe
one of your favorite moments as a volunteer for the Eldridge Street Project.
In
the summer of 2003, I had my 65th birthday party here, the theme being the celebration
of landmarks. I decided to give a gift to all the people who are important to
me, so I gave my friends and family a tour of the Synagogue followed by a lunch
prepared by Gertel's Bakery - another local landmark. It was a fantastic event
with 70 guests including my 92-year-old mother. Instead of gifts, I suggested
that my guests donate to the Eldridge Street Project and to the restoration and
preservation of this cultural landmark. (They did). When we met in the little
shul downstairs, the mood was set by the continuous showing of the story of the
Eldridge Street Synagogue on film. While we were seated there, many of my friends
who grew up on the Lower East Side told wonderful stories of their memories of
life in this neighborhood. A tour of the downstairs space, the exterior, and the
great main sanctuary followed. It was wonderful to see everyone's excitement and
delight in the synagogue. There were even some uninvited guests who came along
for the tour.
What would you most want
to impart to an Eldridge Street visitor?
I like
to present the facts regarding the life of the building, and weave them into the
story of the emotional, historical and human significance of the synagogue - its
role in the American scene, the development of the city of New York and the richness
of the immigration process. I'd like the visitor to take Eldridge home with them
when they go.
 VOLUNTEER
PROFILE: BARRY WOLBOROSKY
Barry Wolborsky became an Eldridge
Street Project volunteer in 2004 after participating in a tour of the Eldridge
Street Synagogue. A Technology Manager at Time Inc.’s Real Simple, Wolborsky
is responsible for all of the technology used at the magazine as well as supporting
special projects.
What
made you decide to volunteer at Eldridge Street?
In the
spring of 2004, Real Simple held its annual sales meeting right here in New York
City. One of the planned afternoon activities was a Big Onion tour of NYC. I chose
the Chinatown/Lower East Side tour, as both sets of my grandparents, great-grandparents
and countless aunts, uncles and cousins immigrated to, were born and grew up on
the Lower East Side. At the beginning of our tour, our guide stopped in front
of the Eldridge Street Synagogue and was invited in for a brief tour by his former
colleague, Annie Polland, the Project’s Education Director. The moment I
stepped inside the main sanctuary, I felt like I was transported back in time
along with a powerful and immediate connection to grandparents and other family
members.
I knew I wanted to come back so I browsed
through the newsletter one day to check out upcoming events and saw a mention
that the Eldridge Street Project was looking for volunteers. I thought I’d
call to see if they needed someone to work the bookstore or help clean up, but
instead they asked if I wanted to be a docent. At first I didn’t as I’m
not someone comfortable with public speaking, but I thought I’d at least
look into it. I had felt such a powerful connection to the synagogue, especially
since I had later learned that my grandmother, whom I never knew, grew up only
two blocks away, on the corner of Canal and Orchard.
As
it turned out, volunteering at Eldridge Street has become not only a meaningful
experience that has prompted me to learn more about my own family and my Jewish
culture and background, but a fun one as well. I look forward to visiting the
Synagogue and the Lower East Side on a regular basis.
What
are some interesting questions you get when giving tours of the Synagogue?
My
favorite has to be when a boy who must have been 5 or 6 asked if the skylight
was used in the Batman movie. I told him no, that was in another building, but
being as he insisted, I eventually gave in and agreed that, yes, the Eldridge
Street Synagogue was in the Batman movie.
Describe
one of your favorite moments as an Eldridge Street Project docent.
It’s
hard to pick just one since there are so many, but I would have to say that when
a gentleman who had lived and worked on the Lower East Side his whole life came
in to see the place and told us that his father used to be the Shabbos goy and
he helped him out with his responsibilities as a little boy. Though his father
had recently passed on, he still liked to stop in every now and then to see the
synagogue, as it reminded him of all the good memories he had of his father.
Also,
one of my favorite things about volunteering at ESP has been the enthusiasm that
every staffer and volunteer docent has for the history of the synagogue, Eldridge
Street and the Lower East Side. Whenever we have some down time, we'll sit around
the front desk and share stories about our families and where they might have
lived on the Lower East Side. Annie will show us pictures of the area as it was
in the 1930's and 1940's. This shared enthusiasm has prompted me to talk to my
own parents about our family and their experiences as Eastern European Jewish
immigrants and residents of the Lower East Side, along with their own memories
of the area. As it turns out, my father purchased my mother's engagement ring
from a Jewler right across the street from the Eldridge Street Synagogue in the
mid-sixties and my Bar Mitzvah talis was purchased from Ziontalis, formerly located
a block away at 48 Eldridge Street. And while we'll never know for sure, there
is a good chance my paternal grandmother, along with her mother and brothers,
attended services at the Eldridge Street Synagogue and visited the Russian bathhouse
and Mikvah formerly located behind the synagogue on Allen Street.
How
would you like to see Eldridge Street restored?
I’d like to see
it restored as close to its former glory as possible, along with the more modern
conveniences of heating, air conditioning, handicap accessibility and even high
speed Internet access.
How would you like to see
the building used once it’s fully restored?
Like
many who work and visit Eldridge Street, I would like to see the congregation
move upstairs to the main sanctuary and grow to its original size of several hundred
congregants. I would also like to see both permanent and temporary exhibits that
speak to the immigrant experience as well as Jewish life both then and now. One
of the unique and wonderful things about the Eldridge Street synagogue is that
it balances being a house of worship along with being a museum and educational/research
center. I would very much like that to continue for the life of the building,
which will hopefully be for another few hundred years.
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VOLUNTEERS