As someone who has Easter eggs and not chametz on her mind at this time of year, I was a little unnerved to write about Passover.  But through the Museum’s collection, and by talking with my colleagues there, I’ve learned so much I’d like to share.  Take this sign, for instance, which hangs in the Museum’s Limud Center:

 But what does this sign mean?  Congregants could bring any unused leavened products that they had cleared from their homes to the synagogue, where the rabbi would offer to buy it.  The chametz would then be burned, offered to non-Jews, or sold back to the congregant after Passover concluded.

The sign also refers to another pre-Passover tradition.  Exodus tells us that when the Egyptian Pharaoh refused Moses’ demand to release his people from slavery, God unleashed ten plagues.  During the final plague, when the angel of death was sent to kill the first-born of each household, the homes of the Israelites were “passed over” because they had marked their doorways with lamb’s blood.  To commemorate God’s kindness, the first-born sons of many Jewish families fast on the day before Passover, and then gather together to hear the conclusion of the reading of a chapter of the Talmud that they had been studying.  This sign tells congregants that this will happen in the synagogue as well.

What this all says to me is that it is important to remember the hardships endured by those who came before us, to be grateful for compassion, and to live and act with kindness and gratitude.  I’ll be sure to tell my daughters that as we color our eggs this year.

Passover is a time when our families get together to share and create stories and memories.

Bessie and Chaim Siegel family with Eva's "Papa Joe" as young man front and center

Sharing stories and memories is an everyday occurrence at the Museum at Eldridge Street. It seems like everyone we meet has a family connection to the Lower East Side, which makes sense given how many people lived or passed through this neighborhood upon first arriving in America. Part of the joy of working here is helping visitors to find out more about family members who may have come through our doors 100 years ago and discovering more about individuals who lived and worked in the buildings that still stand right outside our front doors. Here is a wonderful family story that Eva Bruné, our Vice President for Institutional Advancement, shared and that I think will be meaningful for you as we head into the holidays. 

“My grandfather Joseph Siegel was 5 years old when his family brought him from Kishinev to the Lower East Side in 1904. This was following the horrible pogrom of 1903 and I am sure their Passover seder of that year had poignant significance. They lived on Park Row – a bustling neighborhood of tenement buildings and newspaper offices, and now the site of New York City’s City Hall. Papa Joe, as I called him, had dozens of stories of Lower East Side life. Even when I was a little girl in the 1950s, Papa Joe would take me every weekend to the Lower East Side – to Ratner’s with their delicious blintzes and onion rolls, for shopping on Orchard Street, to my uncle’s fabric store, and just to visit the old neighborhood.  As I walk the streets of the Lower East Side today with my children, I pass on these family stories.

Every time I walk into the Eldridge Street Synagogue, I think of him. I remember all of my grandparents, now long gone, and my family. The Museum at Eldridge Street, which sustains and maintains the National Historic Landmark 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue, is a place where these family memories come alive.”

As New York Times columnist Frank Rich said during the rededication of this extraordinary treasure of American Jewish history just a couple of years ago, “The renewal of Eldridge Street is more important than ever. Visitors will hear not only the story of immigrant Jews who settled and worshipped here but the story of American values of tolerance and inclusion and freedom they adopted, practiced and spread far beyond the neighborhood.”

Happy Passover. My best wishes to you and your family.

Bonnie Dimun, Executive Director

Gwyneth Paltrow had experts help her uncover her family history on the most recent episode of NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are (filmed in part here at Eldridge Street), but you, too, can research your ancestors – all on your own. Here we re-post our “7 tips to genealogical research,” originally published in January of this year. These steps are very similar to those conducted by Paltrow. Happy hunting!

Gwyneth Paltrow at Eldridge Street uncovering her rabbinical roots

 1. Record what you already know.

Write down the names of all your known relatives along with general dates and places. Work backward – start with current relatives and move back through time. Ask living relatives for additional names or information; they may be able to help you fill in blanks.

Tip: Be mindful of the time period in which you are looking. For example, be sure to look for information under both husband and wife. A crucial record of the wife’s may be catalogued under her husband’s name.

2. Create a checklist of historical records that can help you research your family history.

Do you know that your relative was in the military? Add veteran records to your list of possible resources. Was your great-grandfather involved in a court case? You may be able to find those legal recrods. Did your relative own a business? If so, they may be listed in a city directory. Other helpful historical documents may include naturalization records, land transactions, marriage certificates and business documents. Use this list of records as a checklist. By following the list and researching each type of document, you will accumulate more information and begin to develop the story of your ancestor’s life.

Tip:  Set a budget for your research and think carefully about when and where you want to spend your money. Requesting certain documents may cost some money. Determine what types of records will be the most beneficial to your search and spend your money there.

3. Mine the census records using Ancestory.com and other online sources.

Once you know the address of your ancestor, check the census records. These are organized by address and will include information like occupation, age and birth place. The census lists the head of the household (usually the oldest male in the apartment) and all other occupants of the unit. Ancestory.com is a great resource forcensus records – check your public library to see if they have a subscription. If so, you’ll be able to use the service for free on their premises. If not, it may be worth it to pay the yearly fee. Another  useful census site is Heritage Quest.  You should check both! Each site can yield different results.

Tip: The census records can provide valuable clues to other members of your family. They can help fill out family trees more completely or reveal more distant relatives who may have been living in the same apartment. Record the names of the people living with your known relatives and investigate them a little further. Researching in this way may uncover lost of unknown relatives.

4. Check your municipal archive.

Marriage certificates and records of birth and death can be found at the municipal archives. This may be a great way to fill in gaps in personal information – names, dates, or addresses. Additionally, these documents are important in their own right. Seeing your mother’s birth certificate can be a heartwarming experience. Ask the employees if it’s possible to print a copy for your own keeping.

Tip: Be prepared to man the  microfilm machines on your own! Archive rooms can be busy and you may not receive the assistance you need.

5. Visit the National Archives at www.archives.gov.

This is an invaluable site for those doing genealogical research. Here you’ll find documents that may otherwise be difficult to find – veteran service records, land records, naturalization records and court case files. This site may be helpful in uncovering several types of documents from your checklist.

Tip: Keep in mind that records from this site often have to be ordered and received via mail. This is also a site that requires payment for many requests. Ordering land records costs $40. This may be a slower moving, long-term resource, so keep that in mine when setting any schedules for your project.

6. Use city directories and historic guidebooks.
King’s Handbook
If your ancestor was a business owner or a service provider, they may be listed in historic directories. Not unlike the yellow pages, these books were published as the ultimate guidebook for city dwellers. They included everything from piano makers to cobblers, lawyers to chimney sweeps. The listings often included the name of the proprietor, the address of the business and sometimes even the owner’s home address.

Tip: If you are searching in New York or Boston, the King’s Handbook of both cities are catalogued online at Google Books. Those may be a good place to start. If you are looking elsewhere, ask your librarian where you might find historic directories of your city.

7. Try other genealogy websites.

Your family research will most likely be an ongoing process, so there’s always more places to look! If your family is Jewish, visit http://www.jewishgen.org. This is a fantastic website for research on Jewish ancestors – you can even search by Eastern European shtetl. This website has a large community and you may connect with someone who has information about your ancestor’s village or a distant relative. If you know that your family came through New York, try the immigration records at Caste Garden. This website  – www.stevemorse.org/ellis/cg.html – is a searchable database of the names of individuals who entered New York through the Castle Garden gateway. Websites like this are useful because they don’t take too much time to explore, but may yield valuable information about your relative.

Thank you to intern Chelsea Dowell for researching and writing this wonderfully, helpful post!