nigun (Hebrew: ?meaning “tune” or “melody”, pl. nigunim) or niggun (pl. niggunim) is a form of Jewish religious song or tune sung by groups. It is vocal music, often with repetitive sounds such as “bim-bim-bam” or “ai-ai-ai!” instead of formal lyrics. Sometimes, Bible verses or quotes from other classical Jewish texts are sung repetitively to form a nigun. Some nigunim are sung as prayers of lament, while others may be joyous or victorious.

I am a hummer.  When I was a kid, I would often hum songs I heard on the radio.  I never could and, in fact, still can’t remember more than the first line of most songs.  When I started working at Eldridge Street and was charged with curating concerts that would fit the space and mission of the Museum, I remember finding musicians who had re-discovered nigunim and their haunting beauty.  I shared their recordings with my father, the king of hummers in our family, and much to my surprise, he knew many of the tunes.

It turns out his father and uncles were also hummers, but of the religious sort.  He told me that as a young boy some of his favorite memories revolved around my grandfather and my grandmother’s brothers sitting around the Sabbath table singing tune after tune, the afternoons often stretching into the evening and the end of Sabbath and calling for a new set of tunes.

I am certain my fondness for humming tunes and my cavalier attitude towards the words are the pop descendants of these nigunim.  I am thrilled that Joey Weisenberg will be performing them at Eldridge Street on Sunday and know that my mishpocha  in heaven will be there humming along.

Click here to see and hear Joey Weisenberg.

Find out more about this Sunday’s concert, Joey Weisenberg Ensemble – Transformation of a Nigun,  October 21, at 3 pm at the Museum at Eldridge Street. 

Order your tickets here.

Our last couple posts have explored Jewish Heritage Sites here on the Lower East Side: our Eldridge St. Synagogue, Seward Park and Stieblach Row.

But now, let’s escape the chaos and clamor of the city and take a trip back to another locale at the center of the Jewish-American experience: a summer vacation in the Catskill Mountains!

Fresh air, wide open spaces and, of course, enough embarrassing family photos to last a lifetime! A trip to the Catskills offered this and so much more to city-dwellers needing an escape. The mid-20th century was the heyday of the Catskills as a premier vacation destination for New York Jews. Filled with resorts that catered to individuals of all ages, memories of lounging by the pool, leisurely afternoon walks and a delicious kosher lunch at The Concord are all staples of the resort region.

But how, you ask, did the Catskills come to be such a popular destination for the Jewish community?
There is no simple answer, but let’s look at a few key factors. With the post-World War II economic boom, the concept of “going on vacation” became a feasible reality for many American families. Yet, at the time, the Jewish community was still facing social discrimination. Restrictions based on ethnicity barred Jews from many mainstream country clubs and resorts. Still hungry for the opportunity to escape the city, Jewish owned establishments began to pop up in the Catskills at the beginning of the 20th century. Grossinger’s, one of the most famous, became so popular that by time it closed in ‘86, it had its own airstrip and post office!

Like the Museum at Eldridge Street, Jewish resorts in the Catskills represent an intersection between being Jewish and being American. As sociologist Phil Brown states, “ In ‘the mountains,’ Jews of Eastern European descent could have a proper vacation and become Americanized while preserving much of their Jewish culture. They imported their music, humor, vaudeville revue style, cuisine, language, and world views. These vacation spots were not merely resorts – they were miniature societies shaped by the vacationers’ urban culture.” – Take My Memories, Please: Keeping the Catskills Alive

So, what better way to remember the ambiance of a New York summer in the country than by joining us here at the Museum at Eldridge Street on May 16 for our very own Evening at the Catskills! Show off (or brush up on) your Simon Says technique. Indulge in a creamsicle while trying your hand at a game of canasta. Or enjoy the sweet sounds of pianist Steve Sterner and Shane Baker’s vaudevillian theatrics while you wait in anticipation for the caller to pull B9, the only number keeping you from a BINGO! And who knows, maybe you’ll even meet your own Johnny Castle and truly have the Time of Your Life.

To learn more about the history of vacationing in the Catskills here are a few useful resources:

The Catskills Institute, Borscht Belt Memories & The Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt

Dim Sum, hand-pulled noodles and dumplings are a few of the food attractions of our neighborhood, but last Sunday visitors flocked to Eldridge Street for a completely different culinary experience: our annual Passover Nosh n’ Stroll.  Amy Stein-Milford, the Museum’s Deputy Director, and Hanna Griff-Sleven, Director of Cultural Programs, walked people through the streets of the Lower East Side, visiting food establishments that have been Passover favorites of the Jewish Community here for generations.

#1. The Pickle Guys

The Nosh n’ Stroll began with a brief history of the Eldridge Street Synagogue, and from there visitors followed the smell of fresh horseradish to the Pickle Guys, located just a few blocks away on Essex Street. Following the Eastern European tradition of letting the pickles sit in salt brine with garlic, spices, and no preservatives, the Pickle Guys offer an array of tasty treats, bringing their patrons back to the days of pushcarts and pickle barrels. As a pickler myself, I recommend the pickled pineapple! (Just be warned, this tangy treat can become addictive!)

There’s always one surefire way to know that the Museum at Eldridge Street is gearing up for a big party – a fridge full of challah!

Join us this Sunday at 1pm for our Tu B’Shevat festival – where we’ll turn these big lumps of dough into delicious challah bread! While you’re at it, enjoy olive tasting, beer tasting and instrument making for the little ones. See you Sunday!

A Night Out on the Jewish Rialto, an event on Thursday, August 11th, honors the lively community of Yiddish theater on the Lower East Side. This event is the brainchild of our wonderful summer interns — Alyssa Constad, Leah Horowitz, David Schlenker, and Julia Gerasimenko. Their mission was to create an inspirational and entertaining  program that would hark back to the spirit and atmosphere of  the Jewish Rialto. We would love for you to participate in the historic spirit of the event, especially through our suggested glamorous theater-wear dress code! Here intern Julia Gerasimenko shares the history of the Rialto.

The Jewish Rialto was the Yiddish theater district that ran along Second Avenue from Houston Street all the way north to 14^th street. This strip was home to theaters and restaurants, both of which were equally important to the scene. We came across information about this neighborhood while we were researching vaudeville acts on the Lower East Side. We started with the idea to recreate an evening of entertainment that would have been typical for our original congregants, but with a modern spin.

A Night Out will feature live music performed by Eletfa, a Hungarian music group comprised of  gypsy violins. These violins were typical of the parlors where both actors and patrons would nosh and schmooze before and after the theater. The parlors and restaurants would typically serve blintzes, cherry varenyki (dumplings), and other finger food. Sometimes patrons would even bring food over to the performances. We will serve knishes from Yonah Schimmel’s, snacks from Noah’s Ark Deli and Russ & Daughters, and beer from Brooklyn Brewery!

At the theater, crowds were loud and performances were often interactive, whether or not they were intended to be. The language of choice was Yiddish. The types of acts varied from operetta, musical comedy, satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; expressionist and modernist plays; and of course vaudeville. We will entertain you with selections from the films of Eddie Cantor, a famous vaudeville star who is rumored to have lived on Eldridge Street. We encourage you to re-watch classic favorites to get inspired, such as Funny Girl!

In the Museum’s own  ‘Academic Angles’ journal, we read that the dance halls and the theaters were the two biggest competitors for attention with the synagogue (“Goldene Medine, Treyfene Medine: Judaism Survives Migration to America”, David Soyer). While it may seem slightly ironic that we are hosting this event in the main sanctuary of the Eldridge Street Synagogue, we pay tribute to the varied cultural activities of our neighborhood.

Between 1890 and 1940 there were over 200 Yiddish theaters or touring troupes in the US. Today there is a small but vital Yiddish theater community working to make its presence known in New York City. The Jewish Rialto specifically, a precious piece of Lower East Side culture, has faded just like the “Sidewalk of the Stars”, a 35-ft long sidewalk with worn down granite plaques  with the names of 58 great Rialto performers carved into them. This Sidewalk is in front of the now defunct Second Ave Delicatessen (on Second Avenue and E 9th St) and was installed in 1985.

More must be done to celebrate this great period and place in American Jewish culture. So we hope you can join us in celebrating the Jewish Rialto!

Tickets are $15 ($10 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter). Please RSVP by emailing hgriff@eldridgestreet.org. 8PM – 11PM.