A visit to the Museum at Eldridge Street captures the imaginations of people of all faiths, nationalities, ages and experiences. We celebrate the stories and honor the traditions of the East European Jewish immigrants who settled on the Lower East Side in the late 19th century. Visitors discover how the families who built our synagogue were transformed by the hope and promise of America. At the same time, we reveal how these Jewish immigrants, alongside those of many other nationalities and religions, significantly transformed America culturally, economically and politically.
The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the lovingly restored Eldridge Street Synagogue. Dedicated in 1887, it was the first great house of worship built in America by East European Jews. Today, after a twenty-three year restoration, it’s a National Historic Landmark. Visitors participate in tours, exhibits, and educational and cultural programs, guided by experts in the period’s history, architecture, religious practices and culture.
As visitors enter beneath the synagogue’s majestic 50-foot ceiling, they walk on the floorboards that reveal the tangible imprint of the immigrants who conceived of and built this monument to their newly-acquired religious freedom. Unlike traditional museums, this “hidden jewel” uniquely carries in its walls an authenticity that reflects the aspirations, struggles and achievements of the families who founded it. What legacy have they left to us, and what can we learn about ourselves from their stories?
To share the story of these early American immigrants, during this second full year of operation with Museum status, we made a commitment to survey, catalogue and share with the public our collection of artifacts and historic documents. With seed money from donors, we hired a part-time archivist, Nancy Johnson. She has identified more than 500 items, from beautifully embroidered Torah mantles to Yiddish signs of the Lower East Side. We are now embarking on the exciting process of incorporating them into museum exhibits, an on-line database, and for use by scholars and researchers. We will also be raising funds to appropriately care for and conserve many of these fragile objects. We will continue the efforts begun in 2009 to document the restoration process for historical purposes including oral histories of those involved in the process. It is our goal to document the entire history of the Eldridge Street Project.
Our ongoing challenge is to maintain our building. Please know how grateful we are for your continued support of the Museum. Your support keeps our doors open and our lights on. It helps us provide compelling, hands-on curriculum for school children learning about the arts, history and religion. It brings together cultures, via programs like our Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Festival, a celebration of Jewish and Chinese communities of our neighborhood; and musicians for concerts celebrating once-lost Jewish traditions that are being reclaimed. It ensures that our 1887 landmark, so lovingly restored, continues to be sustained and cared for.
Bonnie Dimun
