Step into history. Explore immigration, Jewish life, art and architecture in an interactive and engaging format. All programs are led by experienced educators and support National and New York State Learning Standards.

Museum Tours for School Groups

Available:	Sunday – Thursday, 10am to 5pm
Duration:	75 minutes
Fee:	$6 per person. Subsidies are available upon request.

Programs are customized for students of all ages and abilities.

Immigration

How do you pack your life in a suitcase?
Visit the 19th century Lower East Side through a high-tech interactive exhibit and delve into the Eastern European immigrant experience. This exploration of the Eldridge Street Synagogue uses the particular story of its immigrant founders to highlight the challenges and opportunities that all immigrants face when bringing traditions to a new place.

Architecture

What do buildings tell us about a community's values and history?
Learn how to uncover a building's story through its design. Students examine the majestic architecture of the Eldridge Street Synagogue and investigate its paint patterns, stained glass windows and Victorian lighting. As students explore this century-old landmark, they gain a basic architectural vocabulary and the tools to discover history wherever they look.

Ways We Worship

What are the core traditions of the Jewish religion?
Learn about Jewish practice. Explore the Eldridge Street Synagogue and handle ritual objects as you discover the traditions and history of the Jewish people. This program is ideal for students studying comparative religions and draws out the similarities between diverse world faiths.

Celebrate With Us! Jewish Holidays

How are Jewish holidays celebrated?
During these multi-sensory programs, students act, sing, and munch their way through history to cultural understanding. Special seasonal programs focusing on Chanukah (November-December) and Passover (March-April) highlight and rejoice in America’s cultural diversity. Programs are designed for students of all ages and backgrounds. No knowledge of Jewish culture is necessary.

Turn-of-the-Century Bar Mitzvah

What does it mean to be a Bar Mitzvah?
Examine how Jewish immigrants marked their coming-of-age. Hear popular speeches and oral histories highlighting how immigrant children balanced the traditions of their parents and grandparents with American sensibilities. Geared to bar- and bat-mitzvah age students, this program helps teens to incorporate this rich historical perspective into their own ceremony.

Walking Tours

Available:	Sunday – Thursday, 10am to 5pm
Duration:	90 minutes
Fee:	$6 per child. Subsidies are available upon request.

Lower East Side Walking Tour

Discover the history of the Lower East Side gateway neighborhood. Walk the streets and learn to “read” landmarks while investigating the social, political and cultural past. Tour routes are custom-designed and can include: Seward Park and Library, Jarmulowsky’s Bank, Jewish Daily Forward Building, Educational Alliance, PS 42, tenement buildings and pickle vendors.

Workshop

Available:	Sunday – Thursday, 10am to 5pm
Duration:	2 hours
Fee:	$10 per person. Subsidies are available upon request.

Illuminating Glass

What does a window reveal?
Celebrate Eldridge Street’s new rose window designed by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans. Experience its brilliance, along with 67 other spectacular windows illuminating our National Historic Landmark. Through looking, sketching and activities, students explore window design and preservation. Inspired by their learning, they then create their own rose window in an arts workshop.

Multi-Visit Programs

Please contact us about multi-visit programs, including a series of programs in the Museum, around the Lower East Side, and in your classroom. Our education staff welcomes the opportunity to plan special programs to support and enhance your classroom learning.