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SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Eldridge Street is a distinctive environment for young people of diverse backgrounds to learn about Jewish culture, immigration, Lower East Side history, architecture and historic preservation. All of our programs respond to New York City and State learning standards in the areas of social studies, language and visual arts. For more information see our Learning Standards chart below.

Booking Information
School programs are offered Monday through Thursday between 10 AM and 4PM, and Sundays from 11 AM to 3 PM. They each last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.

The fee is $3 per child and $1 for NYC public school students. Fees for "Celebrate With Us!" holiday programs vary.

To make a reservation, add a teacher or school to our mailing list, or for directions and further information, please contact our education department at 212.219.0888, or by e-mail.

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Program Offerings
WELCOME TO ELDRIDGE STREET
This introductory tour presents the basic architectural features of synagogues, the unique characteristics of Eldridge Street, and the history of Jewish life on the Lower East Side.
For all ages

A PLACE TO BE FREE
This multi-sensory storytelling tour encourages children to imagine life in the 19th-century tenement district by looking, listening, touching and tasting.
Grades 2-5


CELEBRATE WITH US!
Come learn about holiday practices, objects and rituals at Harvest Time (Sukkot/October), Bright Lights in Winter (Chanukah/December) and Freedom Seder (Passover/April).
Grades 2-5

IMMIGRANT VOICES
A tour and dramatic reading help young people step into the shoes of East European Jewish immigrants of a hundred years ago.
Grades 5-8

A BUILDING FROM BOTTOM TO TOP
Students participate in a behind-the-scenes tour of the synagogue from cellar to balcony, learn basic architectural vocabulary, and discover the special qualities and needs of historic structures.
Grades 5-12

A TURN OF THE CENTURY BAR MITZVAH
Students of Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah age immerse themselves in history, learn how the coming-of-age ceremony was marked one hundred years ago, and think creatively about their own celebration, from the speech to the party.
Grades 6-8

CONTINUITY & CHANGE
Through group role-playing exercises, students consider the challenges faced by immigrants carving out a new home for themselves in America while also preserving cherished traditions.
Grades 7-12

STOOP, SYNAGOGUE, SOAPBOX
This walking tour uses street architecture, historic photos and Yiddish newspaper accounts to reveal social, religious and political aspects of Jewish immigrant life on the Lower East Side.
Grades 9-12 and College

WRITING, DRAWING, REFLECTING
Let the Synagogue inspire creativity. Classes visit for a period of quiet writing, sketching or coloring, and then discuss their work with the museum educator.
For all ages.

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