Explore the Historic Eldridge Street Synagogue
 
Museum at Eldridge Street
 
 
The newly restored Eldridge Street Synagogue provides an unparalleled setting for students of all backgrounds to learn about immigration, architecture and historic preservation and Jewish life. All programs comply with NY State learning standards.
Bring Your School Group to Visit the Eldridge Street Synagogue
 
About School Tours of the Eldridge Street Synagogue
Sunday - Thursday: 10am to 4pm
Each program lasts 75 minutes

$6 per child (ages 5-18)
Subsidies are available upon request for a limited number of classes.

All groups must send at least 1 chaperone for every 10 students.

Tours
All tours are led by a historian-trained educator. We offer tours that focus on a variety of themes and topics, including:

Architecture
What do buildings tell us about a community's values and history?
Learn how to uncover a building's story through its design and discover the glorious architecture of our landmark synagogue. Students will examine paint patterns, stained glass windows, and Victorian lighting and will learn and use basic architectural vocabulary to explore the processes of restoration.

Immigration
What traditions do immigrants bring to America ? How do they learn about their new country and also adapt traditions brought from their home?
This exploration of the Eldridge Street Synagogue uses the particular story of its congregation and its immigrant founders to highlight the challenges and opportunities that all immigrants face when bringing traditions to a new place. Story-telling, role-playing, and interactive discussions bring the building's story to life.

Judaism
What are the core traditions of the Jewish religion?
The synagogue is central to the transmission of Judaism. Explore the Eldridge Street Synagogue, learn about ritual objects, and discover Jewish holidays, traditions, and practices. Special programs focusing on the Sabbath, Hanukah, and Passover explore the richness of these rituals through food, games, and dramatic play.

Turn-of-the-Century Bar Mitzvah
Find out how Jewish immigrants of 100 years ago marked their coming-of-age ceremonies and learn how to incorporate this rich historical perspective into your own ceremony. The program is geared to bar- and bat-mitzvah age students and highlights how immigrant children balanced the traditions of their parents and grandparents while acclimating to America . It includes turn-of-the-century speeches and oral histories.

Lower East Side Walking Tour
What are the clues a neighborhood holds to its past?
Students will explore our gateway neighborhood and learn how to "read" landmarks as they discover the social, cultural and educational history of the area. Sites include: Seward Park , Jarmulowsky's Bank, the Jewish Daily Forward Building, the Educational Alliance, PS 42, and the Seward Park Library.

Multi-Visit Programs
Please contact us about multi-visit programs, including a combination of tours, neighborhood documentation through photography, and also the creation of art and photography to be used in special exhibitions. Our education staff welcomes the opportunity to plan special programs that enhance your curriculum.

Programs include a visit to our Limud (Learning) Center, which features exhibits on Lower East Side history and synagogue design, enabling students to create a Yiddish newspaper, design a–stained-glass window, and explore our restoration process.

School tours are customized to support classroom curricula.

Accessibility
The Museum is Wheelchair Accessible All public areas of the Museum at Eldridge Street are wheelchair accessible.

Reservation Form
Please complete this reservation form so that we can schedule your visit. Submitting this form is not a confirmation of your reservation. Upon receipt of the application, we will contact you to either confirm or reschedule your tour.

* -- Required field.

1. School Information
School Name: *

Type of School: *

Address: *

Address 2:

City: *

State: *

Zip code: *

Country: (if other than the United States)

Teacher's Name: *

Teacher's Email: *

School phone number (No spaces or dashes, please.): *

Teacher's cell number (For day of trip communication. No spaces or dashes, please.): *

Organizer's name (if different from teacher):

Best time of the day to reach you: *


2. Group Information
Number of Students: *

Number of chaperones *
(we require at least 1 chaperone/per 10 students):

Grade of students: *

Type of transportation expected: *


3. Tour Selection *
Please select the program(s) that are of interest. We will customize a program to best support your curricular needs.

Architecture

Immigration

Judaism

Turn-of-the-Century Bar Mitzvah

Lower East Side Walking Tour

Multi-visit program


4. Scheduling
Tours last 75 minutes and can take place Sundays to Thursday between the hours of 10am & 4pm. All tours must be booked at least 3 weeks in advance.

Please select 2 potential dates & times for your visit:

First Choice: *
Date (tours offered Sun - Thurs):


Time:

Second Choice:
Date (tours offered Sun - Thurs):


Time:


5. Additional Information
Kindly answer the following questions, so that we can best support your students during their visit: What are you studying in the classroom:

What are your goals for the visit?

Please share anything else about your group that will help us plan for your visit, including special needs, interests, aptitudes or any other relevant information.

How did you hear about the Museum at Eldridge Street? Please check all that apply:

Previous visit
Museum website
Other website
Magazine/Newspaper
Radio/Television
Email
Brochure
Previous Visit
Word of mouth
Other – please detail:


6. Submit Request
Submitting a request for a particular date and time is not a confirmation of your reservation. Upon receipt of the application, a Visitor Services representative will contact you to either confirm or reschedule your tour.

 
 
Teacher Workshops at the Eldridge Street Synagogue
The Museum at Eldridge Street offers a variety of professional development workshops for teachers. Programs can be customized to support your schedule, learning interests, and classroom curriculum.

Contact Miriam Bader, Director of Education, to learn more about the ways the Museum can support teacher learning.

BRICKS AND MORTAR:
Architecture as Social History

Discover the history of the Landmark Eldridge Street Synagogue. Explore our magnificent building and learn about its Eastern European immigrant founders through a variety of primary sources including objects, images, and oral histories.

HUNGERING FOR AMERICA:
Learning Through Food

Explore the Lower East Side ’s ethnic eateries and investigate the role that food plays within the immigrant story. This workshop includes a walking tour and meal.

STREETWISE:
Walking Tour Workshop

Take a walking tour of Lower East Side/Chinatown and acquire the skills and information you need to design your own customized walking tour that combines social history and architecture.

HISTORY SPEAKS:
Oral History Workshop

Learn strategies to incorporate oral history into your curriculum and gain helpful techniques to guide you and your students from crafting questions through the actual interview, as well as project culmination ideas.
 
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