Menorahs are customizable. There aren’t many stipulations for their design – you just need nine candles for a Hanukkah menorah, with the shamash, or “helper” candle, set apart from the others. So there’s a lot of room for creativity! Since antiquity, menorah makers have been … Read more
In October 2021, the Museum finally opened our first exhibition since the pandemic shuttered our doors for over a year. The exhibition, entitled Debra Olin: Every Protection is a meditation on the folk beliefs, superstitions, and cultural lore that have helped people make sense of … Read more
This post has been adapted from one originally written in 2020. This Saturday, September 5th, is perhaps the biggest day of the year at 12 Eldridge Street. On that day in 1887, the Eldridge Street Synagogue officially opened to the public. That makes us 134 … Read more
This post is written by Summer 2021 intern Emma Thibodeaux-Thompson. Working this summer in the Museum’s sanctuary, one of the most common reactions I hear when visitors first enter the space is: “Huh, it looks like a church?” I always tell visitors that they’re right … Read more
This post was written by Museum at Eldridge Street intern Max Widmann. On the corner of Canal and Orchard Streets is a 12-story, neo-Renaissance building that dwarfs the typical Lower East Side tenement buildings and shops. Although it hasn’t operated as a bank in 104 … Read more