American Music from Immigrant Roots
This post was written by Museum docent Maxine Simson. Irving Berlin has been called the greatest songwriter in the history of popular music. His career spanned most of the 20th century and his beloved songs are still heard all over the world. An amazing fate for a man who could only play the piano in […]
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What’s on Your Seder Plate Might Depend on Where You’re Eating
This post is written by Museum intern John Hanson. As spring comes, so does Passover! The oldest, continuously celebrated holiday of the Jewish calendar is fast approaching, and all of us here at Eldridge Street have been busy discussing our own Passover traditions. Surprisingly, we have discovered our Passover customs take many different forms, with […]
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Opera Brought New Sights and Sounds to Our Sanctuary
For the past two weeks, I have witnessed the Museum at Eldridge Street transform into an opera stage, but also a home where mothers and daughters squabble and comfort each other, where lovers make plans and love, and where people come together to remember those they have lost. Last Sunday, Museum at Eldridge Street finished […]
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The Rabbi’s Daughter Who Became a Bat Mitzvah Pioneer
When Judith Kaplan was 12 years old, it was an exciting time to be a young girl. Women had just gotten the right to vote. The first woman was serving in the United States Senate. And it was the Jazz Age, which ushered in ideas of a freer, more independent New Woman. And then on […]
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Are We Doomed to Repeat the Triangle Shirtwaist Tragedy?
This post is written by Eva Brune. “In the panic of the fire, I recall that three girls wrapped themselves in the American flag and jumped out the window together… Among the dead, were a mother and two young sons who all worked at the Triangle Company. They suffocated from smoke while taking cover […]
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Shedding Literal Light on the Ten Commandments
There’s a question I frequently get when leading a tour of the historic sanctuary, and it focuses on a curious element of the historic ark on the Eastern wall. “What are those light bulbs doing there?” many people ask as they look up at a ring of exposed light bulbs at the top of the […]
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Step Away From the Screen on Friday, March 9th
This post was written by intern John Hanson. The Sabbath is perhaps the most visible tradition of Jewish culture. Even those who don’t know much about the religion or its many traditions probably know the basic idea behind keeping Sabbath. It’s well known that on Saturdays, observant Jews abstain from work, retreat from stress, and […]
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A Fond Farewell to Our Hanna Griff-Sleven
By Courtney Byrne-Michelle and Eva Brune. “Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” – Anais Nin Sixteen years ago Hanna Griff-Sleven, Director of Cultural Programs & Internships, was like a kite […]
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Larry David, Cousin Bernie and Me
I admit it. Television shows that trace the family roots of celebrities, like Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots provide all the suspense I can handle. I get too scared watching thrillers, much less horror movies, and these programs have the ability to get me nervous about what may lie ahead […]
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Travelling Tefillin – Warsaw, to the Wild West, to Eldridge Street
On June 18, 1904, Meyer Wagner boarded the ship Germanic in Southampton, England. He was bound for New York. So were his two younger sisters, but his young wife, Rose, remained in Warsaw. The couple’s three-year-old son, Walter, wasn’t quite ready for transatlantic travel. The trip took nine days. Upon arrival, Meyer went straight to […]
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