Even with all challenges that Jewish immigrants faced as they made new lives on the Lower East Side, America did offer something precious: religious freedom. Back in Eastern Europe, Jews faced pogroms – violent riots – because of their backgrounds, and synagogues – Jewish houses … Read more
With so many immigrants settling on the Lower East Side, by 1900 it was the most crowded neighborhood in the world. And the most crowded neighborhood in the world had crowded streets! Just look at this photo of Hester Street from 1903. Outside the storefronts … Read more
Immigrants arrived with big dreams, but in reality, starting a new life in America was pretty hard. And the challenges began at home – specifically in the tenement apartments where so many newcomers lived. This 1910 photograph shows one immigrant family in their tenement apartment, … Read more
This photograph, taken by journalist and reformer Jacob Riis in the early 1900s, shows a group of girls and boys in an outdoor playground. (A few women are keeping a watchful eye over the kids.) Several children are riding tricycles and play-wagons, while the lucky … Read more