Tagged: “Yiddish”
Spring Cleaning: A Centuries-Old Chore
At this time of year, in the days before Passover begins, many observant Jews are busy cleaning. But it’s not just the usual spring cleaning. Their goal is to clear the home of any trace of chametz, which are leavened foods that may not be eaten during the eight days of Passover. This includes bread, […]
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A secular, socialist, Yiddish newspaper walks into a synagogue….
This interview originally ran on the blog one year ago this week. But it’s such a great conversation that we’re running it (with some minor edits) again! The Pressed exhibition is still on display at the museum and we hope you’ll come see it once we’ve reopened to the public. The Museum’s exhibition Pressed: Images […]
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Crisco to the Rescue: Marketing to American Jews
In the 1930s, one American brand boldly declared that they had delivered something “the Hebrew race has been waiting 4,000” for – Crisco. Yes! Finally, Proctor and Gamble was giving Jewish kitchens an all-vegetable cooking fat that could be used in kosher cooking of any kind. They were likely right that kosher cooks would benefit […]
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A secular, socialist, Yiddish newspaper walks into a synagogue….
The Museum’s exhibition Pressed: Images from the Jewish Daily Forward is the latest in a diverse lineup of shows displayed throughout our landmark building. How do these shows come to be? How do curators balance satisfying the Museum’s mission with a desire to push the envelope? I sat down with Museum at Eldridge Street exhibition […]
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Coping with tragedy through song: balladry of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
On March 25th, 1911, a fire broke out on the factory floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. By the time the flames had been put out, 145 workers, mostly young immigrant girls, had perished. The tragedy sent shockwaves through the immigrant community and became a symbol of the rampant mistreatment of workers by factory owners […]
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Where You Live in New York May Say a Lot About Your Jewish Heritage
This blog post was written by Museum intern Dalia Rubinstein. It’s no secret that New York is one of the Jewish capitals of the world. The city alone is home to 1.1 million Jews, making it the largest Jewish community outside of Israel. It boasts the largest Jewish population of any world city, larger even […]
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From Ladino to Bukhori: Jewish Languages Around the World
This post was written by Museum intern Sophie Brous. If someone asked you to make a list of Jewish languages, what languages would come to mind? Many people would think of Hebrew first, which certainly makes sense–Hebrew is the national language of Israel and historically considered the language of the Jewish people. Some might also […]
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July 12: The Yahrzeit of a “Fiery Jewish Girl”
This blog post was written by Museum intern Dalia Rubinstein. On July 12, 37 years ago, the world lost a Lower East Sider whose chutzpah changed life for many immigrants of her time. Clara Lemlich, although not a household name today, was one of the “farbrente Yidishe meydlekh” [“fiery Jewish girls”] who made a strong […]
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After the Final Curtain: A Tale of Two Theatres on the Lower East Side
This post was written by Dina Posner, an intern at the Museum at Eldridge Street. Dina is a candidate for a Masters degree in Historic Preservation at Pratt Institute. In the upcoming family program History Hunters: A Kid’s Life at Work, kids go back in time to discover what life and work was like 100 years ago […]
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From Bagels to Bodegas: The Language of New York
“That dog fah-schtinks! Fah-schtinkinah dog!” “There’s no way that’s a real word, Mom.” “It is! It’s Yiddish! Call Gramma and ask!” February 21st is International Mother Language Day. According to the United Nations’ website, International Mother Language Day seeks “to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism… and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance […]
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