Mr. Robert Sandler shares that students had an amazing time this week back to in-person walking tours with his Jewish History class!! They toured the Bialystok Synagogue & marveled at its 14k gold Torah ark and the zodiac inspired ceiling, toured the Lillian Wald exhibit at the Henry Street Settlement, and learned about the rise, fall and restoration of the Eldridge Street synagogue, the first synagogue built from scratch by Eastern European Jews in 1887.
They also noshed on bialys, sour pickles, and Moroccan cuisine from the Essex Market! They used architecture to unlock the secrets of the vibrant Yiddish community that included socialist workmen’s circles, anarchists, Jewish gangsters & bankers.
This year’s trip also included a surprise bonus visit to St. Augustine’s church (1828) that included slave galleries. The students found sitting on the original wooden benches where slave women nursed their babies to be a powerful experience that reminded them of the forgotten black experience early in the city’s history. (photos courtesy of Mr. Sandler)
