The Jewish history of Harlem: A virtual stroll through the neighborhood

Join the BZD and tour guide Barry Judelman for an engaging talk about Jewish Harlem, which from 1870 -1930, was the third largest Jewish community in the world, after New York’s Lower East Side and Warsaw, Poland.

We will talk about famous people of this often-forgotten segment of Jewish history and learn about Harlem’s legendary Jewish institutions – many of which transformed the Judaism of today’s world. Discuss sites such as Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein’s trendsetting Institutional Synagogue (affectionately known as the “shul with the pool”) and the magnificent Temple Israel by noted Jewish architect Arnold Brunner. Discuss the “Commandment Keepers” – (Harlem’s Ethiopian Hebrew Synagogue) Ohab Zedek, the synagogue of the world-famous cantor Yossele Rosenblatt – (considered the uncrowned king of cantorial music,) and Ansche Chesed, one of the oldest congregations in the United States.

Other topics included will be Mount Morris Park, the elegant square designed by world-renowned designers Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, where numerous noted residents lived, including songwriter Richard Rodgers, actress Gertrude Berg (noted for her radio role as Molly Goldberg”), and Lena Himmelstein Bryant -the founder of the successful clothing enterprise “Lane Bryant.”