Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the Lower East Side, a neighborhood in Manhattan that was a center of Jewish immigrant culture in the 20th century.
Lower East Side
The Latest
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Books How Jewish New York got its very un-Jewish names
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro asked me to meet him on Frieda Zames Way, which is not an easy place to find on Google Maps. No street view photos, no subway wait times — nothing to feed our iPhone-era inclination to know exactly where we’re going, all the time. As any serious investigative journalist would, I immediately turned…
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News This Big Fat Greek-Jewish Street Festival Is Actually An Amazing Party
I say, “Jewish Lower East Side.” You say, “Bagels.” Or perhaps, “Katz’s corned beef.” But what if I told you, “Bourekas”? What if I told you, “Baklava”? Those foods, as Jewish and as native to LES as schmaltz and herring, were on sale by the thousands at the fifth annual Greek Jewish Festival, hosted by…
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Culture Forverts Seeks More Stories About Your Favorite Heirlooms
Earlier this year, the Forverts asked readers to submit anecdotes and photos of their favorite heirlooms. Heirlooms are not only a way of keeping us connected to our past; they are also a wonderful way to transmit family history to our children and grandchildren The response to our search was an enthusiastic one and 22…
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News Why A Lower East Side Apartment Complex Turned Down $54M
The phone call informing Rob Kaliner that an old Lower East Side apartment complex had rejected his $54 million drove him out of his office and onto the sidewalk, where he started walking and didn’t stop. “I did like 26,000 steps,” said Kaliner days later, still reeling from one of the most startling rejections in…
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Fast Forward $54M For Air Rights? Lower East Side Co-Op Says No.
Residents of a Lower East Side housing development this week rejected a $54 million offer that would have allowed a builder to put up two towers of over 20 stories each next door to their buildings, The Real Deal reported. The rejected towers were part of a controversial development at the site of the landmarked…
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Culture Visit the Lower East Side With The Forward
On June 10, the Newsroom Society will go on a walking tour of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Conducted by the president of the Forward, Sam Norich, the tour will hit the highlights of this historical neighborhood with so much resonance for the Jewish American community and for the Forward in particular. We will…
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News She Worked Until Age 96, Living Modestly. Then Came The Incredible Gift.
Sylvia Bloom didn’t want many things, according to a recent report in The New York Times. Every now and then she craved good chocolate. After she retired at age 96, she hoped to find a lively bridge game. Professional and personal independence were always a priority. But it became apparent, after her 2016 death, that…
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Fast Forward Passover TV Shoot Shows Lower East Side Has Lost Its Clout
This never would have happened when Shelly was in charge. The Bialystoker Shul, a well-connected Lower East Side synagogue, is up in arms this morning over a TV shoot scheduled to take place on its block on Friday, a major holiday marking the second-to-last day of Passover. Among the members of the synagogue is Sheldon…
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Opinion My Jewish moms group ousted me because I work for J Street. Is this what communal life has come to?
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News Student protesters being deported are not ‘martyrs and heroes,’ says former antisemitism envoy
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Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
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Politics Meet America’s potential first Jewish second family: Josh Shapiro, Lori, and their 4 kids
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