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
-
Breaking News Photographer Who Documented Jewish Lower East Side, Dies at 98
Rebecca Lepkoff, a photographer who documented Jewish life on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, has died. Lepkoff, who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood there, died Sunday at 98. Her series of photographs showing the Lower East Side was taken in the 1940s and 1950s. Lepkoff lived a portion of the year in Vermont,…
-
Food Nouveau Jewish Food Hits Streets of Manhattan
Workmen’s Circle poster advertising the Taste of Jewish Culture street fair // Facebook New York’s got so many hip new delis that it may be as easy to find gefilte fish and borscht as it was in 1892, when The Workmen’s Circle held its first meeting on the Lower East Side. So it’s no small…
-
Food The Lower East Side Is Now Kosher-Less
Update: June 12th: It would appear that the close of Shalom Chai was temporary. And while the owner owes thousands to the landlord, the pizza shop is in fact open. More details coming soon. It’s over: The last kosher restaurant on the Lower East Side is gone. As if to highlight kosher’s tragic state downtown,…
-
Opinion Shelly Silver’s Evil ‘Twin’
(JTA) — Evil twins make frequent appearances in the cheesier sorts of movies and television shows, yet tend to be less common in state politics. But not according New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Silver has never lacked for chutzpah, but he appears to have taken it to Olympian heights with his most recent…
-
Culture The Syrupy Tale of How Jews Invented Kedem and Modern America
Pour yourself a glass of wine — this is a story that needs a little extra time set aside. It’s a twisty tale of three centuries, and how improbable connections made New York City into the city it is today, and how difficult it is to keep moving forward without destroying what lies behind. Let’s begin then,…
-
Breaking News 165-Year-Old Ex-Shul on Lower East Side Closed After Column Cracks Found
A former synagogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was evacuated after cracks were discovered in the building’s columns. The building, which was evacuated during a performance gala of the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts, was closed indefinitely. Built in 1849, the Gothic Revival synagogue once served as the home for Congregation…
-
Culture A Shooting After a Shvitz in a Lower East Side Bathhouse
1913 •100 years ago Shooting in the Shvitz Isaac Schwimmer, a civil engineer who lives on East 7th Street, was taking a shvitz in the Turkish baths on Third Street near Avenue A. Apparently overcome by the heat, Schwimmer fell asleep in the steam room. He awoke to find his diamond ring missing. Furious, he…
-
Food The Making of ‘Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream’
Just in time for Passover, a mouth-watering, new documentary about America’s last family-owned matzo factory might be released — if it gets a little more help from its friends. Director Michael Levine and producer Michael Green recently completed the production of “Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream” after they raised almost $65,000 through a Kickstarter…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward ‘Rabbi rebellion’: 33 Orthodox rabbis endorse Harris
- 2
Opinion Here’s why Orthodox Jews are loyal to Trump — even if they don’t love him
- 3
Opinion I was a Bernie supporter. This year, I’m voting Trump. Here’s why liberal Jews like me made the switch
- 4
FIRST PERSON As a rabbi, he helped others mourn. So why wouldn’t his daughter say kaddish for him?
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion This election, I finally understand the undecided Jewish voter
-
Fast Forward Haaretz faces blowback after liberal Israeli paper’s publisher praises ‘Palestinian freedom fighters’
-
Fast Forward American Airlines won’t fly to Israel again until at least September 2025
-
Fast Forward Trump and Harris both tell Michigan voters they’re aiming to end the war in Gaza
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
