Located primarily on Second Avenue, the area as far North as East 14th Street, as far South as Houston, as far East as Avenue B and as far West as Second Avenue, was known as the Yiddish Theater District, or the “Jewish Rialto” beginning in the 1880's

Used for both entertainment and education, Yiddish theater in New York City showed a variety of performances from dramatic Shakespearean inspired work to comedy shpiels, and political puppet theater. In addition to theaters, the District had music stores, photography studios, flower shops, restaurants, and cafes (including Cafe Royal, on East 12th Street and Second Avenue.)

Join us as Urban Historian, Dr. Elissa Sampson virtually strolls down the historic street of the famed “Yiddish Rialto” on this new Zoom talk, and explores connections between what is now the East Village and the Lower East Side. She will discuss how these shows contributed to New York City culture.

See the names of famous performers of the Yiddish theater on the Second Avenue “Starwalk” which currently has preservationists trying to save its badly damaged tiles.

Elissa, a visiting scholar and lecturer in the Jewish Studies Program at Cornell University, was honored with a Lower East Side Community Hero Award as part of the Lower East Side History Month celebration in 2017. The award recognizes community members “whose contributions have been deeply meaningful and yet are often the ‘unsung’ heroes of the neighborhood,” Her recent publications touch upon Jewish life today in the Lower East Side, contemporary Yiddish theater, commemoration of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the academic use of the term “ghetto” in relation to East European Jews in the U.S., and ethnicity and museums.

The presentation will last a little more than an hour followed by Q & A.

United States Events , New York Events , Things To Do In New York, NY, New York Tours , New York Community Tours

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