Join a 3rd generation insider with no illusions for a behind-the-scenes look at the Borscht Belt’s Golden Era. It wasn’t all sunshine and glamor. This tour peels back the glitzy showbiz tales and shows the gritty, heartfelt reality of growing up in this once-thriving region. Learn how life was tough, turbulent, and alternately warm and hard. Hear how the Catskills flourished and faltered, how it felt to watch the life you knew and your livelihood fall apart, as well as how to pick it all up again in new ways. It’s actually a different kind of love story. How one hotel brat went from ambivalence to appreciation to passion over a lifetime. “We were carnies – carnival people – only we didn’t move the tents. That’s the Borscht Belt in a nutshell, and we were the chief nuts.”

Born into the carnival life of a Borscht Belt Catskills hotel family, your guide, Bart A. Charlow, has never let the ordinary constrain him. From professional photography to painting, he has always set his creativity free, now entering into the realm of authorship. His first book, "A Catskill Carnival", is a memoir of his early years captures the the hustle, the heart, and humor of the real Borscht Belt. "Pickle Barrel Tales", his second book is a companion to Carnival, featuring over 50 wry vignettes from several "mountain rats" about the Borscht Belt, illustrated with humorous sketches. He has been a favored speaker on TV, radio, and in print media for decades. Among honors he holds is the Jefferson Award for his community leadership and service.

Chasidic Williamsburg is a neighborhood steeped in history and tradition and is home to one of the largest concentrations of Haredi Jews in the world. As you walk through the streets, you'll notice the distinctive attire of the Chasidic men and woman as well as the businesses which complement the still growing population. Join educator and urban historian Bradley Shaw as you explore this fascinating neighborhood, including significant synagogues like Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, the oldest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, and Beth Elohim, an 1875 Gothic Synagogue built by Reform Jews and now housing a Chasidic Yeshiva.   You will also visit Lee Avenue, the main shopping area, Bais Rachel, a NYC High School turned girl’s Yeshiva and hear other stories of the fabric of Chasidic Williamsburg, with a little bit of Hipster Williamsburg mixed in.

Your guide, Urban Historian and educator Bradley Shaw, was born on the Lower East Side, has a BA in History and Education from Brooklyn College and is a licensed NYC tour guide. He shares with us his love of the neighborhood and passion for its history. He has been a docent, walking tour guide and manager at the Museum at Eldridge Street for more than six years, in addition to doing walking tours for the LESJC, Context Travel and his own company NY History Tours.

From 1880 to 1924, almost 3 million Jews left the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe for a better life where the streets were paved with gold, the land of opportunity; the United States. Most settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where the opportunity was abundant, but their salaries and living conditions were subpar at best.  The great majority were not happy, but too overwhelmed by their new homeland to complain.  But some, like Lower East Side residents Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, Morris Hillquit, Abraham Cahan and Meyer London, knew there should be a better life and were willing to do just about ANYTHING to get there. This walking tour will focus on these “radicals” - anarchists, communists and socialists all - who tried to change the structure of the American Way to improve the lives of these immigrants and improve their standard of living - whether through our democratic process or through lawless acts of violence. Some of the places we will visit: The Daily Forward Building, The first home of Emma Goldman in NYC, Locations of radical cafes, The location of the Yom Kippur riots of 1898, The still active DSA - Democratic Socialists of America, The Educational Alliance - whose benefactors were anything but radical, and The Henry Street Settlement. 

Your guide, Urban Historian and educator Bradley Shaw, was born on the Lower East Side, has a BA in History and Education from Brooklyn College and is a licensed NYC tour guide. He shares with us his love of the neighborhood and passion for its history. He has been a docent, walking tour guide and manager at the Museum at Eldridge Street for more than six years, in addition to doing walking tours for the LESJC, Context Travel and his own company NY History Tours.

When you think about the important people who helped shape the Lower East Side, do mostly men come to mind such as Forward editor Abraham Cahan, reformer Jacob Riis, AFL president Samuel Gompers, entertainers George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and even gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky?

What about the women? They had just as much influence (both good and bad) as their more famous male counterparts and were just as important in shaping political attitudes, fighting for rights, and giving the neighborhood a better feeling about their place in the world.

Join historian and urban archeologist Brad Shaw for a stroll around the Lower East Side as he introduces you to some of these women, both famous and infamous, who were ingrained in the attitudes and social reforms of this immigrant neighborhood.

Some of the women you will meet:

The editor of an important Yiddish newspaper

Labor leaders who were instrumental in upgrading working conditions

Social reformers who fought for better care and living conditions

One of the most famous criminals of the 19th century

The most famous political activist of all time

When you think about the important people who helped shape the Lower East Side, do mostly men come to mind such as Forward editor Abraham Cahan, reformer Jacob Riis, AFL president Samuel Gompers, entertainers George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and even gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky?

What about the women? They had just as much influence (both good and bad) as their more famous male counterparts and were just as important in shaping political attitudes, fighting for rights, and giving the neighborhood a better feeling about their place in the world.

Join historian and urban archeologist Brad Shaw for a stroll around the Lower East Side as he introduces you to some of these women, both famous and infamous, who were ingrained in the attitudes and social reforms of this immigrant neighborhood.

Some of the women you will meet:

The editor of an important Yiddish newspaper

Labor leaders who were instrumental in upgrading working conditions

Social reformers who fought for better care and living conditions

One of the most famous criminals of the 19th century

The most famous political activist of all time

Join us for an exclusive tour of Sacred Words, an exhibit that reveals the Afghan Liturgical Quire, the oldest Jewish codex. Meet the intrepid researcher, Herschel Hepler, who spent seven years tracing the book back to its discovery in a cave near the Bamiyan Buddha statues. Herschel will be joined by Sara Aharon, author of From Kabul to Queens: The Jews of Afghanistan and Their Move to the United States. 

Take a guided tour of America’s oldest Jewish congregation, Shearith Israel: New York's Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue. Led by Sexton Zachary Edinger, this walk through history offers a rare glimpse into the remarkable legacy of America's first Jewish community.

In 1654, 23 Jews escaping the newly instituted Portuguese Inquisition in Brazil, landed in New Amsterdam (New York City) and were almost immediately expelled by Peter Stuyvesant.  They persevered and there has been a Jewish and notably a Sephardic presence in this country for over 370 years, or 120 before the founding of the United States.

Join us on a captivating walking tour that unveils the rich and often untold history of the Sephardic Jewish community in New York City.  Some of the sites visited will include colonial era cemeteries, famous homes and religious sites - all with stories of history, heritage and culture.

The walking tour concludes with a visit to the Center for Jewish History on East 16th Street, where guests will receive an exclusive, behind-the-science tour of treasures from both the American Jewish Historical Society and American Sephardi Federation, offering a fascinating glimpse into the rich cultural legacy of the Sephardic Jews in America.

Williamsburg is a neighborhood steeped in history and tradition and is home to one of the largest concentrations of Haredi Jews in the world. As you walk through the streets, you'll notice the distinctive attire of the Hasidic men and woman as well as the businesses which complement the still growing population.

Join educator and urban historian Bradley Shaw as you virtually explore this fascinating neighborhood, including significant synagogues like Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, the oldest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, and Beth Elohim, an 1875 Gothic Synagogue built by Reform Jews and now housing a Chasidic Yeshiva.   You will also visit Lee Avenue, the main shopping area, Bais Rachel, a NYC High School turned girl’s Yeshiva and hear other stories of the fabric of Chasidic Williamsburg, with a little bit of Hipster Williamsburg mixed in. 

Williamsburg is a neighborhood steeped in history and tradition and is home to one of the largest concentrations of Haredi Jews in the world. As you walk through the streets, you'll notice the distinctive attire of the Hasidic men and woman as well as the businesses which complement the still growing population.

Join educator and urban historian Bradley Shaw as you explore this fascinating neighborhood, including significant synagogues like Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, the oldest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, and Beth Elohim, an 1875 Gothic Synagogue built by Reform Jews and now housing a Chasidic Yeshiva.   You will also visit Lee Avenue, the main shopping area, Bais Rachel, a NYC High School turned girl’s Yeshiva and hear other stories of the fabric of Chasidic Williamsburg, with a little bit of Hipster Williamsburg mixed in. 

Learn where leaders of the Jewish Underworld began their nefarious activities, and discuss questions of morality, power, & assimilation. Arnold Rothstein, Meir Lansky and Bugsy Siegel were all notorious gangsters whose criminal activities extended to Atlantic City, Miami, Cuba and Las Vegas, but their stories began on the Lower East Side of New York. We will examine where these leaders of the Jewish underworld began their nefarious activities. Along the way we will analyze questions of morality, power and assimilation. Use your imagination to evoke what once existed, as we view sites that were associated with these Jewish Gangsters.

Your guide, Urban Historian and educator Bradley Shaw, was born on the Lower East Side, has a BA in History and Education from Brooklyn College and is a licensed NYC tour guide. He shares with us his love of the neighborhood and passion for its history. 

When you speak of Harlem, the most famous African-American community in the world comes to mind. But did you know Harlem was once the third largest Jewish neighborhood in the world from 1870 -1930, after New York's Lower East Side and Warsaw, Poland? 

Your guide, Urban Historian and educator Bradley Shaw, was born on the Lower East Side, has a BA in History and Education from Brooklyn College and is a licensed NYC tour guide. He shares with us his love of the neighborhood and passion for its history. 

The Lower East Side of Manhattan has one of the most diverse and amazing histories in the world. Starting out as an affluent suburb of NYC, it became the quintessential tenement filled home of new immigrants from the German enclave of Kleindeutschland to the largest Jewish Ghetto in the world. The changes continued with the neighborhood welcoming the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities and then housing an expanding Chinatown. It is now hosting trendy clubs and young professionals while still embracing some of its grittier past. 

Brad Shaw was born on the Lower East Side as were his parents and has been an active visitor for all of his life. Experience the stories and see the sites of the neighborhood and its changing past and present from the perspective of a one time resident and lifelong observer.  Some of the things you will see and hear about:

>Historic places of worship

>Historic ethnic eateries of the past and present

>Hangouts and stories of Jewish Gangsters

>The neighborhood of Kleindeutchland

>Historic institutions which helped and influenced the inhabitants

The Lazama Synagogue, located in the mellah of Marrakech, was founded in 1492 by Sephardic Jews fleeing King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella's Edict of Expulsion. See the beautiful historic synagogue these refugees of the Inquisition built and learn about the Andalusian culture they brought to Morocco. Join your guide from the Mimouna Association, an NGO founded by Moroccan Muslims to preserve and promote the Judeo-Moroccan heritage, for an exclusive exploration of the synagogue and one of the largest Jewish communities in the Kingdom today.

When you think about the important people who helped shape the Lower East Side, do mostly men come to mind such as Forward editor Abraham Cahan, reformer Jacob Riis, AFL president Samuel Gompers, entertainers George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and even gangsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky?

What about the women?  They had just as much influence (both good and bad) as their more famous male counterparts and were just as important in shaping political attitudes, fighting for rights, and giving the neighborhood a better feeling about their place in the world. 

Join historian and urban archeologist Brad Shaw for a stroll around the Lower East Side as he introduces you to some of these women, both famous and infamous, who were ingrained in the attitudes and social reforms of this immigrant neighborhood.

Some of the women you will meet:

The editor of an important Yiddish newspaper

Labor leaders who were instrumental in upgrading working conditions

Social reformers who fought for better care and living conditions

One of the most famous criminals of the 19th century

The most famous political activist of all time

This presentation will examine obscure work of the most famous Jewish women from the nineteenth century: Grace Aguilar (1816-1847), Penina Moïse (1797-1880), and Emma Lazarus (1849-1887). As Sephardic writers, they often wrote of exile, particularly of their Spanish and Portuguese heritage, of Jewishness in broader society, and of their pride in establishing a new homeland. Furthermore, their writing was profoundly impacted by their relationship to music. This presentation will reveal their musical projects to gain a better understanding of 19th century American and English Sephardic culture.

Your guide, Leonard Stein, is a literary scholar, musician, and writer. He received his PhD at the University of Toronto Centre for Comparative Literature and Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. An ASF Broome & Allen Fellow (2021), he is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Bar-Ilan University, and lectures at Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He researches Sephardic literature, crypto-Jewish identity, poetry, music history, and the intersections between music and literature.

The Caucasus—an ethnically, linguistically and religiously diverse region at the crossroads of Asia and Europe—has been a millennia-old home to two distinct Jewish communities. Join us as we discover the deep-rooted histories and vibrant cultures of Georgian Jews.

Born in Uzbekistan, Ruben Shimonov is an educator, community builder, and artistic leader passionate about Jewish diversity and intercultural understanding. As a Bukharian Jew who belongs to the ancient Persian-speaking Jewish community of Central Asia, Ruben harnesses his own multilayered identity in his educational, creative and social entrepreneurial work. He is the National Director of Sephardi House and Education at the American Sephardi Federation. ASF's Sephardi House initiative works to enrich Jewish campus life and young leadership with the vibrancy, wisdom and diversity of the Greater Sephardic world. As a visual artist, Ruben uses his multilingual Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian calligraphy to build Muslim-Jewish interfaith bridges and spark conversations about multiculturalism. His art has been featured in international publications and exhibits, including at the U.S. Embassy Residence in Uzbekistan. Ruben has been listed among The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” young leaders and changemakers. He is an alumnus of the COJECO Blueprint, Nahum Goldmann, Schusterman ROI, and UJA-Federation of New York Ruskay Institute Fellowships for his work in Jewish social innovation and education. Ruben has lectured extensively on the histories and cultures of Sephardic and Mizrahi communities. Among his speaking engagements, Ruben has given talks at New York University, the University of Southern California, Jewish Federations of North America, and Hillel International, as well as conferences in Greece, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Brighton Beach was always famous as a simple residential neighborhood attracting people with its wide sandy beaches, ocean breeze and tons of attractions on neighboring Coney Island. But did you know that it started as an upper middle class resort with several luxury hotels, largest bathing Pavillion, race track and famous outdoor concert venues. In early 1920s resorts were replaced with the residential neighborhoods and a lot of Jewish immigrants, mostly young families, moved here escaping overcrowded LES and some other areas of the city. They built a number of synagogues and opened many Jewish business. After short period of prosperity the Great Depression hit, and Brighton Beach changed significantly filled with tens of thousands of jobless homeless Jewish families who overcrowded once luxurious spacious apartments. In the following years there were additional waves of Jewish immigrants from Europe escaping the Nazis ,holocaust survivors after the WWII. The influx of Soviet Jews in 1970s changed the face of Brighton Beach completely, filled it with young people, exotic food and culture, made it “Little Odessa by the Sea”. In our tour we’ll visit some of the old functioning synagogues, see the once luxury Art Deco houses where Jewish immigrants of 1920s lived, walk the famous Brighton Beach Ave talking about Russian Jewish immigration, see the spot where the original Brighton Beach resort hotels once stood. At the end we’ll visit the Holocaust memorial park the only public Holocaust memorial park in the city.

Start your time on the Lower East Side with a sweet treat (rugelach anyone?) at Moishe’s Kosher Bakery. Then walk down historic East Broadway discussing along the way the Mikvah, The Henry Street Settlement, Lillian Wald, The Forward, Shteiblach Row, Straus Square, The Educational Alliance, The Seward Park Branch of the New York Public Library, and Seward Park, the country’s first municipal park. Next food stop will be Michaeli Bakery, known for their babka and bourekas. See the Jarmulowsky Bank Building then continue down Essex Street, where we will stop at The Pickle Guys. See an assortment of pickled fruits and vegetables brining in the barrels. Hear the history of the Essex Market. Our next stops will be Economy Candy, selling sweet sugary confections from floor to ceiling since 1937, followd by a walk down Houston Street until reaching Russ & Daughters, which has been selling herring and other traditional Jewish appetizing foods since 1914. Our final stop will be atThe Original Yonal Schimmel Knishery (Knish Bakery), which has been selling both savory and sweet knishes since 1910.

Please note: food is purchased individually along the way and not included in the cost of the ticket.

The Lower East Side of Manhattan has one of the most diverse and amazing histories in the world. Starting out as an affluent suburb of NYC, it became the quintessential tenement filled home of new immigrants from the German enclave of Kleindeutschland to the largest Jewish Ghetto in the world. The changes continued with the neighborhood welcoming the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities and then housing an expanding Chinatown. It is now hosting trendy clubs and young professionals while still embracing some of its grittier past. 

Brad Shaw was born on the Lower East Side as were his parents and has been an active visitor for all of his life. Experience the stories and see the sites of the neighborhood and its changing past and present from the perspective of a one time resident and lifelong observer.  Some of the things you will see and hear about:

>Historic places of worship

>Historic ethnic eateries of the past and present

>Hangouts and stories of Jewish Gangsters

>The neighborhood of Kleindeutchland

>Historic institutions which helped and influenced the inhabitants

Most of the Eastern European Jewish immigrants who lived at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century on the LES settled in communities of people who came from the same village, town, region or country. Many of the 500 shuls of the LES were built around landsleit, which were groups of people from the same land, who created mutual-aid societies to help and support each other during this hard transition of immigrating from their countries to America. These groups registered as official landsmanshaftns. We’ll visit the beautiful old Bialystocker synagogue and we’ll see the building that was the famous Bialystoker Home for the Aged, both once part of Bialystoker landsmanshaftn. We’ll walk past the shtiebel row of E Broadway with a few surviving little one room synagogues and landsmanshaftns, stroll once overcrowded streets of the historic LES that were filled with pushcarts, food stores, cafes, garment shops, newspaper publishing houses, theaters and libraries.

Нижний Ист Сайд - район в нижней восточной части Манхеттена. С 30х годов 19 в он стал магнитом притягивающем иммигрантов со всего света в Нью Йорк. Здесь сотни тысяч иммигрантов делали первые шаги для достижения Американской мечты. Этот когда то тихий жилой квартал Манхеттена с 2х-3х этажными частными домами превратился в перенаселенное иммигрантское гетто с многоквартирными зданиями, узкими улицами-рынками забитыми торговыми тележками. Иммигранты из Ирландии, Германии, Южной Италии и многочисленных стран Восточной Европы и Балкан сменяли друг друга в иммигрантских тесных квартирах. Евреи Восточной Европы заселили этот район с 80х годов 19 в., и за 40 лет сюда переселилось большинство из 2.5 миллионов еврейских иммигрантов прибывших в Америку. Хотя все группы

иммигрантов оставили свой след, именно еврейская иммиграция сформировала неповторимую особую индивидуальность этого района. Несмотря на то, что сегодня еврейская община Нижнего Ист сайд намного меньше по размеру, чем в годы своего расцвета, она продолжает сохранять свое наследие. Сюда переезжают молодые еврейские ортодоксальные семьи,

привлеченные мощной инфраструктурой религиозных, образовательных и культурных учреждений. Присоединяйтесь к нашему виртуальному туру по старым улочкам Нижнего Ист Сайдa, чтобы прикоснутся к своему наследию, проследить семейные истории, "посетить" знаменитые синагоги, и другие исторические здания, узнать как еврейские иммигранты жили, работали, учились и проводили свободное время. Наш гид в этом занимательном путешествии - Светлана Керштейн, профессиональный гид, работавшая на трех континентах и имеющая степень магистра истории, специализирующаяся на истории древнего мира. Родившись в России, она эмигрировала в Израиль, где 11 лет проработала лицензированным гидом и турагентом. Интерес Светланы к еврейской истории, искусству, музыке и кухне находит отражение в ее популярных турах. Она свободно владеет тремя языками (русским, ивритом и английским).

Embark on a journey through the rich history of Romanian Jews from the comfort of your own home! Discover the vibrant culture, traditions, and stories that have shaped the Romanian Jewish community over the years. This virtual tour will take you through significant landmarks and events, providing a fascinating insight into the past. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to explore the fascinating world of Romanian Jewish history!

Join Adrian Iosifescu, author of the "History of the Romanian Jews" Podcast, for a special presentation.

Pictured: LP from 1965 of Israeli singer Yaffa Yarkoni singing Yiddish songs, including Rumania, Rumania! 

The Lower East Side of Manhattan has one of the most diverse and amazing histories in the world. Starting out as an affluent suburb of NYC, it became the quintessential tenement filled home of new immigrants from the German enclave of Kleindeutschland to the largest Jewish Ghetto in the world. The changes continued with the neighborhood welcoming the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities and then housing an expanding Chinatown. It is now hosting trendy clubs and young professionals while still embracing some of its grittier past. 

Brad Shaw was born on the Lower East Side as were his parents and has been an active visitor for all of his life. Experience the stories and see the sites of the neighborhood and its changing past and present from the perspective of a one time resident and lifelong observer.  Some of the things you will see and hear about:

>Historic places of worship

>Historic ethnic eateries of the past and present

>Hangouts and stories of Jewish Gangsters

>The neighborhood of Kleindeutchland

>Historic institutions which helped and influenced the inhabitants

When you speak of Harlem, the most famous African-American community in the world comes to mind.  But did you know Harlem was once the third largest Jewish neighborhood in the world from 1870 -1930, after New York's Lower East Side and Warsaw, Poland?  

Join Bradley Shaw as he talks about this often forgotten segment of Jewish history, starting with its origins as a community for the very rich and covering its glory days as one of the three major world centers of Judaism.

You will learn about Harlem's legendary Jewish institutions - many of which transformed the Judaism of today's world - and discuss sites such as Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein's trendsetting Institutional Synagogue, (affectionately known as the "shul with the pool"), the magnificent Temple Israel, 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, designed by world renowned designers Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, where numerous noted residents lived, including songwriters Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Lorenz Hart.

The Lower East Side of Manhattan has one of the most diverse and amazing histories in the world. Starting out as an affluent suburb of NYC, it became the quintessential tenement filled home of new immigrants from the German enclave of Kleindeutschland to the largest Jewish Ghetto in the world. The changes continued with the neighborhood welcoming the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities and then housing an expanding Chinatown. It is now hosting trendy clubs and young professionals while still embracing some of its grittier past. 

Brad Shaw was born on the Lower East Side as were his parents and has been an active visitor for all of his life. Experience the stories and see the sites of the neighborhood and its changing past and present from the perspective of a one time resident and lifelong observer.  Some of the things you will see and hear about:

>Historic places of worship

>Historic ethnic eateries of the past and present

>Hangouts and stories of Jewish Gangsters

>The neighborhood of Kleindeutchland

>Historic institutions which helped and influenced the inhabitants