Approximately one hundred years ago in the heart of the Lower East Side, it seemed like every street had at least one synagogue to satisfy the burgeoning Orthodox Jewish community. Some of those religious sites were small shtieblach, (one room houses of prayer) that were usually located in tenement apartments – with many buildings housing multiple Shuls in each. Quite a few however, were located in buildings of varying size including converted townhomes and churches. There were also those that were original construction, designed by famous architects on a grand scale to fit a large, expanding congregation. Though most of these former religious structures have been lost to time in a constantly changing neighborhood, some still exist today.

The great majority are no longer synagogues but their architecture and stories still ‘echo’ through a neighborhood that once housed over a million and a half mostly impoverished Jewish immigrants.

Sites included: Bialystoker Synagogue, our jewel in the crown, resplendent in marvelous murals and Tiffany inspired stained glass windows, believed to be a site on the Underground Railroad. Hear a presentation of LES History as well as the congregation. Walking tour of Historic East Broadway, discussing the mikvah, Henry Street Settlement, Lillian Wald, Educational Alliance, Seward Park, Straus Square, Shteiblach Row, Forward Building and more. See the sight of the former Beth Hamedrash Hagadol. This gothic structure once housed the first and largest Orthodox Congregation in the United States, and the only chief Rabbi in America.