Eldridge Street Museum: A Historic Manhattan Synagogue

The Eldridge Street Museum sits inside what was once New York's first great synagogue, built in 1887 by the Jewish community that came from Eastern Europe.

Today it's a national historic landmark dedicated to sharing the history of Jewish life in New York (if you want to learn more about this community, visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park).

What to see at the Eldridge Street Museum

The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a surprising place well off the usual tourist routes. The visit throws you back to the origins of this cosmopolitan city we all love.

As you walk through the building, which has been fully restored, you'll find signs in Yiddish, Jewish ritual objects, old photographs of the neighborhood and stories from the congregation that gathered here.

The only contemporary piece is the stained glass window crowning the main sanctuary, created by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans.

Tours of the Eldridge Street Synagogue

Museum admission includes a guided tour through the different spaces and galleries. It's worth taking.

This tour of the Eldridge Street Synagogue runs every hour between 10 am and 4 pm. On Fridays the last tour leaves at 2 pm.

If you prefer, you can also explore the building on your own.

Why did the synagogue fall out of use?

Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million Jewish migrants arrived in the United States from Russia, Poland, Lithuania and other Eastern European countries. Some 85% settled in New York, most of them in the Lower East Side.

In the museum's exhibit «From Ellis Island to Eldridge Street» you can dig deeper into the stories of this major wave of immigrants. If you think you have ancestors among them, the museum's site has a guide to researching your family history.

Over time, the community moved to other neighborhoods such as Williamsburg in Brooklyn, leaving this house of worship behind. Today these streets are part of Chinatown.

To preserve the memory of those first generations of immigrants, in 1986 the decision was made to turn the abandoned synagogue into a museum. That required a deep restoration process, which wrapped up in 2007.

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Address
12 Eldridge Street, Chinatown.

Hours
Sunday to Thursday 10 am to 5 pm
Friday 10 am to 3 pm
Saturday closed

Getting there
Subway
F line. East Broadway station
B, D lines. Grand Street station
6, N, Q, R, W, J, Z lines. Canal Street station

Prices
Adults US$ 15 / Students and 65+ US$ 10 / Kids 5 to 17 US$ 8 / Under 5 free
On Mondays you can “pay what you wish” to get in

While the pandemic continues, I recommend checking the Museum's official site to confirm hours and get the latest information for your visit.

Admission to the Eldridge Street Museum is included with the New York Pass discount card

Map

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