I can still vividly picture the Eldridge Street Synagogue, taste the authentic kosher pickles from The Pickle Guys, and smell the enticing fresh-baked knishes of Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery. While reading “Fading Into History,” I was taken back—not to 1654 when the first Jewish people immigrated to the Lower East Side from Pernanbuco, Brazil, but a few months ago when I went on a tour with my Jewish Life in New York class.

Although I would love to share with you everything I have passionately learned thus far—as I recently declared a major in Jewish Studies —I will try to keep this post concise.

Linda Macfarlane’s words in Allen Salkin’s article resonated with me because I only saw minute traces of the rich Jewish heritage and culture that I had learned about in class. Although I haven’t personally witnessed the landsmanschafts of the Lower East Side or the first Jewish settlements, I expected more remnants of American Jewish history when I went on my tour.  The historically and architecturally astounding Eldridge Street Synagogue was surrounded by small Chinese businesses—clothing stores, bakeries, restaurants…etc.

I guess the one upside to the disappearance of the American Jewish presence on the Lower East Side is the greater appreciation and respect for what still remains. In 1996, the Eldridge Street Synagogue was designated as a National Historic Landmark and more than $18.5 million were raised for its restoration. The national recognition and monetary aid illuminates the historical significance of the synagogue as a monument of American Jewish survival.

I was grateful to have a taste (literally) of what I learned in my class, as I visited the authentically delicious Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery and The Pickle Guys. The rare sightings of synagogues, kosher restaurants, and small Jewish businesses add to the unique experience of the neighborhood. Going from a synagogue to a Chinese convenience store in thirty seconds reflects the widespread diversity of New York City as a whole.

Although physical representations of Jewish life have nearly vanished in the Lower East Side, the history of the struggles and triumphs of the twenty-three Jewish souls who first settled in Manhattan in 1654 lives on.