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recreated much of what they knew
from the overcrowded shtetls. The
marketplace was the hub of the com-
munity, with homes and businesses
spiraling outward. Streets such as
Hester and Delancey were lined by
small shops and filled with pushcarts
carrying fish, pots and pans and other
sundries. At its height, there were
more than 500 synagogues in the
neighborhood and several Yiddish
newspapers and theaters.
For more than 10 years, the Lower
East Side Tenement Museum has
worked as a window into the past, but
its message is really about the present
and future, says Ruth J. Abram, presi-
dent and founder of the museum. The
concerns — and too often the living
conditions — of immigrants today are
often not that different than those of
generations ago, she says. Abram
hopes the more than 75,000 people
who visit the museum each year take
this message home.
"We're telling the story of the poor
from dozens of different eras and eth-
nic backgrounds," said Abram. "These
weren't just people who owned a sin-
gle spoon. These were people, like you
and me, with dreams for themselves
and for their grandchildren."
The tenement museum and the
Rogarshevsky apartment is a walk
through Jewish immigrant history and
a nice off-the-beaten-path adventure
for museum-goers visiting New York.
Last year it was designated historic
area by the National Park Service.
Museum guides do an excellent job
of recreating the lives of those who
inhabited the building as well as
recounting the history of the building
itself and the surrounding neighbor-
hood.
In addition to the tenement apart-
ments, the museum features a video
theater, book shop and gallery. The
museum is located in a colorful neigh-
borhood that is safe and easy to get to
by subway or taxi. ri
The Premier Retirement Community Where Exceptional Service is our Standard.
13efore
March
31st
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To find out more about The Trowbridge call The Leasing Office: (248)352 0208
24111 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE • SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48034
Forest City Management, Inc. Apartment Division does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status in the admission or
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Attend the Lisa Jenks
trunk show at Roz Et Sherm
and see the designer's compelling
creations in sterling silver,
accented with pearls and gemstones.
Tours are available for "Sitting
Shivah with the Rogarshevskys"
and other apartments at the Lower
East Side Tenement Museum,
Tuesdays through Sundays. Tours
start at the museum, 90 Orchard
St. at the corner of Broome Street.
Reservations are recommended by
railing (212) 431-0233. ri
John Marx Smock is a freelance
writer in New York.
Thursday, Friday
a Saturday • March 11th, 12th and 13th
VC/
BLOOMFIELD PLAZA * 6536 TELEGRAPH
RoAD BEL:vm HELD I II LLs, MI 48301 * (248) 855-8877
Detroit Jewish News
3/5
1999
103