22 | JANUARY 9 • 2020 

A

n exhibit of photo-
graphs presenting the 
cafeterias that fed New 
Yorkers in the early to mid-
20th century will be featured 
in the Institute for Research on 
Women and Gender’
s Gallery 
in Lane Hall during the 
2020 winter semester at the 
University of Michigan. 
 Marcia Bricker Halperin 
will kick off the exhibit of her 
photographs with a lecture 
titled “Kibitz & Nosh: NYC’
s 
Vanished Cafeterias” at the 
University of Michigan’
s 
Frankel Center 1 p.m. Jan. 16, 
followed by a reception at the 
Lane Hall gallery at 4 p.m.
As a young art student, 
Halperin found that cafeterias 
gave her a window into the 
lives of people she wouldn’
t 
usually come across in her 
everyday life. “One February 
day, while photographing 
reflections in store windows, 
my fingers froze solid onto my 
Honeywell Pentax camera,
” 
Halperin noted. “That’
s when I 
headed through the revolving 
doors into Dubrow’
s Cafeteria. 
I took a ticket from the man 
at the door and found myself 
looking out at a tableau of 
amazing faces. There were 
light, reflections, patterns, tex-
tures, sweeping architectural 
features and remarkable sub-
jects all for the price of a cup 
of coffee, then 25 cents.
”
Her lecture will focus on the 
part cafeterias played in 20th 
century Jewish American his-

tory and in assimilating Jewish 
culture into the mainstream 
and vice versa. Cafeterias 
like Dubrow’
s served popular 
Jewish-style dishes, like blin-
tzes, as well as less traditional 
dishes, like shrimp salad. 
“It became a place to experi-
ence the world outside of what 
you’
d have at home,
” Halperin 
said. “I look forward to having 
people learn about the golden 
era of cafeterias, a time when 
self-serve restaurants were in 
every city and contributed to 
vibrant civic life.
” 
Halperin first discovered 
her passion for photography 
while studying art at Brooklyn 
College. After graduating with 
a master of fine arts, she was 
selected to be a part of the 
CETA Artists Project. 
 CETA was a federally 
funded program for artists 
that operated in New York 
City from 1978 to 1980. The 
program connected unem-
ployed artists with community 
sponsors to develop public 
artworks, give performances, 
and teach classes. One of her 
projects was working with 
tenant organizers at Housing 
Conservation Coordinators. 
She documented the Hell’
s 
Kitchen neighborhood of 
Manhattan, taking pictures of 
apartments that were neglect-
ed by landlords to help the 
tenants win lawsuits and advo-
cate for homesteaders. Later, 
she worked for the New York 
City Department of Education, 
teaching art and special educa-
tion for more than 35 years. 

COURTESY OF FRANKEL CENTER

NYC’s Vanished Cafeterias

Marcia Bricker Halperin Exhibit 
and Lecture at U-M.

Jews in the D

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