The Jewish Harlem Walking Tour

Join Barry Judelman as he leads you on a walk by the former sites of Jewish religious life in the remarkable urban settlement of Harlem, which from 1870 -1930, was the third-largest Jewish community in the world, after New York’s Lower East Side and Warsaw, Poland.

View important landmarks and talk about legendary people of this often forgotten segment of Jewish history, starting with its origins as a community for the very rich, and covering its glory days as a major center of Jewish life in New York.

Learn about Harlem’s legendary Jewish institutions – many of which transformed the Judaism of today’s world, and discuss sites such as Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein’s trendsetting Institutional Synagogue, (affectionately known as the “shul with the pool”) and the magnificent Temple Israel by noted Jewish architect, Arnold Brunner. Discuss the “Commandment Keepers” – (Harlem’s Ethiopian Hebrew Synagogue,) Ohab Zedek, the synagogue of the world-famous cantor Yossele Rosenblatt – (considered the uncrowned king of cantorial music,) and Ansche Chesed, one of the oldest congregations in the United States.

Other topics included will be Mount Morris Park, the elegant square, designed by world-renowned designers Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, where numerous noted residents lived, including songwriter Richard Rodgers, actress Gertrude Berg (noted for her radio role as Molly Goldberg”), and Lena Himmelstein Bryant -the founder of the successful clothing enterprise “Lane Bryant”.

There is a significant amount of walking on this tour and WE TOUR RAIN OR SHINE! 

In order to enable you to hear the guide, we will be using an app for smartphones. Bring earphones for your cell.