The Jewish Plymouth Rock professional development workshop invites Jewish educators to delve into the richly layered world of the Lower East Side.
In 1900 the Lower East Side was the largest Jewish City in the world. In search of economic opportunity and religious and political freedom, one third of Eastern European Jews left their homes, and most of them came to the United States. The vast majority of them came to the Lower East Side, the "Jewish Plymouth Rock." A century later the Tenement Museum is a tangible and critical artifact of the Jewish diaspora. The stories we tell of immigrant families provide an immersive experience through which we can explore American Jewish history.
Throughout the workshop, educators examined the sites and stories of the Jewish Lower East Side. As we explore the neighborhood, we reconstructed the tensions immigrant Jews experienced in reconciling their Jewish identities with new American opportunities, and explored the diverse ways they became American Jews. Traces of the past provided entry points for educators to discuss contemporary issues about Jewish identity and develop a curriculum to engage their students in the material.
Throughout the workshop, educators examined the sites and stories of the Jewish Lower East Side. As we explore the neighborhood, we reconstructed the tensions immigrant Jews experienced in reconciling their Jewish identities with new American opportunities, and explored the diverse ways they became American Jews. Traces of the past provided entry points for educators to discuss contemporary issues about Jewish identity and develop a curriculum to engage their students in the material.
The Jewish Plymouth Rock Workshop for Jewish Educators is generously funded by The Covenant Foundation.