Welcome to The Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative (BJHI). Explore the dynamic history of Jews in Brooklyn from its early beginnings in the nineteenth century, to its history in the making today. In partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society, it will maintain this interactive website, organize public programs, maintain records and archives both online and in their original state, create oral and video histories which will be accessible online, and make a range of resources available to the public.
So, explore the site, and join in to Brooklyn’s history. A listing of three Mr.’s Levy in the 1838-9 Brooklyn Directory launches the fascinating trajectory of Jews in Brooklyn, as a remarkable Jewish community grew from these few seeds, expanding exponentially with several waves of immigration, historically fostering both secular and religious activity, and continuing to thrive as a hub of Jewish life today.
BJHI brings the story of Brooklyn’s Jews to life. We are eager to take on new opportunities and new information, much of which will come from you, in Brooklyn and across the globe. Enjoy the site, and be a part of BJHI by contributing your stories and memories, your historical archives, or your financial support to the Initiative by submitting your Brooklyn Jewish Experience and Telling Your Story.
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Sandy Wreaks Havoc
The devastating storm surges and high winds that wreaked havoc on so many The devastating storm surges and high winds that wreaked havoc on so many as Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the East Coast may well be the largest catastrophe many of us have ever experienced, yet while the disastrous superstorm left a gargantuan trail of destruction in its wake, it still proved to be no match for the most powerful force of all – that of ...
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First Woman President of the NY Board of Rabbi’s
A native New Yorker, Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman, has become the first woman to assume the presidency of the New York Board of Rabbis in the year 2012. Rabbi Goodman has long been a leader in the community, outspokenly fighting to protect women’s reproductive rights and health care, and advocating for marriage equality in New York State. For her advocacy in social justice, the New York Board of Rabbis awarded her the Rabbi Israel and Libb ...
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Community Emerging In Unlikely Greenpoint
1/08/13 published in thejewishweek.com In ‘Little Poland,’ gentrification and an inclusive Orthodox rabbi with a garden are reviving Jewish life. Until recently, Yoni Kretzmer, a disillusioned former Orthodox Jew spent most Friday evenings performing on his sax, while Jesse Beller, who describes himself as unaffiliated, would spend Friday nights at a friend’s house or a bar. But last Friday night, the two were at Congregation Ahavas Isr ...
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Jewish Population Is Up in the New York Region
By SHARON OTTERMAN Published: NYTimes January 17, 2013 Borough Park in Brooklyn, with its preponderance of Orthodox synagogues and kosher restaurants, is the most Jewish area in the New York City region, with 78 percent of households there identifying as Jewish. Close behind is Great Neck, Long Island, with its thriving enclave of Persian Jews, and then the Five Towns, also on Long Island, where a higher percentage of Jews identify as m ...
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Eternal Echoes: Songs and Dances for the Soul
Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot Play Barclays Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman will bring his soulful sound to Brooklyn with a major performance at Cushman & Wakefield Theater at Barclays Center on Thursday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. Perlman will be joined on stage by Brooklyn-based Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, a world-renowned tenor who has led the revival of Jewish liturgical music. Perlman and Helfgot recently ...
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Moshiach Oi! Merges Orthodox Judaism and Punk Rock
By JOHN LELAND , New York Times Published: March 9, 2013 At age 6, he was a budding yeshiva student, in white shirt and black hat, with little contact outside the Orthodox Jewish world. At 16, he discovered some things he liked better, punk rock and drugs: marijuana, LSD, eventually crack and heroin. At 26, on the Thursday before the holiday of Purim last month, he was back among the faithful, sort of: side curls flailing, knees jackkn ...
