The Jews of Brooklyn

It all started back in 1861 when a real estate speculator named Charles S. Brown bought some property in the area that we now know as Brownsville. He had hoped that the 250 small houses he would eventually build in 1865 would serve as a pleasant alternative for those dwelling in New York City who wished to leave their cramped quarters for a weekend of pleasant frolic in the country. In his town, which he originally had called “Brown’s Village,” there were cottages, shops, meadows on which cows could graze, and a very big dairy farm.

Brownsville, as well as other parts of Brooklyn, became more popular with the building of various bridges, e.g. the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. Now both businesses and individuals could move out of the overcrowded conditions of the Lower East Side to more pleasant living conditions. Workers could do a reverse commute to work into Manhattan.

Brownsville, as well as other parts of Brooklyn, became more popular with the building of various bridges, e.g. the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. Now both businesses and individuals could move out of the overcrowded conditions of the Lower East Side to more pleasant living conditions. Workers could do a reverse commute to work into Manhattan.

In 1887, Brownsville began to evolve in a wholly different direction. After a time, the single-family homes and cottages that were previously there aplenty became scarce, and were replaced by two-family houses and tenement buildings. Within a five-year period, between 1899 and 1904, the population of Brownsville increased from ten thousand to sixty thousand…

Photo courtesy of “Brownsville: The Jewish Years,” by Sylvia Siegel Schildt

Courtesy of Steven Lasky, museumoffamilyhistory.com