The Lower East Side NYC

In 1888 a Russian immigrant family established a delicatessen in New York's Lower East Side

The Lower East Side, (often abbreviated as LES), is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street.

Originally, the "Lower East Side" referred to the area alongside the East River from about the Manhattan Bridge and Canal Street up to 14th Street, and roughly bounded on the west by Broadway.. It included areas known today as East Village, Alphabet City, Chinatown, Bowery, Little Italy, and NoLita.

One of the oldest neighborhoods of the city, the Lower East Side has long been a lower-class worker neighborhood and often a poor and ethnically diverse section of New York. As well as Irish, Italians, Polish, Ukrainians, and other ethnic groups, it once had a sizeable German population and known as Little Germany (Kleindeutschland).

The Lower East Side is perhaps best known as having once been a center of Jewish culture. The Lower East Side is especially remembered as a place of Jewish beginnings in contemporary American Jewish culture. Vestiges of the area's Jewish heritage exist in shops on Hester Street and Essex Street and on Grand Street near Pike. There is still an Orthodox Jewish community with yeshiva day schools and a mikvah. A few Judaica shops can be found along Essex Street.

Sunday thru Thursday is the best time to tour this neighborhood due to the Sabbath.

Landmarks of the Jewish Lower East Side:

·         The Educational Alliance Settlement house – 175 East Broadway at Jefferson Street
·         Henry Street Settlement – 263–267 Henry Street and 466 Grand Street
·         University Settlement House 184 Eldridge Street
·         Katz's Deli – 205 E. Houston Street
·         Guss' Pickles – 87 Orchard Street
·         Kossar's Bialys – 367 Grand Street
·         Gertle's Bake Shop – 53 Hester Street- Moved to Brooklyn, opened as a Catering business
·         Knickerbocker Village – 10 Monroe Street
·         Streit Matzo Co. – 150 Rivington Street
·         Yonah Shimmel's Knish Bakery – 137 E. Houston Street
·         Russ & Daughters – 179 E. Houston Street
·         Schapiro's Kosher Wine – Essex Street Market

Synagogues:

• Bialystoker Synagogue – 7–11 Willet Street
• Beth Hamedrash Hagadol – 60–64 Norfolk Street
• Eldridge Street Synagogue – 12 Eldridge Street
• Kehila Kedosha Janina – 280 Broome Street
• Angel Orensanz Center – the fourth-oldest synagogue building in the United States.
• Congregation Chasam Sopher
• Meseritz Synagogue
• Stan Boyanerkloiz at 247 East Broadway, opened in 1928 by the Boyaner Rebbe of New Yorkton Street Synagogue

Eldridge Street Synagogue