The Eldridge Street Synagogue now know as the Museum at Eldridge Street was built in 1886 and thrived for decades. After WWII, Jews steadily moved out of the Lower East Side and by the 1970s, the building was in complete disrepair and in danger of falling down. Its dwindling congregation sealed off the main sanctuary and worshipped in a smaller space in the basement. Beginning in 1986, this video was made by me in conjunction with the American History Workshop to raise funds to restore and save the building. After twenty years and over $20 million dollars later, the building was successfully and beautifully restored and is now open to the public at 12 Eldridge St., NYC's Lower East Side.
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