Not Tevia’s Shtetl: The Real Story Behind these Ancestral Towns

Find all upcoming programming from the Museum at Eldridge Street at www.eldridgestreet.org/events.
Recorded: October 15, 2023
The Eldridge Street Synagogue, which now houses the Museum at Eldridge Street, was built by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in 1887 to represent their new lives in America, despite their humble origins in the small towns (shtetls) of Eastern Europe. Join us with historian Dr. Zachary Mazur as we explore the truth about shtetl life, and what remains of it today.
Ashkenazi Jews around the world can trace their roots to small towns in Eastern Europe. Before making the leap to a big shtot (city), Jews in Eastern Europe lived for centuries in shtetls. These places have become shrouded in myth and clouded by memories. Join us for an adventure into the real stories of the towns where our ancestors fell in love, experienced frustration, and tried to get ahead. At the end we’ll talk about what remains of these hallowed places and what’s being done to preserve Jewish heritage in places where Jews are absent.
About the Speaker:
Zachary Mazur earned his Ph.D. at Yale University where he studied under Professor Timothy Snyder. He’s the author of numerous articles and is finishing a book on Jews, Ukrainians, and Poles in Poland’s economy during the 1920s-30s. He is currently the Senior Historian at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.
Image Credit: Shtetl of Kretinge. 1914. The Lost Shtetl Museum.

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Most interesting and enjoyable. Thank you.