Browse In the Neighborhood Stories

Select a Theme
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

I was very conscious of being Jewish because at Christmastime I would be the only one who wo...

I was very conscious of being Jewish because at Christmastime I would be the only one who would do the Hanukkah display. There was one other Jewish girl in my class, a very good friend. When she moved away, I was the lone Jew in my grade in grammar school, so I was very conscious of it. I also remember missing school for the High Holy Days and getting razzed about that: “How come you don’t have to go to school the first two days of school?” It was nothing anti-Semitic, just that I was different from other people. *Comments taken from Oral History, recorded on March 15, 2004.

Susie Stern, Chair of the Board, 2004-2007
None
None
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

I taught yoga for many years, and as I got older myself I taught gentle yoga and senior yoga...

I taught yoga for many years, and as I got older myself I taught gentle yoga and senior yoga, and now chair yoga. At the New Jewish Home, I've been teaching for 5 years. I always tell the class, do what's comfortable for you! Join in whenever you're comfortable.

None
None
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

I lost my job in 2010 and I applied for a security license and a bus license but no one was ...

I lost my job in 2010 and I applied for a security license and a bus license but no one was hiring me. Things weren't getting too good and I ended up joining a program that out people back into work. I finished the program and went on a couple interviews and on one of them I got asked to work Monday through Friday at a Jewish Community Center in Plainview. I was ecstatic at the opportunity and I couldn't pass it up. The decision to work here has been one of the best and most fulfilling experiences of my life and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Jose Tejada
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

Once, while walking to dinner on the UWS with my cousins, who had lived on the UWS for years, but hadn't gotten involved in a Jewish community, I bumped into 5 people I knew in a 5 block stretch. After ...

Once, while walking to dinner on the UWS with my cousins, who had lived on the UWS for years, but hadn't gotten involved in a Jewish community, I bumped into 5 people I knew in a 5 block stretch. After sufficient ribbing for being the "mayor of the UWS," we settled down to a lovely cousins' dinner--only to be interrupted three more times by friends, and once more as we bid farewell outside the burger joint. In response to their incredulity I simply said: "That's the power of Jewish community!"

on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

I moved to New York for university. Here I have had the opportunity to make great friends, begin my career and connect to the Jewish community as a whole.

I moved to New York for university. Here I have had the opportunity to make great friends, begin my career and connect to the Jewish community as a whole.

Federico Zepeda
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

During my years in rabbinical school, I'd often head to the Upper East Side for Friday Evening Services. I loved walking the streets watching men, women, and children, prepare for Shabbat. Everyone dressed in their finest, a mob of people, ...

During my years in rabbinical school, I'd often head to the Upper East Side for Friday Evening Services. I loved walking the streets watching men, women, and children, prepare for Shabbat. Everyone dressed in their finest, a mob of people, walking briskly, heading to dinner or to shul. Without fail, I'd be greeted with a "Shabbat Shalom!" by a total stranger. It made New York a much smaller and more intimate place.

Andy Gordon
None
None
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

As a Program Manager at Central Queens Y, I remember partnering with my first Jewish organiz...

As a Program Manager at Central Queens Y, I remember partnering with my first Jewish organization. Chanie Zalmanov was kind enough to share with me the 'do's' and 'don'ts' of working with the Jewish community. After our conversation, we learned that our cultures are very much alike. It helped me to understand how the Italian and Jewish communities have been able to work so well together throughout NYC history. Since that conversation I was able to partner with and gain the respect of over a dozen other Jewish camps, businesses and organizations, as well as their families!

Calogero Argento
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

I grew up, like most South-Brooklyn Jewish boys, being primed to become a doctor or a banker. I tested the waters in banking for a short while. After my third, distraught, 85-hour week, I hit a local Greenwich bar for ...

I grew up, like most South-Brooklyn Jewish boys, being primed to become a doctor or a banker. I tested the waters in banking for a short while. After my third, distraught, 85-hour week, I hit a local Greenwich bar for some Sunday, recovery breakfast. A middle-aged man turned and spoke to me like not only could he read my mind, but also trace every step I've taken and choice I've made. He shared some words of wisdom that must have been passed down for generations. He said, "Son, you look like shit... It's 7am on a Sunday, and you're drinking coffee with Irish Cream... Only bankers do that.. You would think a nice man like yourself would be in real estate." After placing me as a protagonist in a Brooklynite fairy tale, that has been told many times before, we fast-forward a successful 1.5 years later where I'm happy with a new career. This story isn't about success, it's about having some seasoned, hebrew wisdom to open our eyes from time to time in this city.

Alexander Gornik
None
None
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

I grew up in a small suburban town in Pennsylvania, where there were very few Jewish people....

I grew up in a small suburban town in Pennsylvania, where there were very few Jewish people. My friends were all Christians and it was tough being different & celebrating different holidays. Three years ago, I decided to pack up and move to New York City. Being surrounded by Jewish culture, food, & customs in this city has helped me develop an appreciation and absolute love for my heritage. I’ve found Jewish friends, museums, shows, and discovered Jewish and Israeli restaurants (Shout-out to my favorites, 12 Chairs in Soho, and Shalom Japan in Williamsburg!) And thanks to J-Swipe, I now have a Jewish boyfriend (who invited me to his family’s Hanukkah dinner, which was so special!) Moving to New York City was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve never felt so connected, on so many levels, to my religion. I'd love to go to Israel to continue to develop a love for my heritage, experience the culture of the country, visit the treasured historic sites, & to become a better Jew!

Michele Kirschenbaum
None
None
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

For my father growing up in the very Jewish Lower East Side in the 1920s, basketball was the...

For my father growing up in the very Jewish Lower East Side in the 1920s, basketball was the top sport on the playground. Becoming basketball city champions in the 1925-1926 season for Mangin Junior High was an achievement he was always very proud of. Too bad that today the junior high school is no longer there... And neither is the street! But the photo remains - go Mangin!

None
None
on the move onIcon

In the Neighborhood

Sunday at Grandma’s… My fondest memories. 😊

Sunday at Grandma’s… My fondest memories: going every Sunday to Brooklyn as a kid to visit Grandma Minnie and Uncle Sid. The boys (father, brothers, and uncle) watched the “game” all day. Grandma Minnie and Mom talked. And I, the only girl, read — very patiently — until the moment we all sat down at the table to eat Grandma’s stuffed cabbage. Then came Jewish deli. It was the best.

Lori Goodman