Jewish Culture in NYC

Something that surprises many people who move to New York City is how ubiquitous Jewish culture is. Everywhere you can find synagogues, kosher delis, and business doorways with mezuzim on them. The fact is, the New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish population center in the world, outside of Israel.In the forty years between 1880 and 1920 over one-million Eastern European Jews migrated to New York and by 1914 the Jewish population of NYC exceeded 1.5 million. The large Jewish population, today at 1.1 million out of a total NYC population of 8.2 million, has affected the makeup of the city as well as the culture.If you’re coming into New York City from anywhere outside Eastern Europe or the Middle East you may be unfamiliar with Judaism and Jewish culture. We’ve put together a short guide on some basics so you can better understand your neighbors and their culture.

Jewish areas of the city

Historically, the Lower East Side of Manhattan was where the majority of Jewish immigrants settled and for many years it was the center of Jewish culture in NYC. Though now the area is largely homogenized, it still retains the unmistakable marks of its former residents - synagogues, Jewish day schools, Judaica shops and kosher delis dot the area and you can often see mezuzim fixed to the doorframes of houses in this area. Though many of the theaters are now gone, Second Avenue was known as “Yiddish Broadway” during the early 1900s due to the large amount of theaters showing productions in Yiddish.While Jewish New Yorkers are now spread throughout all five boroughs, the largest concentration is in Brooklyn with an estimated population of 456,000 in 2003. Borough Park is probably the most notable of these areas, as many orthodox Jews live close to booming Williamsburg. The largely Hasidic population continues to grow at some of the fastest rates in the city, earning it the title of “baby boom capital” of New York City.

Jewish Language?

While Jewish residents of NYC come from a variety of countries, for many years the majority of New York Jews spoke Yiddish. According to U.S. Census data in 2000 over 100,000 Yiddish speakers were living in New York – more than three quarters of the Yiddish speaking population in the U.S.Unlike other major world languages, Yiddish is a language with no specific country associated with it. It is a Jewish language and originates as a fusion of several other languages including Hebrew, Aramaic, and German. Though it is no longer the most spoken language among Jews in the city, Yiddish has left its mark.Many Yiddish words have crept into common English usage throughout New York City. Some you may come across include:Yenta – an old gossipy womanSchlep – to haul something from one place to another – usually something cumbersomeTchotchke – a small item that has little value; a knick-knack.Oy vey! – an expression of exasperationSchmear – a spread of something, most often meaning cream cheese – usually on a bagelChutzpah – daring, nerve, audacitySchmooze – to chat, to converseKvetch – to moan and complain

Jewish Holy Days

There are many holidays in the Jewish calendar and while none of them are federally recognized holidays, many schools in New York will close or deliberately schedule teacher conferences on major Jewish holidays so that Jewish families can celebrate together. It is also not unusual for adults to take a day off work to celebrate and generally employers are cooperative.The Jewish calendar is calculated based on both lunar and solar cycles and thus does not match the Gregorian calendar in use by most Americans. Days officially end and a new day begins at sundown, so Jewish holidays often span two typical calendar days and their dates on the Gregorian calendar change each year. Because of this, Jewish businesses often end work before sundown on Friday and are closed on Saturdays as this is the “Shabbat” or Sabbath, a religious day of rest.Rosh HashanahThis is the Jewish new year celebration and marks the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. in 2014 it occurrs from September 25-26. You can wish your Jewish friends and co-workers “happy new year” or go for the traditional Hebrew greeting of “Shana tova,” which means “a good year.”Yom KippurThis is the holiest of Jewish holidays and is known as the Day of Atonement during which fasting, charity, and prayers for forgiveness of sin are offered up. In 2014 it will occur on October 4. Yom Kippur is not a happy holiday, so greetings in recognition of the day are wishing people to “have a meaningful fast.”HanukkahAlso known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah is probably the most well-known Jewish holiday, due to its usual proximity to Christmas. Many people often mistake this holiday as a Jewish version of Christmas, however while gifts are traditionally given over the eight day period of Hanukkah, that is where the similarity ends. This holiday commemorates the anniversary of the rededication of the Holy Temple in the 2nd century B.C. Hanukkah will next be celebrated from December 17-24, 2014. During this time the traditional greeting is simply “Happy Hanukkah” or “Chanukkah Sameach.”Pesach / PassoverThis holiday commemorates the exodus of the ancient Israelite people from Egypt where they had been kept in slavery. It is celebrated with a symbolic meal, recital of blessings, and readings from the Torah. It will next be celebrated from April 4 to April 11, 2015. Any time during Passover you can wish your Jewish friends “Chag Sameach” which means “happy festival.”There are many more Jewish holy days but these are some of the most important.If you are interested in learning more about Jewish history and culture there are many resources available to you within New York City. You may want to visit The Jewish Museum, The Museum of Jewish Heritage, orThe Center for Jewish History.Shalom aleichem!Article updated September 25, 2014