The Museum at Eldridge St.

The Museum is housed inside the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the first great house of worship built in America by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. With its soaring 50-foot ceiling, decorative painted finishes, and luminous stained glass, the synagogue feels like a short ride to heaven and is an inspiring contrast to the crowded tenements, factories and shops of the Lower East Side. Since it reopened in 2007 following a $20 million restoration, 250,000 people have visited on tours or participated in cultural events that take place nearly every night. At the heart of the new visitor center opened in June 2014 is a permanent exhibit of Yiddish signs, Jewish ritual objects, historic photos and most poignant of all, excerpts from the Museum's collection of oral histories. Do check on the Festival calendar such as the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas Festival celebrating the nabe's diversity.