Public Programs

Community Memory Forum: Elmira’s Jewish East Side

Thursday June 28th 7pm

Chemung Valley History Museum

What was Elmira’s old East Side like before redevelopment? What do people remember about the Jewish neighborhood? Join us for a community memory forum to learn about the grocery stories, bakeries, synagogues, and residents who made this vanished part of Elmira their home.  Curators Maria Kennedy and Erin Doane will discuss research from the current exhibit “At the Jewish Table: Food, Family, and Heritage in Elmira,” joined by David Siskin, Jerry Stemerman, and other community members.  Bring your own memories to share, and contribute your story to the museum’s oral history collection.

Documentary Screening: Streit’s Matzo and the American Dream

Talk by Professor Elissa Sampson

Thursday August 23rd 7:30pm

Congregation Kol Ami

1008 W Water St, Elmira, NY 14905

Professor Elissa Sampson of Cornell University’s Jewish Studies Program will join us to present the documentary Streit’s Matzo and the American Dream.  Professor Sampson speaks in the documentary as an expert on the history of the Lower East Side.