A portrait of a man in historical attire is overlaid with text advertising an "America 250 Colonial Jewish New Amsterdam Walking Tour" presented by Eastside Jewish Conservancy and American Sephardi Federation.

Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy

General Admission

LXCL:Thank you for your support! $11 of your ticket price will count as a tax-deductible donation.

Friend of the Conservancy

LXCL:Thank you for your sponsorship! We will acknowledge your donation at the start of the tour and $47 of your ticket price will count as a tax-deductible donation.

Tour Sponsor

Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy
447 Broadway, 2nd FL, No. 893
New York, NY 10013

New York City has long been home to the largest Jewish community in the United States, but did you know it was the first? This tour traces the remarkable journey of the very first American Jewish community: a small group of Jewish refugees from Brazil who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654, established the first synagogue, and fought for the rights and freedoms of future generations. We&rsquo;ll begin at the mouth of New York Harbor, where we&rsquo;ll explore the broader story of Jewish life in the Caribbean before following the refugees&rsquo; path to New Amsterdam. At the monument honoring these first arrivals, we&rsquo;ll uncover the struggles they endured to remain in the Dutch colony. From there, we&rsquo;ll walk the old streets of New Amsterdam, tracing the lives of these early pioneers and their impact on the city&rsquo;s and country&rsquo;s development. Along the way, we&rsquo;ll stop at the site of New York&rsquo;s first synagogue, Shearith Israel, and learn about its enduring legacy. Our journey concludes at the oldest Jewish cemetery in the United States&mdash;now tucked within the bustling heart of Chinatown. Your guide for this tour is Svetlana Kershtein, a professional tour guide who has worked on three continents and holds a Masters Degree in History, specializing in the history of the ancient world. Born in the Soviet Union, she emigrated to Israel where she worked as a licensed tour guide for 11 years. Svetlana&rsquo;s passion for Jewish history, art, music, and cuisine is reflected in her popular tours for the Conservancy. She is fluent in three languages (English, Hebrew, and Russian).

<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Dear <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name ,<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for registering for this tour and supporting your Conservancy. This registration greatly helps advance our mission to preserve and share the history of NYC&#39;s Jewish neighborhoods, beginning with the iconic Lower East Side.<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">If you would like to contribute further, contact us to become a volunteer, or talk to your friends about our cause! You can also make a donation by clicking <a fr-original-style="color:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;user-select:auto;box-sizing:inherit;" href="https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/cf274526-1214-4c37-a25c-85e551636fdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a>.<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> So we can start promptly, please meet your guide, Svetlana Kershtein, at 9:50AM on 19 June 2026 at the parkside corner of Peter Minuit Plaza and State Street. This is the exact location in Google Maps: <a data-fr-linked="true" fr-original-style="" href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/xnhh1T6B2FizopuaA" rel="noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">https://maps.app.goo.gl/xnhh1T6B2FizopuaA</a>.&nbsp; If you have any questions day of please call Svetlana at 1 (201) 873-4899.<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">info@nycjewishtours.org

New York City has long been home to the largest Jewish community in the United States, but did you know it was the first? This tour traces the remarkable journey of the very first American Jewish community: a small group of Jewish refugees from Brazil who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654, established the first synagogue, and fought for the rights and freedoms of future generations. We’ll begin at the mouth of New York Harbor, where we’ll explore the broader story of Jewish life in the Caribbean before following the refugees’ path to New Amsterdam. At the monument honoring these first arrivals, we’ll uncover the struggles they endured to remain in the Dutch colony. From there, we’ll walk the old streets of New Amsterdam, tracing the lives of these early pioneers and their impact on the city’s and country’s development. Along the way, we’ll stop at the site of New York’s first synagogue, Shearith Israel, and learn about its enduring legacy. Our journey concludes at the oldest Jewish cemetery in the United States—now tucked within the bustling heart of Chinatown. Your guide for this tour is Svetlana Kershtein, a professional tour guide who has worked on three continents and holds a Masters Degree in History, specializing in the history of the ancient world. Born in the Soviet Union, she emigrated to Israel where she worked as a licensed tour guide for 11 years. Svetlana’s passion for Jewish history, art, music, and cuisine is reflected in her popular tours for the Conservancy. She is fluent in three languages (English, Hebrew, and Russian).

Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy

Festival Sefarad America250 Colonial Jewish New Amsterdam Walking Tour

Meeting Point Provided After Registration

General Admission

$25

Friend of the Conservancy

$36

Tour Sponsor

$72