Walking Tour - Jewish Chelsea

73 Winnisimmet Street,Chelsea MA 02150

23 May, 2021

Description

Chelsea: Memories of "Little Jerusalem" and the Immigrant Experience In the late nineteenth century, Jewish immigrants escaping persecution and miserable poverty in Eastern Europe began to arrive in Chelsea, Massachusetts. By the 1920s, over half of Chelsea’s population identified as Jewish, earning the city the nickname “Little Jerusalem.” Yiddish was spoken in most Jewish homes and on the streets. Rag and metal salvage businesses offered jobs and business opportunities to newly arrived immigrants. Small, family-owned stores provided a ladder for those aspiring to the middle-class. The smells of deli foods, pickles, and freshly baked challah filled the air. Theatres, social clubs, schools, and synagogues (also called shuls), were important community centers, strengthening ties and defining Chelsea’s neighborhoods. After World War II, upward socio-economic mobility and expanding American highways led to Jewish migrations from Chelsea. By the 1990’s, Chelsea’s Jewish community existed mostly in memories. This tour was researched and developed by Ellen Rovner. Since 2015 Ellen has presented tours of Chelsea as part of the Chelsea Gateway Project. The project's mission is to share the landscape of Chelsea's one-time Jewish community as a forum to understand the immigrant experience. She was raised in Chelsea as the third generation of an immigrant family, Ellen is a cultural anthropologist. Along with her community based work she has taught at Boston University and is a former Visiting Scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center. This walk is presented by Chelsea Prospers, a program of the City of Chelsea. Chelsea Prospers facilitates events, public art and human-centered infrastructure projects in the City of Chelsea, with the goal of weaving community connections and healthier, happier and more prosperous City.