Jewish New York
overview
Though here earlier, Jewish immigrants arrived in New York City in significant numbers from Germany in the mid-19th century and then in particularly large waves from Eastern Europe beginning in 1881.
LGBT Jewish New Yorkers featured in this curated theme mostly descended from working-class immigrant families and made a profound impact on the American arts scene, LGBT activism, and religious life. These include composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein, poet Allen Ginsberg, archivist and activist Joan Nestle, PFLAG co-founder Jeanne Manford, those associated with Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, and more.
We continue to research sites that highlight the contributions of LGBT Jewish New Yorkers. Submit your suggestions here.
Historic Sites in Jewish New York
Eve Adams, the name adopted by a Polish-Jewish lesbian émigré, operated a popular gay and lesbian tearoom in this rowhouse near Washington Square in Greenwich Village, from 1924 to 1926.... Learn More
Renowned gay rights pioneer Franklin (“Frank”) E. Kameny grew up in this semi-detached brick house from 1925 to 1948. Kameny, who frequently visited his parents’ house until 1979, became a... Learn More
Considered one of the first, great pioneers of LGBT rights in the early 20th century, German-Jewish physician and sexologist, Magnus Hirschfeld, arrived in New York in November 1930 to begin... Learn More
Composer Aaron Copland – one of the most celebrated figures in classical music – lived in the Hotel Empire from 1936 to 1947 during the height of his career. While... Learn More
Behind this tenement building is another building at the back of the lot that was the home of civil rights activists, conscientious objectors, and pacifists Igal Roodenko, from 1947 to... Learn More
Leonard Bernstein, perhaps the most influential figure in American classical music during the post-war era, lived in the Osborne Apartments from 1951 until c. 1960. During this time he wrote... Learn More
Between May 1959 and early 1964, fashion designer Arnold Scaasi used this building, which he owned, as his design studio, showrooms, and residence. Scaasi would later gain worldwide attention when... Learn More
A founding figure of the Beat Generation, one of the 20th century’s most important literary movements, the openly gay poet Allen Ginsberg lived in this tenement building with his “life-long... Learn More
Jerome Robbins was a renowned Broadway choreographer of musicals such as West Side Story, Gypsy, and Fiddler on the Roof, and director and choreographer of some of the most popular ballets of the... Learn More
From 1969 to 1974, the Church of the Holy Apostles in Chelsea was one of the most important meeting places in New York City for organizations of the early post-Stonewall... Learn More
In 1972, Queens schoolteacher Jeanne Manford publicly spoke out in support of her gay son Morty at a time when homosexuality was still classified as a mental disorder by the... Learn More
From 1974 to 2002, apartment 13A in this Upper West Side building was the residence of Joan Nestle, an influential lesbian activist and co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives. A... Learn More
Best known for his 1970s Frog and Toad picture books, heralded as classics of children’s literature, award-winning author and illustrator Arnold Lobel lived in this Park Slope rowhouse from 1973... Learn More
Many of the most popular lyrics of the American Songbook from the 1920s and 1930s were the work of Lorenz Hart, who lived at the Beresford from 1935 to 1939.... Learn More
On April 16, 1993, the International Action Center hosted a lecture and reading by transgender activist and writer Leslie Feinberg, whose ground-breaking novel Stone Butch Blues was newly published. This... Learn More
