For some reason, Second Ave. seems to be more densely populated with history than any other single street in New York, perhaps in the Western Hemisphere. There could be a number of reasons for this, one being that the mythological Second Avenue Subway, that has been “under construction” since my grandfather arrived off the boat, doesn’t exist; so, both history makers and history finders have been forced to walk this avenue with their own feet. Another reason is that the only transportation that ever existed on the easternmost part of the City was Second Avenue Elevated Line, which towered above the street until the 1940s, made all the real estate worthless and turned it into the domain of poor immigrants and other huddling masses who, as always, create the culture which makes a place worth living in.
For a large part of the early 20th Century, the Lower portion of this Avenue was know as the “Yiddish Broadway”. Jewish immigrants, who were then coming in the thousands, had replicated their own villages and shtetls on the Lower East Side, which meant Kosher butchers, Kosher restaurants, Synagogues, and, of course, Yiddish theaters. One of these Restaurants, the aptly named Second Avenue Deli, sought to pay tribute to the many stars of the local Yiddish stage–starts who, perhaps, were now very well know by most of New York, but for this small immigrant community, they were Legends.
Thus, was born the Yiddish Walk of Fame: A strip on Second Avenue in front of the Deli which proudly displays the names and achievements of these local celebrities.
You can now barely read the names, the feet of bank customers not being a great method of upkeep, but they’re still there: A hidden symbol of an older time, a memorial for the hard working people who built this city and then liked to unwind by laughing and crying in their own tongue. Perhaps a tiny story in a big city, but one worth telling.
Have you considered Subscribing to all of this madness?
