Block by Block: Mapping the Evolution of Chinatown and Yiddish New York

In anticipation of the Museum at Eldridge Street’s 25th Annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, & Empanadas Street Festival on June 21, join multimedia journalist Aaron Reiss and Dr. Agnieszka (Agi) Legutko, Director of the Yiddish Language Program at Columbia University, on Thursday, May 14th at 6pm Eastern Time on Zoom to discuss the role of digital mapping in tracing the evolution of Chinese and Yiddish-speaking communities in New York City.
In his journalism work, Aaron Reiss uses maps as visual arguments and storytelling tools. In 2022, he co-reported an interactive map and story for The New York Times chronicling the origins and disappearance of Chinatown’s Chinese street signs, investigating the history of the neighborhood on a hyperlocal scale. Since 2014, Dr. Agi Legutko has worked with Columbia University’s students on Mapping Yiddish New York, an online archive documenting the historic sites of Yiddish New York, from Yiddish record labels to iconic theaters and restaurants. The ongoing project invites users to discover the spaces, people, and events that shaped Yiddish culture in the city.
Registration for this Zoom program is pay-what-you-wish. The following are suggested amounts for each ticket type:
Adults $12
Seniors $10
Students $8
Photo credit: Carl T. Gossett/The New York Times



