25 women left the Boston area on a comfortable mini bus loaded with bagels, juice and coffee and headed to New York City to enjoy "Jewish New York". First stop was the Ohel, located in Queens, the sacred spot where the Grand Rebbe of the Lubavitch sect of Orthodox Jews and his wife are laid to rest. Prayer notes and words of gratitude are written on small pieces of paper and strewn near the headstones of the Rebbe and his wife while those paying their respect walk past quietly. This was an incredibly impactful and emotional experience.
We then headed into Crown Heights, Brooklyn and enjoyed a delicious lunch and tour of a Tefillin maker's shop and then walked into the Women's section of the synagogue of the Chabad world headquarters. Again, a very interesting experience for the women on the trip. Next stop was the Marriott hotel and after a short rest we headed to a nearby kosher restaurant for an unbelievably exquisite dinner in a private area just for our group.
Breakfast was "on our own" and then we boarded our mini bus for the trip downtown to the Lower East Side. We went on the Tenement Museum's tour and had a glimpse of what life was like for many of our ancestors, upon arriving in NYC in the early 20th century. We felt so connected to the immigrants who lived in this robust, frenetic, crowded neighborhood after seeing the extremely well reproduced living quarters of the Museum's buildings. We then headed over to the Eldridge Street Synagogue and were given an impromptu tour of that fascinating and beautiful building with quite a storied past! Our bus driver then dropped us at a stairway near the Hotel Standard where we headed up to the NYC High Line, the public park built on a historic freight train line on Manhattan's West Side. This gorgeous elevated walkway spanning about 2 miles is a photographer's dream! We took a few selfies and... Next stop was the Upper West Side where some stopped into Zabar's to bring some yummy treats home or enjoyed lunch at a diner before the mini bus driver called out "Next Stop, Riverside!". Fabulous overnight enjoyed by all, organized perfectly by Robyn Kaplan.
