New Exhibit Shows History Of Jews Earning A Living On Long Island

GLEN COVE, NY — The topic of Jewish working life on Long Island is explored in a new exhibit, organized by the Jewish Historical Society of Long Island.

The program, which delves into three centuries of businesses, is on display at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center in Glen Cove.

Brad Kolodny, who runs the historical society, told Patch AM, "we gathered hundreds of artifacts and put together an exhibit that tells the comprehensive story of how Jews earned a living."

For Kolodny, it's a nice companion piece to his book released in March about the history of Jews on Long Island from 1705-1918.

He said Long Island has the fourth-largest Jewish population in the country, "and for whatever reason, the history of Judaism on Long Island has been overlooked."

The exhibit looks at some of the individuals from decades past who found ways to make ends meet.

For example, there was Jacob Hartman, who had a bottling and ice manufacturing business in 1870s Amityville.

"There was a pond on property that he owned and in the winter manufactured ice," Kolodny said. "Part of the exhibit has the tools that he actually used."

The exhibit will run for at least six months at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, but spokesperson Dana Arschin said it's a good partnership.

"Obviously, our focus here at HMTC is on Holocaust education, but we are a Long Island institution," she said. "What better place to have an exhibit showcasing Jewish life."

The suggested admission to the center is $10, which includes the special historical exhibit.