hebrew

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Jewish People and History - Ancient and Modern, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Does anyone know what a "Jewish New Year Parade" is? As far as I know there is no such thing, and a google search got me nowhere (except back here)! Maybe they mean Tashlikh or maybe Jews at a parade on 1 January!?

i have never heard of this before, either... very curious... i will do some hunting when i can, too...

Probably a misnomer. The photographer or person cataloging it noted many people dressed up and walking in the same direction (to the synagogue) and called it a parade.

Building is too windowed for a warehouse - maybe a factory or even a school. There's a wall plaque just before the right border; maybe with sufficient resolution it could be read. Agree that 'parade' is misnomer/misinterpretation, but Sept 12, 1912 was indeed the beginning of Rosh Hashonah. They must have been on the way to services..

Great photo! I've had a lot of fun trying to figure out exactly where this shot was taken. I noticed that under the "additional information" section on the right it says it was taken some time in 1910, but the photo itself says it was taken on May 1, 1911.

This article from the NY Times - dated May 2, 1911 - appears to detail this parade. It calls it the "annual Socialist and organized labor May Day parade" which included "10,000 trade union members of both sexes." The parade paid special tribute to the victims of the recent Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (as noted above). The article mentions that the parade passed the scene of the fire (the Asch building at Greene St. & Washington Pl.). Also, with regard to the umbrellas in the photo, the article states that a heavy rain began to fall as the parade approached Union Square. query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990DEFDF1E3EE2...

Oh crimony, I know exactly where this is. It's the corner of 13th Street and University Place. The building on the corner is now known as the Amalgamated Lithographers of America Building. Kevin Walsh has a current picture of it on his website; as you can see, it's lost a lot of its street-level facade.

Fur business in the foreground is addressed 121. Based on link epicharmus supplied, it's 121 University Place. That's currently a business called Bar 13. Here's the scene in Google maps streetview. Note that the Ninth Regiment plaque, installed in 1908, used to be to the left of the entrance. Now it's to the right, on the corner (as described in ephicharmus' link, and visible in streetview).

Really nice photo I love it

does anyone have translations of the hebrew or italian signs?

The Italian sign on the left is a demand for a trade union closed shop. Literally: "We ask that the shops are occupied only by unionists." The signs with Hebrew letters are likely to be in Yiddish - that was the language of Eastern European Jewish immigrants to the US. Yiddish is written in Hebrew letters, in the same way that English is written in "Roman" letters. The one on the left has an English message on its other visible side which looks like it is probably something along the lines of "We demand closed shops and open doors", judging by the message on the Italian sign.

This is a lovely set of pics - big thanks to the Library of Congress for putting them up here. But I'd have thought the LoC might have access to some translation service or researchers with language skills... it's a pity if it doesn't.

I think the other Italian sign might be something like: "Down with the spies and those who have sold out to the bosses/been bought by the bosses." But it would be good to hear from someone who actually speaks Italian...

OK, last guess for today: the Yiddish sign at the back could well be calling for an eight-hour day. That would be the likeliest reason for a big number 8 on a strikers' placard in 1913. Come on Yiddish and Italian speakers - we need you! And a happy May Day 2009 to workers of all countries and languages!