Mendelssohn on the Hudson is a self-guided historical and musical walking tour that follows the footsteps of the German Jews and others who fled 1930s Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights, also referred to at the time as "Frankfurt on the Hudson." The self-directed historical tour route – offering autonomy, fresh air, and social distancing – includes West 181 Street to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, and points in between.
The musical stories presented at their specific locations offer a rare, multi-layered connection between storyteller and listener. It's an unusual, accessible, and free musical experience via smartphone or another internet-enabled device. During the tour, visitors will hear via podcast twelve episodes with songs based on true field-collected stories from neighborhood residents set to Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Each song offers and retains a snapshot of German Jewish life from the 1930s to the near-present. Mendelssohn on the Hudson is unique in combining oral history, musical theatre, classical music, and local landmarks into a compelling record of the German Jewish culture of Northern Manhattan.
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Mendelssohn on the Hudson is a self-guided historical and musical walking tour that follows the footsteps of the German Jews and others who fled 1930s Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights, also referred to at the time as "Frankfurt on the Hudson." The self-directed historical tour route – offering autonomy, fresh air, and social distancing – includes West 181 Street to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, and points in between.
The musical stories presented at their specific locations offer a rare, multi-layered connection between storyteller and listener. It's an unusual, accessible, and free musical experience via smartphone or another internet-enabled device. During the tour, visitors will hear via podcast twelve episodes with songs based on true field-collected stories from neighborhood residents set to Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Each song offers and retains a snapshot of German Jewish life from the 1930s to the near-present. Mendelssohn on the Hudson is unique in combining oral history, musical theatre, classical music, and local landmarks into a compelling record of the German Jewish culture of Northern Manhattan.
Northwest corner of 185th St. at 551 Fort Washington AvenueWe are outside the current home of the Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights (https://hebrewtabernacle.org/) congregation. It owns a copy of the Gedenkbuch (https://www.ushmm.org/online/hsv/source_view.php?SourceId=30920), the Book of Remembrance, which memorializes the 150,000 Jews lost within German borders between 1933 and 1945. For the religious, synagogues remained an important part of their lives here.Lillian, a member of this congregation, tells a story illustrating the close calls that made the difference between emigrating and not being able to leave Europe at all.
Mendelssohn on the Hudson
Mendelssohn on the Hudson is a self-guided historical and musical walking tour that follows the footsteps of the German Jews and others who fled 1930s Nazi Germany to settle in Washington Heights, also referred to at the time as "Frankfurt on the Hudson." The self-directed historical tour route – offering autonomy, fresh air, and social distancing – includes West 181 Street to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park, and points in between.
The musical stories presented at their specific locations offer a rare, multi-layered connection between storyteller and listener. It's an unusual, accessible, and free musical experience via smartphone or another internet-enabled device. During the tour, visitors will hear via podcast twelve episodes with songs based on true field-collected stories from neighborhood residents set to Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Each song offers and retains a snapshot of German Jewish life from the 1930s to the near-present. Mendelssohn on the Hudson is unique in combining oral history, musical theatre, classical music, and local landmarks into a compelling record of the German Jewish culture of Northern Manhattan.
