This Sunday, November 16 event in Manhattan also comes from the Jewish Heritage E-Report (November 13, 2008) Edited by Samuel D. Gruber (see also here)

The Lower East Side Conservancy offers a walking tour (approximately 2 and ½ hours) of a largely unknown period of Jewish history on this coming Sunday, November 16th. The tour will include a visit to the usually locked early cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel, across from Chatham Square. The cemetery is the oldest surviving Jewish burial place in New York.

The tour traces the history of the first Jewish settlement in the United States, visiting the sites (most original features do not survive) of the first Jewish institutions in New Amsterdam (later renamed New York):

• First & Second Spanish/Portuguese Rented Synagogues of Congregation Shearith Israel;
• First Mill Street Synagogue;
• Colonial Revival Houses;
• Stone Street;
• Sites of the homes of: Asser Levy,( ?-1681) New Amsterdam's first kosher butcher &
Gershom Mendes Seixas, (1745-1816), first native-born Jewish minister.

It's really rare that the three major metropolitan dailies agree on anything, but in the Newell-Henry-Silver race in the 64th, they're unanimous: Dump Sheldon Silver. Yesterday, the Daily News rounded out the trifecta of The New York Times and The New York Post.

The New York Daily News:

The time has come for the voters of lower Manhattan to turn Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver out of office.

After 32 years in his seat, including 14 years as the Assembly's maximum leader, Silver embodies the insider's game that has captured the state Legislature, to the detriment of 19 million New Yorkers.

Silver's constituents would serve the cause of open, responsive government - and rock Albany to its foundations - by pulling the lever in Tuesday's Democratic primary for challenger Paul Newell.

Across America in this election year, people are demanding change. Let's have it in Albany, too.

Such a vote could mark the start of a revolution. For dumping Silver would send the unmistakable message that the people of this state want a responsible, deliberative Legislature rather than a boss-run fiefdom....

When they go to the polls Tuesday, Democratic voters of the 64th Assembly District - perhaps 15,000 strong - have the opportunity to bring desperately needed change to all New York. And they have a solid choice in Newell, who displays impressive passion about the quality of life in neighborhoods across lower Manhattan.

Elect Newell. Dump Silver.

The editorial boards of the Times, Post and News probably would have a hard time agreeing that hot and cold running water are a good thing. That they all came out and endorsed a challenger - one of two challengers, to be precise - is noteworthy. At a minimum, the issue of Albany reform has now been raised in the only language Albany incumbents understand, in a challenge at the ballot box to their cushy tenures.

There are two hotly contested primaries happening this Tuesday in our fair City's core, both of which feature young, Progressive reformers going up against well-established incumbents. In one case, we have Paul Newell and Luke Henry taking on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, in what Errol Louis called the most important race in this state; in the other, former Senate Minority Leader Marty Connor is in the fight of his life against Progressive challenger Daniel Squadron.

Here's a map: light blue is the 64th AD, red, the 25th Senate District.

The Working Families Party has taken positions in both races. In the SD-25 race, they're backing Dan Squadron, saying:

"This district is in need of a State Senator who will champion responsible development and shake things up in Albany. Daniel Squadron has a proven record of fighting for change," said Rocky Chin a member of the Chinatown/Lower East Side Club of the Working Families Party.

In the AD-64 race, by contrast, WFP stuck with Silver, arguing:

Been awhile since I've done a restaurant review, but feel inspired today to write one of a restaurant we have been to a couple of times in the Murray Hill area.

Indo Munch on Lexington near 31st St.
182,Lexington Avenue,
NY, NY - 10016
Ph:212-545-0010, 212-545-0017

Took me awhile to try the new fusion Indian/Chinese cuisine that hit Lexington last year. First stuff I tried was some ready made Indian/Chinese food I bought from a company in India that sells in bulk those packaged prepared Indian food. Good stuff, but not speectacular. Hadn't tried any restaurants until recently. But we started trying a couple of places in the last few months and have quite liked it. The mixing of Chinese and Indian flavors works very nicely, though often individual dishes will lean quite a bit towards one or the other cuisine. Many dishes are served either "dry" or in "gravy." I think the dry is slightly better, but both are good.

Here is a sampling of what we have tried:

Frontpaged, and welcome. - Bouldin

Just about a year ago when I began volunteering with a political campaign for the first time, my candidate was considered a long shot at best. That candidate was facing the full weight of an overwhelming political establishment. Opinion makers quickly dismissed the upstart candidate as too young and too inexperienced, noting the primary would be nothing more than a formality or procedural obstacle on the way to the front runner's inevitable coronation [1].

(crossposted to dailykos)

Of course, that "incumbent" candidate was Hillary Clinton; Barack Obama, my candidate, the one pundits expected to implode into a cloud of inexperience under the crushing weight of the establishment with an audible 'poof', is now our Democratic nominee. There's still a great deal of work to be done before Barack Obama becomes our 44th President, but he's out of the gate with a strong lead, even with the wounds of our the long, contentious primary campaign still slowly mending.

New to politics a year ago, I entered the fray with only a passing familiarity with the candidates various policy proposals. Despite my indifference and apathy at the time, Barack Obama's commitment to good government policies -- specifically campaign finance reform, government transparency and ethics reform -- drew me into the campaign, and eventually into Democratic politics for good. I could go on and on about my admiration for Obama's dedication to these issues, how good-government, campaign finance, and increased transparency are the prerequisites for lasting change, but I imagine there's little need to trumpet Obama in a progressive place like DG (for the record, this post was originally written for a broader audience at dailykos -- I hope I my relative ignorance of state issues compared to the average DG reader doesn't spoil the message).

Well, once again I'm rooting for the reformer-underdog. Still, despite the overwhelming weight of New York's establishment machine bearing down on Paul Newell campaign, I'm more convinced than ever that Obama-style bottom-up Change is precisely what NY state so desperately needs.

NEWELLNYC.ORG

culturekitchen is one of the sponsors of techPresident's online presidential forum, 10questions.com.

The submission period is coming to an end in 5 more days. Thanks to my computer woes, I've been remiss at following up on this fantastic opportunity to ask the hard questions to the candidates; but not any more.

I am calling on all the NYC-based sponsors of 10Questions.com to come spend Sunday afternoon with me at Rapture Cafe in the East Village. I'll be there from 3:00pm to 6:00pm downing coffees and making video clips of everybody who wants to submit a clip to 10questions.

We have the cameras, we have the computers. Rapture Cafe has the coffee, beer and WiFi.

What does that mean? If you don't have a digital camera with video capabilities, a computer with WiFi or both, just bring yourself, even a friend and don't forget your thirst for a latte.

Where?
Rapture Cafe
(http://rapturecafe.com )
200 Avenue A
Between 12th and 13th Streets
NYC

When?
3 to 6pm

Questions?
nyc.blogdiva@gmail.com

Still catching up on good restaurant reviews. For reference, here are my past reviews:

Maison du Couscous (excellent Moroccan food in Bay Ridge), Biscuit (Brooklyn's best Carolina style BBQ), the Bourgeois Pig (a quirky wine bar near Washington Square Park in Manhattan), Cafe Steinhof (Authentic Austrian cuisine in Park Slope), and BB Sandwich (NYC style Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches with a balsamic touch near Washington Sq. Park), and Palo Santo, wonderful, if not cheap, Latin America cuisine in Park Slope.

Coney Island, 1 September 2007

I think unitedstatians have a weird sense of humor. How can you explain celebrating Labor Day on the last day of Summer?

In this household we are not typical americanos by any stretch of the imagination. Especially my kids. As good slash-puertoricans, they would rather be boogie boarding in Isla Verde than fighting the crowds at Sandy Beach.

So we are going to high-tail it to the park and the museum for our last day together, to have some fun.

How are you spending your 'labor' day?

This comes from the Municipal Art Society: (I can't make it...will be doing the final practice run of my talk for the International C. elegans Meeting at UCLA, but sounds good!)

New York’s waterfront is being transformed. From Brooklyn Bridge Park to Throg’s Neck on the East River alone, over 1000 acres of redevelopment is slated to occur over the upcoming years. This scale of development is an enormous opportunity - and a risk. Too much waterfront development in recent years has created sterile, privatized places that don’t do justice to New York.

Now is the time to set an agenda to ensure we create an East River waterfront that reflects the diversity, vibrancy and future sustainability of New York. Responding to the Mayor’s bold plan to reclaim 90% of New York’s waterways for recreational use, the Municipal Art Society and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance are part of a coalition of over 40 groups that is launching the East River Agenda on next Thursday, June 21st on East River Day.