I want to thank you for the terrific tour – the Jewish Museum Milwaukee group thoroughly enjoyed visiting the historic, cultural sites selected and learning about their Jewish connections and significance. Several members of the group commented to me on how much they enjoyed your stories and commentary; they gleaned a great deal and found the information you shared to be very beneficial. The tour helped to set the stage for our wonderful Philadelphia experience!

I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to explore at the NMAJH and in Philadelphia in general so if we wind up planning another trip I’ll be sure to let you know. Thank you for everything and feel free to add the above to your comments page.

Best,
Molly Dubin
Exhibits and Program Coordinator
Jewish Museum Milwaukee

I wanted to let you know we finally got a copy of your neat Jewish Philadelphia. At the same time, we gifted a copy to some new friends here in Beaufort who are PA transplants(they used to live in Fleetwood).

The photos are great(especially the one of you and Mr. Ben)and the text personal and fun as well as informative. It reminds me of those Off The Beaten Track travel book series, where folks tell you about stuff you’d probably never find on your own and give their opinions and thoughts about a place. The first thing our transplant friends said to us after we gave them the book was, “I can’t wait to see Philly again!” There’s so much in your book none of us knew existed. Thanks for opening our eyes and giving us another excuse to stop in your backyard(you being the first for us, of course).

The students in my Jewish American Literature course at Penn and I would like to thank you for a wonderful walking tour of Jewish Philadelphia on February 15. We found the two hours we spent with you as enlightening as the cold but brilliant sunshine that February granted us. The students were thrilled to visit places we’d read about in the course, like Congregation Mikvah Israel and the corner where the coffee house stood, where Haym Salomon held court, and to hear your eloquent description of other sites that were too far to walk to, such as Rebecca Gratz’s grave in the Mikvah Israel cemetery. We were all impressed by your narrative that highlighted the peaceful coexistence between the Jews and their Christian neighbors, as in the visit to the graves of both Ben Franklin and David Frank in Christ Church Cemetery. The students told me that they particularly enjoyed our stop in Elphreth’s Alley–which transported them back to the 18th century! Thank you for a great tour!

Best,
Kathryn Hellerstein
Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania