Jackson Heights Life

I can't say that I knew of demonstrations here in Jackson Heights. I can say that in the earlier part of JH history if you weren't WASP, you weren't welcomed or lived here. That includes a long list of people besides the Jews. Maybe some Irish domestics were tolerated.

I knew a woman many years ago who told me about JH as the new place to be in it's day.  She and her husband had many friends and business associates in JH that they socialized with. They were frequent guests in eachother's homes as well as the golf course and it's casino. But they lived in Elmhurst because they were Jewish.

Another elderly one time neighbor told me that the love of her life was a Jew. That was back in the late 30's and early 40's. They never married because it wouldn't be tolerated,  sad as that was. It was likely more than just the neighborhood, but the two families as well. They remained close friends through the years. He eventually married, she remained single.

Later on things did change and there was a decent Jewish presence here. But that does seem somewhat diminshed these days for whatever various reasons. Or maybe it is that they just dont attend synagouge.

Today it feels like all walks of life are welcomed and represented. We've come a long way.