Buried, forgotten, demolished: Archaeologist searches for New York City’s lost mikvehs

Researcher Miriam Entin, a Jewish PhD candidate in archaeology at CUNY, is searching historical records to find lost mikvehs in New York City. Only three historical mikvehs have been discovered by archaeologists in the city despite nearly 400 years of Jewish history. Entin is scouring Yiddish advertisements, fire insurance maps and other archival materials to compile the first comprehensive database of historical mikvehs.

Archaeologist Miriam Entin, a 29-year-old Jewish PhD candidate in archaeology at the City University of New York's Graduate Center, is scouring historical records to find lost mikvehs (Jewish ritual baths) in New York City. Only three historical mikvehs have been discovered by archaeologists in the city, despite nearly 400 years of Jewish history. The mikvehs have been forgotten, buried or demolished, and rediscovering them is difficult due to the city's dense urban development. Entin's dissertation focuses on mikvehs in the Lower East Side, and she plans to finish her seven years of PhD studies later this year. She is compiling the first comprehensive database of historical mikvehs in the city by examining historical Yiddish advertisements, fire insurance maps and other archival materials. The article details the history of mikvehs in the city, including the first one built by Congregation Shearith Israel in 1759, and the challenges of maintaining them in crowded tenement neighborhoods in the early 20th century.